Westy's on a Whim

So our first pre-engagement dinner was with two friends from church who are a younger couple like us, but have been married for some time and have 3 children.  It was very interesting to speak with them, but the night in itself started off a bit more hectic than we anticipated...

We originally planned to finally make good on our reservations to Itta Bena, but thanks to the awesomeness and ensuing pandemonium that was Bon Jovi, we weren't able to get close to the restaurant and had to quickly decide upon another location.  As the night would have it, there was also a graduation ceremony taking place and we couldn't get close to the restaurant.  Finally locating a parking space a block away, we headed over to Westy's.  The mister and I had been there before, but our friends hadn't, so I was very much looking forward to their reactions about the place.  Going into our first "session," no one really knew what to expect , but the food and the game made for a very relaxing atmosphere.

If you've never been to Westy's, it would seem like there are literally a million things to eat on the menu and for someone as indecisive as myself, this can be a bit daunting.  But not to worry, they're open until 3 am, so you can feel free to take as much time as you need.  There was a Grizzies game on as well, so we had plenty of incentive to sit and talk...before we actually "talked"...

We ended up ordering a variety of things...mostly burgers, but there was a medley of jalapeno poppers, bacon-wrapped shrimp and catfish thrown in there for good measure...


Jalapeno peppers...I don't mess with these things...


 

One-eyed Bacon Cheeseburger.  Yes, that's an egg on a burger.



Catfish and Fries.  I'd been craving catfish for months and couldn't even finish this.  Sad face.



So we gave ourselves time to eat our meals and then jumped into the conversation.  Quite humorous and thoroughly informative, the talk in which we engaged was the first of several to come. 

The purpose of our talks was to realistically and openly discuss the things we might expect to encounter during our marriage to each other and how to successfully navigate those issues and remain married.  But I shall not bore you with the details of those conversations and will try to stick to the food.  For dessert, the four of us shared the Ultimate Hot Fudge Pie, which is french vanilla ice cream covered with strawberries, raspberry sauce, roasted peacans and whipped cream.  I swear they should have prizes for people that can finish it off by themselves.

Oh caloric goodness, how I love thee...

Located at 346 N Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103 Westy's is a great spot for relaxing good fun and conversation with friends.  Even if you check it out solo, they are guaranteed to have something on the menu to fit your appetite's fancy!  And there's free wi-fi to sweeten the pot...

Cat's out of the Bag

So if you missed it, or aren't my friend on Facebook, I got engaged!!  My boyfriend of 1 year, 51 weeks and 2 days proposed last Wednesday!  This past Monday, July 4th, my fiance and I celebrated 2 years together of growth, laughter, happiness, even some tears and trials...  We plan to be married soon and have been planning all of this for some time now.  I say that to say this...my bad for not writing in a while...

I've been slightly incognito because we've been going through what he calls "pre-engagement counseling."  We met with 5 married couples whom we hold in high regard, took them out for a meal and sought out their advice on things that we might expect in our own marriage, taking note and being reminded that every marriage isn't and will not be the same.  The sessions were full of laughs and complete honesty...nothing was off topic and when talking to adults about adult things, that can get real interesting, real fast...

So the next series of blogs will be centered around these sessions and the local restaurants at which we were able to dine (one meeting was at a chain, so I won't blog about it).  I really wanted to write sooner, but wouldn't really be able to do that without spilling the pre-nuptial beans...

I hope that you enjoy it!

Breakfastaholics

Ok, so I'm going to admit something bad.  I enjoy a good imbibing every so often and while I believe there's nothing wrong with that, even basing your food choice around alcohol is considered apropos (think wine pairing.)  I guess it could be a little out of the ordinary when the meal is at 830 in the morning, but in my defense, someone else started it.  And also in my defense, Bryant's has really good food...

So remember that blog I did a while back, for the Cerebal Palsy fundraiser?  Well, the mister, a friend and myself came across a person who said they had a friend who added a substance to their coffee every morning.  While hilarious to envision, our curiosity was genuinely peaked.  The Rum Chatta smells a bit like coffee and looks like creamer, so it was inevitable as to what we were going to do...especially with the forehand knowledge that it functions so nicely as a substitute for cafe au lait.  Of course we made sure that we were still sober...we had just enough to change the color and taste of the coffee.  As someone mentioned, put some sugar in the cip and it's just like a regular cup o' joe...as long as you don't have 10 cups.

But the food...the Rum Chatta was just an excuse to get to the restaurant...the food was great!  Every morning on my way to work, I turn south at the intersection of Summer and Graham.  In the years that I've driven that route, I've never noticed Bryant's.  Located at 3965 Summer Ave, the restaurant is located approximately 50 feet from the intersection.  I suppose I'm focused on coming in and working like a maniac for 8 hours a day.  Or maybe not.  Either way, I was stunned that it took so long for me to get here. 

We entered fairly early, literally beating the crowd.  By the time that we placed our order, the line was along the counter and wrapped back around to the other end of the restaurant.  If that's any indication of the quality and desirability of the food, by the time we finished, that continuing line was wrapped out of the restaurant and down the side of the building...before 10 am...

There is quite an extensive menu to choose from and they sell lunch in addition to the breakfast for which they are famous.  It was difficult for me to decide, because everything looked so delicious, but I quickly settled on the Breakfast Special:

Yes, this breakfast was special!

The Breakfast Special consisted of homemade biscuits, two eggs in any style you like (#teamscrambled), grits, gravy, hashbrowns and your choice of meat.  I chose the hickory smoked bacon, cooked extra crispy.  The only regret that I expressed was that I did not get any cheese in my eggs, but that wasn't a legitimate complaint because they were still great.  The only downside that I could see is that this establishment is not very large, so most patrons have to come in, eat and leave to make room for the next wave of customers.  And trust me, they were certainly coming in waves.  So if you're tired of the chain breakfast, scoot on over to Bryant's for some hometown, made-from-scratch goodness.  To be warned, unless you're with me, they only serve decaf and regular coffee.

This is only a test...

I'm already wondering how many people are gonna comment on this one...but I just wanted you to stay tuned...  I have a series of blogs coming out about some of the insightful dinners that the mister and I just concluded.  We've been meeting with friends for food, laughs and pre-engagement counseling.  There have been 5 dinners total (4 of which I'll blog about) but mostly to let you know I've been absent from the blog for just a little bit...we've been busy :)

Mambo Italiano

So this year, we attended our 3rd annual Memphis Italian Festival together...I think the organization is on #22, but we haven't known about it for that long.  Anyhoo, the festival is set up much like the Memphis BBQ Festival...you have to know someone to get into the tents where all of the fun, festivities, and food are being served.  If you don't know someone, there are vendors at the festival where you can purchase food, and just the smell of the motherland is enough to make it worth the trip.  Not my motherland, but you get the point...I love Italian food more than any other cuisine on the planet and I have the hip spread to testify to my love of bread, pasta, and olive oil...

So we were guests of Da Friends, a group which I've found over the years makes the most wonderful spinach.  I can't give away the secrets, but it's incredible.  Even before I was really big into spinach, I loved theirs.  There is always a full array of food and I absolutely ate myself uncomfortable the two nights that we participated.  Food, fun, and friends are the reason that I look forward to this event every year.  And the wine and alcohol.  That's a must for any large gathering of strangers... On the menu, or rather what made it onto my plate, was spicy chicken wings, grilled spinach with parmesan cheese, pasta with meat sauce, and bread with olive oil and garlic.  On the second night, we were served Jello shots as dessert.  Fun times all around.



Sorry for the bone...my mouth beat my camera for the first shot...



On the second night we attended the festival, we met this guy who just started talking to us when we sat down at the table.  I really like people like that.  He turned out to be quite an interesting character.  After much laughter with him and his wife, I discovered that this guy likes to play with his food.  And by play with his food, I mean that he's a culinary artist.  I was amazed at the work that he does...and more amazingly, it's a hobby that he's developed through natural talent.  This "guy" is named Patrick Forseth, he manages a successful chain grocery store in Memphis, and he's pretty awesome all around.  He did a watermelon that was in our tent and unfortunately, I was unable to snag a picture of it before it got chopped to pieces in order to feed the masses.  But the premise of the watermelon was that it was sculpted to match the posters that advertised for the festival.  You know how artists can tattoo or airbrush a picture onto a canvas or arm?  Yeah, he does that with food...



Yes, this is a real life work of art in the side of a fruit.  I personally just know how to make it smaller and easily digestable.




This is a pumpkin that Patrick made for his store at Halloween.  Like, really.  And the "patty" is chocolate cake...yes.

  So, Patrick does these things for various events, weddings, or just so that you can have bragging rights for the coolest fruit centerpiece out of all of your friends.  He said that I could tell folks about his awesomeness, so if you're interested in having something created for your next shindig, contact him at pforseth01@gmail.com for ideas and pricing.  Email him...you know you want to.  It's getting hot and everyone needs a fantabulous hunk of watermelon to show off...

Ladies Night

A few weekends ago, some friends and I were headed out of town for a weekend of shopping and shenanigans, but unfortunately, the trip had to be postponed.  Although thoroughly enjoying sleeping in, I called one of the ladies to see if she still wanted to get out of the house.  Knowing there aren't many opportunities for her to strut her stuff on the town, being the strong, hardworking woman that she is, we scheduled a date which involved the traditional dinner and a movie. 

Finally settling on a movie and location, we went to the Paradiso Theater and saw the movie Bridesmaids.  Someone mentioned that it's like the estrogen-laced (my words) version of The Hangover, and I might agree a bit.  If anyone was in the theater that day and heard the loud, sincerely obnoxious laughter coming from the lower left corner of the room, I apologize.  But if you were there, you also know why there was high peals of laughter from the entire audience...pure hilarity!  So definitely check it out...and The Hangover 2 when it's released in a few weeks.

After composing ourselves and surving the showing with dry pants, we headed over to Napa Cafe in the Sanderlin Shopping Center.  I'd called earlier in the day to make a reservation, and they were ready when we arrived, even though we were a little early.  For dinner, the lighting is low, the candles are up, and the atmosphere is ripe for romance.  Perhaps a bit much for two ladies out on the town, but sweet all the same...we made sure to note that we'd be bringing our significant others back for a real date night.  We burned up a lot of calories in our laugh fest, so we were primed to get our eat on!

To start the meal, my friend ordered soup and I ordered salad.  My salad was Romaine and Gorgonzola, which consisted of hand cut Romaine lettuce, spiced pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and was topped with a honey roasted garlic dressing.  Despite the fact that I'm definitely a "meat girl," I do love a good salad.  This one has my favorite items...pecans and garlic...and I ate it like it was the main course.  I believe the only thing that stopped me from literally inhaling without chewing was the fact that I was there with someone with whom I was engaging in conversation.  Otherwise, that could have been ugly.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was really good.  I think society should be grateful that it's not proper dining etiquette to lick the plate, because I did clean the plate.  I could have just been hungry, but that's neither here or there...



They really are colossal...

 The other thing I have to mention is that my friend is awesome.  Aside from her sparkling personality and engaging conversation, she is absolutely willing to offer up part of her meal for me to savor and bring additional legitimacy to the blog.  Which is extra awesome because for the main entree, she ordered Shrimp and Grits.  The menu offers this dish as grilled colossal shrimp with pancetta and mushroom demi-glace, and is served atop delta grind grits.  There is another spot in Memphis that serves the shrimp and grits entree, and I'm going to try them out for comparison's sake, but this entree was just as good as it looked.  I think we were drooling over each other's plates, and yes I shared my meal as well...

I ordered the Roasted Chicken, served au jus over sauteed spinach, and a side order of Sweet Corn Saute.  The chicken was cooked...perfectly.  The chicken was roasted so that the skin was crispy and the meat was cooked to the appropriate level of juicy.  The corn saute was served with crisp Benton's bacon.  I'm not really sure who Benton is but his bacon is super fantastic!  I didn't eat the main course nearly as fast as I did the salad; I actually took the time to savor each bite of this meal.  The spinach was not heavily seasoned and balanced the spices in the chicken.  About 3 bites into the main course and side item, I realized that I was being Greedy Smurf and was going to inevitably hurt myself trying to eat everything.  But in true champion fashion, I finished my meal and found a pocket in my tummy for dessert...



Roasted Chicken au YUMMY!



Sweet Corn Saute with Benton's Bacon

Not cheesecake, but just as awesome!

So dessert...against the better judgment of our digestive capabilities, we ordered off the dessert menu.  Sweet Buttermilk Pie for m'lady and Praline Pecan Ice Cream for myself.  I was so full of food, that when they brought mine out, I was confused as to what I'd ordered.  As much as I love cheesecake, I didn't actually remember ordering it and I didn't know why my cheesecake was frozen.  Please see the picture in regards to my confusion and don't judge me.  All that eating makes you tired and a bit delirious.  I also sampled the buttermilk pie and let my friend taste my ice cream, which by the way, was prepared on a coconut pecan crust, with butterscotch sauce and whipped cream.  And I  finished every single morsel.  I had to drive home with the windows down and wind in my face, but we promised that we would get together soon and eat ourselves silly once again. 

The staff was pretty awesome as well and definitely earn their pay.  So head over to Sanderlin Shopping Center and stop by Napa Cafe (reservations recommended) for a great experience, great service, and a positively earned belly ache.

Trust Me...

So I heard a rumor about this place that doesn’t let you make your own order if you’ve never been there before…and apparently they don’t…

So after much finagling, my chica and I managed to find time in our schedules for a lunch date and we decided to hit up the Pita Café.  Upon entering, sure enough the chef asked us if we’d been there before, and when we told him that we had not, he informed us that we’d be having the #4, which is the Chicken Shawarma Wrap.  My friend stood her ground and ordered the Chicken Fajita Wrap, but I was intrigued.  First timers are allowed to pick their vegetables to go into the pita, but as far as the meat and the seasoning, house rules are “Trust me.  Trust me completely.  If you don’t like it after two bites, you don’t have to pay for it…” and I’m usually not the one to turn down an opportunity for a free meal. 

The Pita Café is located at 3950 Park Avenue, right next door to the Burger King at the intersection of Getwell and Park.  While sitting and waiting for our food to cook, we saw multiple ethnicities coming in and out of the restaurant.  I’m not used to seeing a lot of people trying new things in the city and I was very excited to see the people in the neighborhood enjoying a culinary experience outside of the “norm.”  My pita consisted of a garlic sauce, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and chicken.  On the side was a bag of cool ranch Doritos and sweet tea.  The man was right…that was one good pita.  And if I say so myself, the cool ranch was the right touch to go with the main course.  I guess it doesn’t hurt that I love Doritos anyway.  To be completely honest, there was so much food that it was a bit of a struggle just to finish it.  By the end, we were both just picking the meat out of so that we could say we made our meal count.

I've passed this restaurant several times and had never seen it, but thanks to the recommendation from another friend, I made time to try it out.  I think that you should give it a shot, especially if you're looking to venture into Mediterranean cuisine.  If you don’t like it after two bites, it’ll cost you nothing.  With that said, you should be prepared to pay for your meal…

3950 Park Avenue, Memphis, TN