Heard that Molly’s La Casita on Madison is hurting… Especially sad since owner Robert Chapman has been in ill health. If you’re so inclined, please get in there and eat.
John Bragg — who left River Oaks not long after it opened with his name attached — is gearing up to open a new place.
The new ad campaign for River Oaks seems a little desperate: you simply cannot declare yourself cool… that is so uncool!!!
Another fine dining spot is coming soon Downtown, according to a sign on a place next door to Rio Loco on Union.
Heard the Blue Monkey redux is going into the former Alice’s Urban Market on Front.
Memphis continues to gain on Nashville, with 22 restaurants listed on opentable.com, as opposed to (lucky) 13 for N’ville! BTW, It’s a great way to make a reservation, I use it all the time…
Judd Grisanti is supposed to open a place on South Main.
A chain called Bar-B-Cutie is “coming soon” to Hack’s Cross. (Thanks to Fred for the tip!)
Jim’s Place East second location, called Jim’s Grille, looks spiffy in Collierville… in the same strip mall that will be home to another Osaka… I’m coming down with a case of burb envy!
Atlanta Bread Company opened a new spot on Poplar, near Exeter…
The crepe place in East Memphis, near Penzey’s, appears to have come and gone.
There’s a chance L & M in Oxford might have to move out of its space to make way for million-dollar condos… a couple of years out, but still!!
On Teur’s phone has been disconnected…
Bol a Pasta recently celebrated its fifth anniversary… Congrats to Frank Jr., and his crew (s)!
So, what do you know? Tell, tell… all!
Let's eat
Responses to “Rumors, gossip, buzz”
October 30th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Bride and I just returned from San Fran and Berkeley. We made reservations at Range in SF through opentable.com and it worked perfectly. Range was very good, particularly a raw scallop appetizer and very sharp and potent gin gimlets. We had a $109 lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe that, although good, was not $109 worth of good. Amazing huckleberry ice cream there, I must say. We also had a tasty chicken quesadilla at a little joint named Monte Cristo (of all things) in Berkeley, and an outstanding appetizer of tuna tar tar at a neighborhood (but slinky) place, Sea Salt. Outstanding breads and soups at Bread Workshop in Berkeley (corner of Aston and University) where the Gray Panthers organized a lightly attended peace rally Saturday afternoon. I was hoping for tear gas, but alas…
October 30th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
The new Atlanta Bread location in Germantown is excellent! If Molly’s were closer to my home, I would eat there once a week. The restaurant business sure seems to be only for the truly courageous.
October 30th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Went to Molly’s on Friday night and I heard the same thing, Leslie. I used to eat there almost EVERY Friday and the only reason I have not been a recent regular has nothing to do with the food or service but renovations on my home have tied up my dining dollars a bit! Had a great shrimp taco dinner - two soft tacos filled with fresh shrimp and cilantro with a chipotle ranch dressing. Yum-EEE! I am planning on becoming a regular again. I have also heard other places are struggling as well. Would be a shame to lose one of the first - and IMHO one of the best - Mexican places in town. I have tried so many of the newer spots but always migrate back to Molly’s. Hope the struggles are only temporary!
On Tuer has just built a new enclosed patio thingy so not sure why the phone might be out - they were working on the patio just last Friday.
October 30th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Leslie, I can tell you why business is dropping off at Molly’s. They have the WORST service of any restaurant in Memphis. I’m not kidding. I’ve had drinks spilt on me (no apology), plates of food brought to me ICE cold (again no apology and when I requested a fresh plate-DO NOT MICROWAVE-that’s just what they did, nuke it), let’s see what else…the cheese has cornmeal in it…ewww! Nope, won’t be going back there any time soon. Thanks for letting me vent. I LOVE your blog.
October 30th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Is the new Atlantic (sic) Bread Company location the same one that was open in June?
I ate at a Bar-B-Cutie in Smyrna some time ago. I wish them the best.
Did you hear if the new improved Blue Monkey is going to have pizza again? I might just go if it did.
October 30th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
The Blue Monkey is going to reopen?!?! Really ?!?! I miss it downtown, that was my favorite place in ALL of downtown. Can’t wait for the re-opening.
Oh, and Molly’s. . . I have had a drink spilled on me and my kid with no ” oops, sorry” to be heard. Thankfully someone, not my waitress, tossed a few extra napkins my way.
October 30th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
This is completely random, but I had to post it somewhere!! Does anyone know a place to get York apples???? My best friend in Nashville absolutely adores them, and I have NEVER seen them. If anyone has any tips for where to find them, anywhere between Memphis & Nashville, you’ll be my new best friend, I swear.
Just so this isn’t completely random:
Atlanta Bread Company has delicious chicken n dumpling soup at least once a week!!!!!!!!!! Their baked potato soup is good too! And I LOVE their avocado sandwiches!
Also, Molly’s in Midtown has always been good, but not the best to me. (I prefer El Mezcal, La Espiga, La Guadualalapana or however it is spelled). But I will try and head there soon to support it. 
I’ll wear soda-proof clothes, just in case.
October 30th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
My honey will be home from his one year stint in Paris by next summer and I hope the new Blue Monkey is open and swinging by then…he’ll be so happy!! I hate to hear the news about Molly’s…it’s my fave place to eat Mexican food when the craving hits. I never went to the crepe place because the shopping center management team was so awful to the previous tenant, the gang that ran Schlotsky’s (sp), and ignoring the crepe place was my way of making a point. Quite frankly, I don’t care if it is childish.
October 30th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
L&M’s is going to have to move out of their space to make way for a mixed-used development that looks like the French Quarter. The developers, who owned the old Ford dealership where L&M’s is located, said they are going to have L&M’s move out while the place is built and then they are going to move them back in. I don’t know where they’ll be in the meantime.
October 31st, 2006 at 9:52 am
Karen, if you love avocado, you have probably already discovered how wonderful the guacamole is at La Guadalupana. I was with a friend Sat. & noticed they have opened a second location on Winchester near Hickory Hill. I have always gone to the one on Summer near Avon.
October 31st, 2006 at 11:44 am
Molly’s is struggling because the food is not good and the service is even worse.
October 31st, 2006 at 12:01 pm
I am rather surprised at the comments about the service at Molly’s. I was talking to a friend of mine last night about it and she was surprised too since we have both have had very good experiences with the wait staff there. Guess it depends on the server but having eaten there for years I have pretty much ordered from everyone there at one time or another. The only quibble I have had with the service was with things being a bit slow to come to the table but that was usually when the place was slammed.
October 31st, 2006 at 8:36 pm
Carole, I love you! Yes, I know the guacamole there (and at La Espiga) is muy yummy. I’m a big fan of anything avocado. As a native Californian I was shocked to discover a lot of Memphians had never even tried avocado, or knew that guacamole came from avocado!! Keep on sharing good avocado places
October 31st, 2006 at 10:15 pm
We’ve been eating at Taqueria Guadalupana on Winchester often for the past several months and turning all our friends on to the spot too. It is so great we can’t even go to any other so called Mexican place. What a great entry of all the rumors and updates. I’d love to see that more often.
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