City Market December 26, 2011

A recent visit downtown led to me City Market, where one of my commenters Samu referred me to.  Really, I got the idea from Paul Ryburn, who boasted about their mystery chips.  Scott, his mom, and I stopped in for a snack as we were exploring the downtown area.  We got a few drinks, and I insisted that we buy the mystery chips that Paul raved about.

 

I do not understand why they are called “Mystery Chips”, as they are very thick cut kettle chips with seasoning.  Don’t get me wrong, they are great chips.  I love that they are so thickly cut.  I love the light seasoning they have on them as well.  I also love that you can taste the actual potato.  However, I don’t understand their  mystery.

 

 

Either way, they are a great snack if you need something to much on downtown, while exploring.  City Market also has sandwiches and lots of other great snacks, and a small grocery section for you Downtown residents.

 

Stop by and peak in.

 

For more information you can check on their website, but its currently under construction.  You can also find more reviews on Yelp and Urbanspoon, or see what Hungry Flyer has to say.

 

 

Trolley Stop Market December 22, 2011

Trolley Stop Market has only been open for a couple of years, but they quickly grew in popularity.  I can understand why too.  First, it is a fun atmosphere.  Their sign inside proves this.

 

 

The restaurant inside is huge, so they can accomodate a lot of people at once.  I  usually sit at the bar, but you have many a tables to pick from.  You walk up to the place thinking it’s a small, quaint place.  Then you walk inside and realize how far back it spans.

 

 

They also have a cute market up front.  You can buy eclectic gifts like jewelry and art.  You can also buy local food items, like fruit, jams, breads, etc.  My friend Ginger used to bake for them, and she is amazing.  Therefore, I know this stuff is quality.

 

 

This time I went into Trolley Stop Market, I sat at the bar once again.  The service here can be really hit or miss, but my bartender Lori was great.  In past times, I have ordered various sandwiches like the Hummus Wrap with Potato Salad, and they have always been good.  This time I ordered the Shrimptastic Wrap with fruit.

 

 

This is, by far, my favorite meal I have ordered from Trolley Stop yet.  They wrap was so delicious.  It had shrimp, black beans, rice, chickpeas, lettuce,and tomato.  They also put a sweet basil/garlic spread on all sandwiches.  Yum! It was so good I devoured it way quicker than I should have.  Trolley Stop also has a great fruit cup.  I am annoyed when restaurants bring me a fruit cup that only consists of honey dew melon and cantelope.  Trolley Stop’s also has grapes, peaches, and strawberries. Yum!  I highly recommend this to everyone.  It will most likely be what I order when I go back.

 

I also hear they also have great pizza, but I have never tried it.  They also have a great beer selection on tap, including several Ghost River selections and the New Belgium seasonal.

 

For more information on Trolley Stop Market, visit their website.  It’s pretty bare, though, so I suggest their blog, where you can find their menu.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.  You can find more reviews on Yelp and Urbanspoon.  You can also find them on Mark’s Menus.

 

 

 

Fresh Slices October 28, 2011

Fresh Slices is your friendly neighborhood sandwich place, located close to Overton Park in Midtown, with sister locations in Bartlett and Cordova.  After hearing several great reviews from friends, I decided to try it myself recently.

 

The restaurant looks very quaint when walking up from the street. They have a few tables outside on the patio, but Scott and I opted for the air conditioning inside.  We went during an off hour, so the place was pretty empty.  Only two other tables and us were there to keep the employees company.

 

 

We find a cozy booth in the back to relax in.  We wait for someone to come take our drink order, but our server was nowhere to be found. (I later observe that there are only 2 people on the clock: the guy cooking the food and the girl bringing it to the table.) She finally came to greet us 5-10 minutes later and get our drink order.  We were both thirsty for a beer, but we could not find alcohol anywhere on the list. The following conversation went something like this:

Me: I would like a water. What beer to you guys serve?

Server: I don’t know off the top of my head. We have a few.

Me: Okay, can you give me a couple of names?

Server: What were you thinking?

Me: Do you have Sam Adams, Fat Tire, or Newcastle?

Server: I don’t know. I don’t think so. Do you want me to go check?

Me: That would be great. Please.

*Server leaves to go find out, but making it clear she is annoyed. She returns a couple minutes later.*

Server: No we do not. Would you like to see a beer list?

Me: Yes, please.

*Server leaves again, making sure we know that she is annoyed. She returns with a beer and wine menu.*

Me: I think we will both take waters for now while we look over this menu.

Server: Okay (*still looking clearly annoyed*)

She came back with our water and asked if we knew what we wanted to eat. We had not looked at the food menu yet, since we were trying to determine what beer we wanted. I told her not yet, but she walked away before I could finish telling her what beer we wanted.

 

Scott and I continued to look at the food menu, and at this point we were just ready to eat and leave. We decided we didn’t want beer, since it had been such an ordeal. We didn’t want to add any more steps for our server, and honestly, we thought it would prolong our waiting process.

 

A while later, our server had still not come back.  We finally saw her and flagged her down.  We decided to split an appetizer and an entree, but we ordered both at the same time to make sure we got our order in.

 

We ordered the Rio Grande Dip, which is “Bean & beef mix, guacamole sour cream, blend colby & jack cheese, jalapeno pepper slices, diced tomatoes, green onions, sliced black olives, tortilla chips”.

 

 

We also ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with fries.

 

 

The dip was pretty good, and it had a lot of goodies in it. It was also a pretty large size, enough to split between a few people (or one person and Scott, whose life revolves around cheese).  My only qualm with it was the chips.  They were the bargain tortilla chips that come in the large, clear plastic bag.  They tasted cheap.  I buy better tortilla chips at the store than that.

 

The grilled chicken sandwich was good, but nothing special.  I liked the ciabatta-like bread that it came on.

 

After finishing our meal, our server was once again nowhere to be found. After waiting for a while, we flagged her down and asked for the check.  It’s also worth noting that we never saw her again after receiving our food.

 

I honestly do not know if I will be back to Fresh Slices again.  The food was okay.  I would be more than willing to give it another shot, if the service was not so bad.  If someone invites me out to eat here, I would not refuse.  However, it will probably not be my choice to ever return.  To many wrongs do not make a right, isn’t that how the saying goes?

 

Fresh Slices does not have a website or social networking page.  You can, however, find them on Marks Menus to see their menu.  You can find more reviews on Urbanspoon, Yelp, and Trip Advisor.  For more write-ups about them, see articles in Dining With Monkeys, The Memphis Flyer, The Commercial Appeal, or Memphis Business Journal.

 

 

Westy’s October 19, 2011

Before now, I had only had two experiences with Westy’s in my life. They both involved Zoo Rendezvous, and they both involved hot fudge pie. Every year I have attended Zoo Rendezvous, I make it a point to stop by the Westy’s booth to try this hot fudge pie at least once (this past year I may have gone back for seconds and thirds).

Since I have enjoyed their hot fudge pie so much, I thought it was time to take a trip down to the actual restaurant to see what they had to offer me in terms of real food.

Westy’s is a casual dining spot on North Main in Downtown Memphis. They Christmas lights, pictures on the walls, and booths so you can kick back and relax. This is exactly what we did that night as we prepared ourselves for the Death Cab for Cutie show at Mud Island after.

When sitting down, the first thing I noticed is that I am welcomed with reading material on the table. Just in case your company is dull, pick up one of these local magazines to read before and during your meal. Dining alone for lunch? Even better.

Erin started off with a side salad, and it was a very good size for a side salad. It also came with lots of yummy toppings. They don’t skimp on these.

Scott and I ordered some toasted ravioli and tamales to start off with. They came out very quickly, which excited me as I was starving. However, they tasted like the kinds you buy at Sam’s Club and make yourself. They are obviously just your no-name brand raviolis and tamales that are heated up to serve to guests.

For entrees, Scott ordered the Helluvaburger, which is “Pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, hot mustard, onions, and pickles with jalapenos and Tabasco on the side” and tater tots.

I ordered the Pulled Chicken Sandwich, which comes with lettuce and Gouda on an onion roll, and french fries.

Overall, we both agreed the sandwiches were very average. There was not much special about them, and I feel I could have made a better sandwich at home.

Erin got a wild rice dish with chicken and veggies. She said hers was really good. According to her references, the rice dishes are the best. Guess that is what we should have gotten.

For dessert, we obviously had to get the hot fudge pie, as this is how I was originally drawn to the restaurant.

The hot fudge pie was good, but not as good as I remember it to be at Zoo Rendezvous. I love that they use french vanilla ice cream instead of regular vanilla. It adds a nice, extra-creamy touch. However, this particular one seems like it sat in the window for a hot minute waiting on someone to bring it to me. The brownie was a little stale.

I will say that Westy’s has an overly extensive menu, with lots of options for whatever you are in the mood for. Some of the sandwiches make me want to come back to try out of curiousity, like the grilled strawberry melt with cream cheese and strawberries or the honey and ham melt. However, since this place is so far out of the way from most of what I do, I can honestly say I will not be back for a while. There are many other places I would rather eat.

For more information on Westy’s, visit their website or their Facebook page. You can also find more reviews at Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Trip Advisor.