Walking in Memphis

So, I started this blog with the intention of telling anyone who wanted to listen about things I do in Tuscaloosa. But, if I visit somewhere nearby, I want to share about those places too. This past weekend I visited Mollie, my good friend who left Tuscaloosa to move to Memphis about a year and a half ago. I have been to visit a couple of times, and each time we try to eat at different places and see something new.
Memphis is about 3 1/2 or 4 hours away from Tuscaloosa. Of course it is the home of good BBQ, Graceland, Sun Studios, and Beale Street. I didn't see any of those places on this visit but if you know anything about Memphis, one of those probably comes to mind.
Friday night, I joined in on a birthday dinner for one of Mollie's friends. We ate at Local, a gastropub in downtown. The atmosphere was very laid back but the food was delicious. It was one of those places where the food was kind of surprising for the location. I had BBQ tacos and green chile mac and cheese. Yummy!! I really enjoyed my meal here. The prices were mid range and seemed appropriate for the location and the food x. The mac and cheese had a little kick but was really creamy and baked on top. A really nice combo. Here is a picture before I devoured it!

After Local, we went a new speakeasy themed bar, The Blind Bear. It is a new bar, according to the group, and had a pretty good vibe and mix of people. Mollie and I kept talking about how it was too bright, maybe just turn down the lights a little. We followed that with Silly Goose and finished the birthday celebration at Raifords. Here is a shot of Mollie and me through the fog in there. It was super fun and different. With streamers hanging from the ceiling, the fog machine, and good dance music blaring, like Michael Jackson and Prince, you are sure to have a good time at this spot.

Saturday, we had brunch at SOB, South of Beale. The food was just ok. According to my tour guides, the food is traditionally better but they seemed to be understaffed.
That night, we went to a restaurant in East Memphis, The Beauty Shop. It was literally a beauty shop and they still have the sinks at the bar area and in the back they have the hair dryers above some of the chairs. I wish I had taken a picture, but where we were seated I couldn't get a shot and I felt weird taking a picture of people eating. My food was delicious. The best of what I tasted at the table. I had a grilled Barramundo, which I googed and is a Japanese bass. They used coconut milk and  a couple of other ingredients I didn't know which gave the fish just a little bit of a sweet taste but certainly not too much. For dessert, we tried their gelato. Now, I love gelato, but have a really hard time finding what seems to be authentic gelato in the US. We tried the white chocolate blueberry, the tangerine orangecicle (or push pop orange) and strawberry balsamic. The real reason I tried the gelato was to have the strawberry balsamic. And, it was worth it. It was my favorite with the white chocolate blueberry not far behind. The strawberry wasn't that different from regular strawberry, but it had just enough of a twang to show that there was another flavor that you aren't used to having in ice cream. If you have the chance to try strawberry balsamic ice cream or gelato, you should!

So, the weekend of food was a success. Memphis has more to offer than I once thought. There were a few events at galleries and museums that we thought about going to, but the weather was so nice Saturday we just sat outside downtown. If you are looking for a good weekend visit, Memphis can definitely be considered.