PÅSKBORD IS FIRST FEAST AT MEMPHIS IKEA
When Ikea opened in December, we were promised that while we wouldn’t have a Christmas feast last year, the store’s restaurant would be in full swing and we’d see the big spread come Easter.
It’s time. On Friday, April 7, Memphians will get their first taste of a smörgåsbord with the Swedish Easter Påskbord, a cold and hot buffet of dishes both familiar and new. You’ll start with herring in different sauces to start, then move on to salmon a couple of different ways — then shrimp-stuffed deviled eggs.
There’s plenty more to come, but here’s a thing or two to know about your local Ikea restaurant. While the store is one of the smallest in the country, there are plenty of meatballs going through here. On weekends, about 1,200 plates of the iconic Swedish meatballs in cream sauce are sold, between 600 and 700 on weekdays.
Of the 6,000 visitors who come to the store every Saturday and Sunday, about 2,300 of them eat a meal, and as you can see from above, about half opt for meatballs. But the salmon, whether in a salad or on a pulled smoked salmon sandwich, is also very popular, said Yvette Zamora, commercial restaurant and Swedish food market team leader (yes, they all have cumbersome titles).
Peter Ho, food range and product developer for Ikea (what did I just say?), was in town when the store opened and shared some insight into the store’s food operation. For instance, more than 1 billion meatballs — the traditional ones, not including the chicken or
As you might have seen last week, Jennifer Biggs will be out for a few weeks, so in order to keep you informed on what’s coming up — prime food festival season is cranking up, after all — I’ll be taking over this space as needed.
As part of keeping this column warm, I’ll be compiling a list of restaurants that will be open Easter Sunday. Please send me your information (menu offerings, hours, etc.) to mark.richens@commercialappeal.com, and I’ll run it in time for folks to make reservations.
Finally, the next CA Lunch Bunch, scheduled for noon April 21 at Char, is full up. Watch this space for next destination and make plans to join us. (I’m thinking May is a good time to check out the cuisine of Colombia.)
Later this week, see Jennifer’s review of Main Street grab-and-go spot Bedrock Eats -- capping off our March focus on more healthful dining options — and read what Michael Donahue has been noshing on lately.
Now on to new business:
Events coming up
» At Porcellino’s Craft Butcher, head butcher Brad McCarley starts this Wednesday a three-week series of hands-on classes on how to break down a whole hog. Each class addresses a specific portion of the pig: This week, it’s “Tackling the Shoulder” ($300), April 5 covers “The Middle Section (Belly, Loin, Ribs)” ($450), and April 5 is “Breaking Down the Ham” ($300). Novice butchers get to take home what they cut. Comprehensive Butcher Student tickets for all three classes are $850. All classes run from 6 to 9 p.m. Find tickets at eventbrite.com.
» Caritas Village hosts its second Super Soul Brunch from 10:30 a.m. till 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, featuring live music and a buffet of brunch favorites including waffle bar, fried chicken, biscuits and more. Justin Merrick & Friends and DJ Space Age supply the tunes. Cost is $12, which includes beverages like java from local firm J. Brooks Coffee Roasters. Caritas is located at 2509 Harvard in Binghamton.
» Embrace the bitter side of life at Hopped III, an event taking place noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Memphis Made Brewing Co. Limitedrun hoppy beers will be released throughout the day, Gourmade, Lucky Cat Ramen and MemPops food trucks will be on site, and there will be live music throughout the afternoon. The first 100 customers get a Hopped III commemorative glass.
» Make your rounds of CooperYoung dining and drinking spots and enjoy a variety of wines at the Walk the “Vine” Fundraiser/Johnny Cash Statue Bash, 4 to 7 p.m., April 22. Patrons will purchase tickets to “walk the vine” to six restaurants where they will receive 3-ounce pours of featured wines. Participating are Next Door, Mulan Bistro, Young Avenue Deli, Celtic Crossing, The Beauty Shop Restaurant and Strano! Sicilian Kitchen. Music by Deering and Down, Brandon Taylor, and Fast Mothers! will entertain you as you stroll. Tickets: $25 each or $45 for two. Proceeds to go funding a statue commemorating Johnny Cash’s first public performance, which took place in 1954 at the old Galloway Methodist Church at Cooper and Walker. For
vegetable versions — are sold annually in all Ikea stores. All stores abide by international sustainability guidelines for fish, both wild-caught and farmraised.
And Ikea uses only farm-raised salmon because they sell so much of it, in the restaurants and in the Swedish food market inside each Ikea, that catching it wild would result in overfishing.
“The Swedes love their fish, and that’s our restaurant culture,” he said. “Every feast always starts with seafood.”
Påskbord, of course, is no exception. After the fish, which is the first course, you’ll move on to cheeses, salads and breads. The third course is where you’ll find the meatballs, served with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes with dill, lingonberries, a fish and potato casserole called Jansson’s Temptation, Swedish ham, and prinskorv, small sausages.
Plenty of desserts follow, from cakes to cookies. And there’s Swedish candy, including chocolate bunnies, in the food market for Easter baskets.
The cost of the buffet, which will be served from 5 to 8:30 p.m., is $16.99 per person and $4.99 for children 12 and younger. If you’re an Ikea Family member, it’s $12.99 and $2.99. (It’s free to become a member of Ikea Family. and you can sign up online by clicking here, or go to ikea.com, pick USA and then click on “Ikea Family” in the upper right, or at kiosks in the store.) Other perks of being a member include free coffee any time you’re in the store, which makes the $1 breakfast of two scrambled eggs (real eggs, not powdered, but prepared only scrambled), two links of turkey sausage and hash browns an even better deal.
The next feast is MidSummer, which is June 16.
“That’s actually my favorite,” said Zamora. “There’s a lot of fruit salads and other salads — it’s very fresh.”
Zamora worked in Ikea stores in New Jersey and Miami before coming here to open the Memphis store.
September brings the Swedish Crayfish Feast, which feature a crustacean similar to our beloved crawfish but not quite the same, and cooked with different spices. The biggest spread is Jubord, which is the Christmas feast in December. Prices aren’t set for any of these, but they’ll be priced within a few dollars of Påskbord, said Emily Lux, Ikea loyalty team lead.
This is a ticketed event, and seating is limited, so to be safe, purchase tickets ahead of time in the restaurant at 7900 Ikea Way in Cordova.