Looking at some local restaurant wine lists online, I couldn’t help noticing this range of prices for Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut, the non-vintage French champagne that’s one of the most highly visible and relentlessly marketed brands in the world.

Ready?

Umai ……………….. $70
Encore ………………$80
Felicia Suzanne’s …..$85
The Grove Grill ……..$95
Erling Jensen ……….$96
River Oaks ………….$98
Chez Philippe ……… $99
Interim ……………..$112
The Majestic ………$113
Circa ……………….$130

That’s right, readers, there’s a difference of $60 between the lowest and the highest prices of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label on these 10 wine lists, this for a champagne that retails usually for $35 to $45. Of course the restaurants don’t pay the retail price; they pay wholesale. Yes, I know, the price in the restaurant includes the high Tennessee sales tax on wine as well as the city tax, but still, if Umai, a small establishment that can’t move a lot of the stuff, can charge $70, it means that places charging over, say, $90 are making a killing. And $130!!!!! Does the word “unconscionable” mean anything to you? You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.

Just reading over Fredric’s post about Equestria and it brought to mind a conversation I recently had with friends. We were talking about a prix fixe dinner at Per Se in New York–$250. Of course that’s expensive and no one argued. It could even be said to be obscene, frankly, when many families can’t afford to spend that much on food in a month. But then we got in the discussion of what is expensive and what’s just to be expected.

Is a $20 entree pricey? $30? $40? Where does it break for you? Let’s get some talk going on this and then I’ll weigh in with my opinion, too. There’s more to it than just the price of the food.

This email came to me from a reader and I’d like to get your input on it. Do you agree, not so much about Los Compadres as about the dumbing down of ethnic food? 

Further, I’m doing a wrap-up of the best ethnic restaurants in town as part of our year-end restaurant picks. If I’m not reviewing a restaurant, I’m either cooking at home or eating Indian, Mexican or Thai food somewhere. Tell me your favorites, because time is running short and if I’m missing a good spot, I need to get there and try it out soon.

Here’s the email:

Have you noticed lately, more than the usual for Memphis, that local area ethnic restaurants are dumbing down their fare with their sites on profits? Take Los Compadres at the corner of Union Ext and Poplar. When they were first conceived, as I understand it, it was because multiple disgruntled employees formerly from another popular Mex restaurant banded together to form an alternative place to go with better food and service. Clearly this was an opportunity for Memphians to get good Mexican fair without the long lines experienced at say El Porton. The focus was on the food… in fact if you had already had two beers they wouldn’t ASK if you needed another drink. Then, there was a shake down of the original partners/ families in management and the resultant managing family (owners) installed a beautiful patio and turned the place into another terrible food *Mexican style* drinking place with poor service. What gives… is this what Memphians really want?? Plastic tubs of refried beans and powdered chickn soup mix and gristly cheap meat mixtures covered with wilted lettuce? Served with cheap tequila flavored alcoholic margarita mixes?? Hey, profits win as long as nobody says anything about it because we all vote with our dollars and Los Compadres now enjoys those long lines that started this establishment in the first place!! Seems that Memphis can’t handle decent ethnic restaurant food. Or maybe they go ˜longingly so in hopes that the good food will magically reappear. Still, Los Compadres is a great place to meet friends and have a drink and perhaps some chips but I miss the ( good ) old food terribly! Please charge more for GOOD food if  you need to. BUT have good food. And whats with the tubs of institutional refried beans?? Never seen them in Mexico. Pinto beans aren’t really that hard to serve, are they???

Randy Caparoso came to Memphis early in April to build the wine program for Circa, John Bragg’s restaurant Downtown. Caparoso had 30 years experience in food, wine and restaurant management, and he created a unique and immensely gratifying wine list for the restaurant.

We interviewed Caparoso about his philosoply of wine and and food and wine pairing and posted the result to this blog on August 23, shortly after the restaurant opened. We asked Caparoso then about his commitment to Memphis and Circa, and he replied, “Circa is my job and my commitment.”

We learned by email a few minutes ago that Caparoso is leaving the restaurant and the city. His (brief) farewell and his paean to local indigenous food are here at culinarywineandfood.

For the past two weeks I’ve printed a list of restaurants that opted not to go smoke-free on Oct. 1 (yes, they had the option, but in order to allow smoking restaurants have to allow only patrons 21 and over and only have employees 21 and over). I keep getting calls from folks who missed it, so here’s the list I have. Add to it if you know of other places:

Kudzu’s, The Flying Saucer, Le Chardonnay, The Windjammer, The Blue Monkey, Blues City Cafe, Club 152, EP Delta Kitchen and Bar, Willie Moffatt’s, Old Zinnie’s, P & H, Bubba’s Ale House, Pappy’s Oysters Bar, Cock-eyed Camel and the Fox and the Hound.

Another rumor that’s been flying has been confirmed: Paula Deen is opening a restaurant in Tunica at what is presently The Grand Casino–which is going to be rebranded Harrah’s–in May. I didn’t make the press conference this morning because I was putting out tomorrow’s Food section, but a business reporter was there to cover the story of the whole expansion/rebranding, so there will be more info in the morning paper. I do know it’s going to be a buffet, though, and that it’s supposed to be a replica of her house.

We just received a bulletin from Circa’s pr agency that the downtown restaurant is eliminating public lunch service. According to the press release, executive chef and owner John Bragg decided to concentrate on Circa’s growing executive catering and private party business, much of which focuses on the lunch hour. The restaurant will continue full nightly service. New hours for the kitchen are 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Bars hours are 4 to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 4 to midnight, Friday and Saturday. Circa is at 119 S. Main. Call 522-1488 or visit circamemphis.com

I know we’ve talked about it in other posts, but with the closing of LuLu Grille, its seems a good time give a send-off to restaurants we miss. Thank Jim for sending me this email this morning and getting this going: It was the mention of the Western Steakhouse that got me. I was telling a younger colleague about it just a few weeks ago, and had to explain that I wasn’t talking about the Western Sizzler, or Sizzlin’, whatever it was. The Western Steakhouse was an institution on Madison and to this day I haven’t tasted a steak as perfect as one I ate there about 20 years ago. The woman who cooked it let me go back in the kitchen to watch her, because I didn’t believe that all she did was salt the outside and sear it on a hot griddle. But that was in fact all she did.

“As I posted a comment on FK’s offal topic, I remembered Ben’s Restaurant. It might be kinda nostalgic and interesting to put out a blog topic concerning closed classic Memphis restaurants and what people remembered most about them-great dishes and other recollections.
Boy, from the old closures like Ben’s, the Loft, the Luau, Four Flames, Captain Bilbo’s, the original River Terrace, Grisanti’s, Justine’s (sigh!), the Western Steakhouse, and Swiss Manor to more recent ones like Anderton’s and Erika’s.”

It’s official. LuLu Grille is closing after 16 years. Rumors have been flying that it was going to close and that Ciao Bella was moving in the space. Turns out it’s all true. I just talked to Leigh McLean and she confirmed it.

The last dinner is Thursday, Aug. 30. Leigh said she thinks she’ll run special dinners between now and then, so call ahead and see what’s on the menu, then go eat your last meal and a piece of coconut cake at a place I’m sorry to see go.

I’ll keep you posted on what Leigh’s going to do and on when Ciao Bella’s moving in.

You can read this and more tomorrow in Jennifer Chandler’s column, but here’s a little more on the Ciao Bella saga. Seems that Pei Wei is moving into another location in the Sanderlin center and only one restaurant is allowed in the strip center. But since it’s not there yet and construction hasn’t started, Ciao Bella owners are trying to work out a deal to stay on a bit longer. I’ve heard a few rumors on possible new locations, but I can’t share anything until I get confirmation–now it’s nothing more than gossip. The good news is that it seems like they’re really serious about opening elsewhere.

Also, possibly Wednesday night but officially by Thursday night, Tuscany opens in the former La Tourelle location. Northern Italian food nightly, plus Sunday brunch. Looking forward to trying this one…

And Marena’s has closed.