Back Do / Mi Yard oasis venture opening
‘Back door’ space is special for Karen Carrier
Step out the back door of The Beauty Shop and you will now find yourself in one of the coolest backyards in Memphis.
Last year, Karen Carrier decided to turn the back storage space behind her restaurant into a backyard oasis. On Oct. 23, her vision, named Back Dō / Mi Yard, officially opens.
Carrier also owns Bar DKDC, Mollie Fontaine Lounge and Another Roadside Attraction Catering.
“‘Back Dō’ is Memphis slang for ‘back door’ and ‘Mi Yard’ means ‘my home’ in patois, which is Jamaican slang,” said Carrier of the name of the newest addition to her businesses in Cooper-young.
It was a 10-year dream for Carrier to make this space into something special. Last fall, she decided to finally make it a reality.
Back Do / Mi Yard will be open Wednesday through Saturday evenings.
The menu
In typical Carrier form, the menu will be unique and a one-of-a-kind offering.
“We will be serving rotisserie meats and fishes,” Carrier said. “Items like chili glazed lamb chops, rib-eye steaks and fishes like branzino.”
She purchased a large outdoor rotisserie grill from Memphis-based Carson Rodizio. The unique grill will allow Carrier’s chefs to cook entrees just like at a Brazilian-style churrascada restaurant.
She also plans to offer two different salads daily, as well as french fries, as accompaniments. A crudo and a selection of specialty bread will also be part of the limited menu that has a casual, backyard barbecue feel.
On the tables will be what Carrier describes as her “trick bag.” Three different nut dusts and salsas will allow customers to “enhance” their plate.
“Each of the nut dusts is made with a different chili,” she said. “There will be Brazil nut, sesame guajillo and cashew pasilla.”
At a glance
Hours: Opens Oct. 23; 5-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
The bar will feature specialty drinks, as well as hot toddies like Hot Buttered Rum on cool evenings.
The space
When the sun sets, the backyard transforms into a space that Carrier describes as “sexy, succulent and a space that feels like you are not in Memphis, but in the heart of Jamaica.”
Carrier, who vacations annually in Jamaica, called on the folks at Millstone Nursery to help her procure tropical plants and trees to give the space a jungle-like feel. Hand-painted wooden planters filled with bamboo line the back wall, making the parking lot behind disappear in the foliage.
She enlisted musician Harlan T. Bobo to build a large wooden deck which has been painted in white and black harlequin pattern. On top sits a mish-mash of outdoor furniture, ranging from wooden tables to retro café seating to rattan lounge chairs.
Memphis artist Wayne Edge created the stunning wooden bar tops made of walnut and cedar. Over the bar is a thatch roof awning that reminds you of a Jamaican beach hut. Woven bamboo light fixtures add to the Caribbean vibe.
“I really wanted it to have that island feel,” Carrier said.
The intimate-feeling space seats approximately 40 guests.
Every night, movies will be played on the side wall.
“Ron Shapiro and I were close friends. I told him about this idea years ago. He was going to be the movie guy for Back Dō / Mi Yard. I am keeping the movies in homage to him,” Carrier said.
Shapiro was the founder of the the Hoka Theater in Oxford, Mississippi. He died in August after a battle with cancer.
Carrier said to expect an eclectic mix of movies. Old black and whites, documentaries and indie films will make up the offerings.
“We are starting with ‘Mystery Train,’ ” said Carrier, who was the caterer for this 1980s Memphis-made film.
And how do you find this hidden oasis? Guests can enter Back Dō / Mi Yard through The Beauty Shop or through a parking lot off Young Avenue.
“Look for the signs on Young that lead you to our ‘back dō,’ ” Carrier said.
Back Dō / Mi Yard
Where: 966 Cooper St.
Online: facebook.com/backdobar/
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal.