Lotus Vietnamese Restaurant, Memphis, TN

Lotus

MAP

Lotus is a small Vietnamese restaurant on Summer Avenue just east of Mendenhall Road on the north side. It's been there for 40 years according to what the owner told me. I lived in Memphis near this restaurant until four years ago but had never been there and boy oh boy did I miss out!

I went there for the first time this past Friday night and it was fantastic. I ordered the garlic chicken as an entrée and Vietnamese egg rolls as an appetizer along with hot tea. Everything was really good and the prices were very reasonable for what I got. The total was about $20 before tip but there was enough of the chicken entrée for two full meals. I asked for the entrée to be mild but I think I'll try it hotter next time.

I regret never having been there before and I will definitely be back!

Pancho's Memphis, TN

Pancho's

MAP

Pancho's is a Mexican restaurant in Memphis in the shopping center that's at the corner of Summer Avenue and White Station Road in the building that many years ago was Café St. Clair. The original Pancho's location is in West Memphis, AR and I've been to both locations many times over the years.

One of the things other than good food that sets Pancho's apart from other Mexican places is they bring you cheese dip for no extra charge with your tortilla chips, and their cheese dip is legendary. It's different, and better that many other places. They used to bring you unlimited refills on the dip but I think now they charge for extras. Either way, their dip is great.

I had not been to either location in a while and I went there this past Tuesday for lunch and got the lunch special with three items. I got a chicken quesadilla and a beef burrito (the burrito counts as two items) and it comes with rice and beans. Both of the items are really good and I miss living near there.

The total before tip was only about $12. If you get a chance, try them out. I think you'll like them!

Doe's Eat Place, Jonesboro, AR

Doe's Eat Place

MAP

Doe's Eat Place is a regional chain with several location in the mid-south area. I was in Jonesboro, AR today and wanted to try them based on reviews I had seen, and they were great. I ordered an appetizer, the tamale cheese dip (the picture of that is a little fuzzy), and a shrimp po' boy sandwich, and everything was fantastic.

My friend got a chili-cheeseburger and was only able to eat about half of it and took the other half home for his wife. They split the appetizer and my total was only a little over $17 including a drink before tip. The service was great as well.

I want to try some of their other locations as they are near some my relatives.

Bonus review:

Andy's Frozen Custard, Jonesboro, AR

MAP

After dinner I went by Andy's Frozen Custard on Highland Drive (Highway 18) just east of Main Street on recommendation of a coworker and it was really also! I was still pretty full but wanted to try it so I got a small chocolate milkshake.

The regular price is about $4.50 for the small but they gave me a discount so I didn't have to pay quite that much. I want to try it again sometime when I'm hungrier but the milkshake was very good.

I definitely recommend them.

Mish Mash time again (It's been a while)

A mish-mash of places I've been again and already posted about so I'm not devoting a whole page to each one.


Big Bad Breakfast, Oxford, MS

Belmont Grill, Memphis, TN

Cafe Ole, Memphis, TN

Caminos, Memphis, TN

Country Skillet, Southaven, MS

El Charro, Horn Lake, MS

The Hickory Tavern, Collierville, TN

Huey's, Southaven, MS

Saki Endless Sushi, Southaven, MS

Kublai Khan, Southaven, MS

Los Picosos, Memphis, TN

Midtown Crossing Grill, Memphis, TN

Milano's, Southaven, MS

Olympic Steak and Pizza, Oakland, TN

Saki Endless Sushi, Southaven, MS

Santa Rosa, Southaven, MS

South of Beale, Memphis, TN

Yang's Deli, Memphis, TN

Ty's Smokehouse, Bartlett, TN

Ty's Smokehouse

MAP

Ty's is a small barbecue restaurant in Bartlett on Stage Road/Highway 64 a couple of blocks east of Highway 70/79/Summer Avenue, and a few blocks west of Wolfchase on the north side in a strip mall. I went there today after seeing them on a list of barbecue places to try.

At first I was a little disappointed by the amount of food there appeared to be for the price but after I started eating, there was more barbecue on the plate than there appeared to be, so don't let the apparent size of the scoop of meat fool you. There was plenty of food. The barbecue plate came with two side items and I ordered French fries and macaroni and cheese, both of which were really good.

I tried the hot barbecue sauce and it seemed more "peppery" to me than hot. It tasted good though, so I have no complaints. The barbecue was pretty good too. The total including a drink and tax was about $13.00 so the prices are reasonable. The cashier was friendly and the food came out pretty quickly.

Honestly, I can't give them glowing reviews. They were listed on a local news article as one of the best five places in town to get barbecue and I have to disagree with that, but having said that, it was good and I would definitely go back if I were in the area.

Again, the food was good, so if you're in the area give them a try. I have no complaints at all!

Chef Tam's Underground Cafe, Memphis, TN

Chef Tam's

MAP

Chef Tam's is a small restaurant in an old house at the corner of Young Avenue and Bruce Street which is just west of East Parkway, just a little east of Cooper/Young. I originally saw it on Groupon a few weeks ago even though I didn't buy the Groupon deal. I had been planning on trying it but didn't get over there until today. I'll have to say, I shouldn't have waited so long. It was fantastic!

I ordered the Big Mouth Burger with seasoned fries and a side order called the Muddy Water Mac and Cheese, which is macaroni and cheese stuffed with crawfish, crab, and shrimp. Everything was great and the service was excellent. Everyone was very friendly.

Prices are about average for a place in Cooper/Young. All together my total was about $18 before tip which was very reasonable for what I got. As you can see from the pictures, they don't scrimp on the amount of food they give you.

I can't recommend them highly enough. I was just discussing with a friend of mine that if you only like chain restaurants I feel a little sorry for you because you miss out on places like this.

 

Gracie's Snowball Cafe, Bartlett, TN

Gracie's

MAP

Gracie's is an ice cream/snow-cone shop on Germantown Parkway just north of Infinity of Memphis, which is a little north of Highway 64. I went there last night after it was recommended by a friend, and it was fantastic.

They sell snow-cones and ice cream. One of the options was a snow-cone with ice cream in it. I got chocolate with peanut butter cups as a topping and it was really good. There are open fairly late for a shop of this type. I think they close at 9:00 PM.

It's not expensive. I got a large which was about $6.00 and honestly I should have gotten the medium. The large was larger than I was expecting. I definitely recommend it and will going back!