The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
Memphis Black Restaurant Week kicks off March 7
The sixth annual Memphis Black Restaurant Week kicks off March 7.
This is a perfect week to try a new restaurant or revisit one you haven’t been to in awhile.
The list of restaurants is eclectic and diverse in menu offerings and parts of town. The common denominator is that they are all minority-owned establishments.
Cynthia Daniels, a Memphis event planner, founded Memphis Black Restaurant Week to “bring awareness around the hidden treasures in the Memphis community.” Her mission has evolved into a dining week that Memphians (and participating restaurants) look forward to each year.
“I wasn’t going to do it this year because of the challenges,” Daniels said. “But then I knew I had to make it happen.”
This year, as with most things, Memphis Black Restaurant Week will look a little different.
The focus will be on takeout this year. Because many dining rooms are still closed due to the pandemic, Daniels is encouraging Memphians to place orders for pickup or use delivery services if dine-in is not an option.
Another thing missing will be the dining “deals” that normally come with
the week’s promotions. “I didn’t want this week to be stressful for the restaurants,” Daniels said. “Instead I just wanted us all to be able to say, ‘We just want to support you.’”
Daniels also felt it was important to include more restaurants this year. Traditionally, the weeklong event features about a dozen restaurants. This year, 21 restaurants spread throughout the city will participate.
Downtown restaurants include Chef Tam’s Underground Café, Sage and Sugar Shack.
Tamra Patterson, chef and owner of Chef Tam’s Underground Café, has participated every year since she opened her restaurant in 2017. “The first year I participated in Black Restaurant Week I did so sheepishly not really sure what I was getting into — in essence, I cut my teeth on Memphis Black Restaurant Week,” she said. “I continue to participate because it is the vital resuscitation businesses need following the cold dreary winter.”
Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken, Smooth Living Health Food and Eggxactly Deli & Breakfast are a few of the Whitehaven restaurants taking part.
Eggxactly Breakfast & Deli owners Wendell and Adrena Jackson are excited to participate this year. “We are strong supporters of local restaurants. This is especially true this year as so many struggle to survive amidst the pandemic,” Adrena Jackson said. “Cynthia Daniels has created a family environment that creates success and ex
citement within the Memphis community.”
Farther east, restaurants like Bones & Yam in Cordova and Big Momma’s & Granny’s in Bartlett are on the list.
It will be the third year for Sage restaurant in Downtown Memphis to participate.
“It is great exposure for our industry,” said Sage owner Charles Nwankwo, adding that during Black Restaurant Week he always sees new customers coming from other parts of the city.
Memphis Black Restaurant Week 2021 runs March 7-13. A full list of participating restaurants is available at blackrestaurantweek.com. Check each participating restaurant’s social media for menus and hours.
What happens when a sushi chef and a craft butcher collaborate? In the case of Salt | Soy restaurant, something delicious.
Salt | Soy has been in the works for more than two years. It's a collaboration between two seasoned Memphis chefs — Nick Scott and Brad Mccarley. The two have married their individual backgrounds (Scott in sushi and Mccarley in charcuterie) to create a one-of-a-kind menu that fuses Asian and Southern fare.
Chicken Fried Chicken and Dumpling Dumplings, Salmon Crudo with Truffles, and Louisiana-inspired “Dirty” Fried Rice with chicken livers and oysters are just a handful of the original dishes you will find on the menu.
Salt | Soy opens on March 5 at 2583 Broad Ave. What was a two-year-old pop-up concept has found a permanent home in the building that was most recently Lucky Cat Ramen.
Scott describes the fare at Salt | Soy as "New American — Asian Inspired."
The menu will focus on Japanese Izakaya small plates. The dishes are to be shared, allowing guests to sample many different options on each visit.
Scott is quick to point out that while sushi is part of the offerings, it is an Izakaya restaurant first and foremost.
Mccarley, who most recently operated City Block Salumeria and several other establishments in the now closed Puck Food Hall, combines Southern ingredients with Japanese techniques. Ingredients like country ham, chicken livers and sweet potatoes find themselves taking center stage in traditional Japanese dishes like dumplings and fried rice.
“We are bringing some Southern flair into the Japanese-based menu. We are bridging the gap between the two cuisines,” said Lindsay Chaisson, who is the restaurant's chef de cuisine.
Mccarley said his years as a butcher helped him with this new project. “Gyoza filling is like sausage,” he said, explaining how he incorporates his own cured country ham into the filling made with pork from local farm Home Place
Pastures. That particular dish gets a further fusion spin with a Redeye Ponzu sauce.
And let's talk about that Chicken Fried Chicken and Dumpling Dumplings dish. The fusion of Southern ingredients and Japanese technique is evident in every bite. The filling is quintessentially Southern, while the flavor of the fried dumpling that the chicken and dumplings filling is wrapped in is rooted in Japanese cuisine. A Southern chicken gravy comes on the side as the dipping sauce.
The Dirty Fried Rice on the menu came from Chaisson. She combines ingredients like oysters and chicken livers from her Louisiana background into what is a not-so-traditional fried rice. “My grandmother always put oysters in her dirty rice,” Chaisson explained of the inspiration for the Cajun spin on this traditional Asian dish.
Noodle dishes, yakitori and small plates like Spicy Salt Shrimp and Sesame Green Beans are also on the menu.
The sushi offerings are not to be overlooked.
While Scott is most known for his restaurant Alchemy these days, he has an extensive background in sushi and
Asian fare. He worked for Jimmy Ishii at his Downtown restaurant Bluefin for close to 10 years. He also did a two-year stint at Karen Carrier's now-closed Do Sushi.
He has spent the two past years developing a limited, but outstanding, sushi menu.
“Our sushi will be different than your typical Memphis sushi,” Scott said. “I take a composed dish and make it into a sushi roll … and I get pretty savory with it.”
The sashimi dishes are a must-try. Each reminds you of something you might find at a restaurant like New York's Nobu.
Each bite of the Hamachi Sashimi is best described as “unctuous.” This fatty fish is served in a brown butter ponzu and topped with avocado. The combination of ingredients creates a deliciously creamy butter texture in each bite.
Seared Salmon Crudo is “seared” to order with a blow torch and served with a truffle ponzu, extra virgin olive oil and scallions. You might question truffles and sashimi, but Scott has created a balanced dish of interesting flavors and textures.
Alex Mosley and Mckenzie Nelson will lead the bar program. “They will be using Japanese ingredients to make unique takes on classic cocktails,” Scott said. “We have fantastic talent at the bar.”
Scott, who also owns Alchemy in Cooper-young, said Mosley and Nelson approach the bar as an extension of the kitchen. “We are focused on seasonal cocktails using curated ingredients and house made mixers.”
The extensive menu is intentionally designed to encourage guests to try multiple dishes. Most prices range from $4 to $15 per plate.
“Our goal is to incorporate a lot of familiar flavors. We want the dishes to be approachable,” said Scott.
Mccarley added, “We have a big menu. You can come in and have a different experience each time, trying different things each visit.”
Memphis director Craig Brewer’s new movie, “Coming 2 America,” debuts on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service Friday.
The long overdue sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy is likely to be viewed by millions of people this weekend. And then what will they do?
Here are some suggestions on what to watch next — five films that can be connected (obviously or obliquely) to “Coming 2 America.” ‘Dolemite Is My Name’
Eddie Murphy asked Craig Brewer to direct “Coming 2 America” because he was so pleased with their