India Palace in Memphis is probably my favorite restaurant in midtown. It's definitely my favorite Indian food ever. On my recent trip home to Memphis I told the waiter that I couldn't wait to get to Memphis and eat at India Palace again. He asked why I hadn't been in for dinner in a while and I told him I'd moved to Kansas. He asked if the food was still as good as I remembered and I said yes. There are certain things about Memphis that I never want to change. Go for the lunch buffet. Definitely order the mango lassi.
The Cooper-Young Festival - My favorite Memphis festival is the Cooper-Young Festival in the ginkgo tree lined Cooper-Young District in Memphis. I have been to it 20 times and only missed one year in the last 21 years. My friend Amy Aston and I went to it together for years. We called it National Amy and Ginger day and spent the whole day at the festival from 9:00 to 7:00 shopping, talking to friends and eating. It was always a perfect day even the year it rained all day. The festival hosts 100,000 people every year. You can find corn dogs, crafts, live music, local charity information booths, and a million other odds and ends. Here are some pictures of the 2016 festival. I took my mom for the first time and she liked all the arts and crafts.
I love pizza. My first memories of yummy pizza are those of sleepovers and getting to eat at the Pizza Hut in Sardis, Mississippi. Later, my college roommate who grew up in Chicago introduced me to Giordano's in Chicago which is my favorite pizza of all time. Below is a picture of my favorite pizza in Memphis: the buffalo chicken pizza from Memphis Pizza Café. The grilled chicken smothered in buffalo sauce and ranch dip on top of a red sauce pizza. It is heavenly!!! My husband always gets a pineapple calzone. It's delicious too. The perfect meal at this place for me is a full Hawaiian salad with ranch dip, the buffalo chicken pizza (both pictured below) and washing it down with unsweet tea.
Central BBQ, my favorite Memphis bbq. It serves one of my favorite meals of all time: bbq pork nachos. This place also has the most amazing hot wings, green beans, coleslaw, turnip greens and potato salad.
Pictured below is the best margarita in Memphis, Tennessee. This is Café Ole in the Cooper-Young neighborhood in Memphis. Recently it was completely remodeled and the menu has changed. The food is still delicious and the margaritas are still my favorite of all time.
The Brooks Art Museum. What a beautiful museum inside and out. Next door is the wonderful Memphis Zoo and Overton Park.
To the left is my friend Alice Jehan who lived in Memphis for a short time before moving back to Paris, France her hometown. We discovered Green Cork together and had a great time! Serve yourself wine bars are really fun! And we ordered the picnic basket pictured below. It was delicious and so much fun to mix and match the flavors in the basket with the different wines.
Below is Bosco's on the Square at Overton Square. My hubby loves the beer flight and I love the roasted chicken and roasted Brussel sprouts. The fried artichoke hearts are also amazing.
Below is a picture of Bosco's and Robata.
Pictured below and above is Robata Ramen and Yakitori Bar on Overton Square. This place is so delicious! I was delighted when it opened and Stephanie, Paul, and I all loved it when we went. There were so many things on the menu I'd never tried.
Babalu is a very pretty and extremely delicious restaurant at Overton Square. All the tacos are delicious. The grits are extra savory and yummy. The made-to-order tableside guacamole is unbelievably delicious too.
Sweet Noshings is a candy, ice cream and popcorn store right next door to Babalu. There is every sweet treat you could possibly imagine.
Schweinehaus is incredibly good. The late Erica's German Restaurant downtown (that I missed so desperately when it closed) now has a replacement! Huge portions and truly yummy food.
One of my favorite cafes in the world and definitely my favorite café in Memphis is Java Cabana owned by Mary Burns. She was so young when she took ownership. It's still as cool as it was in the late 90's. My favorite drink is the Lisa Marie.
The Cooper-Young neighborhood in midtown is also home to the oldest cathouse in Memphis. An orphanage for kitty cats, that is. The House of Mews is one of the sweetest places to visit in town.
Maggie's Pharm is my favorite place to buy homemade soaps and hilarious cards. It is a perfect place to buy a gift in Memphis.
The Barksdale Restaurant for breakfast is a place I can't believe I didn't try while I lived in Memphis. I've only had breakfast there but it was delicious and so cozy! The service was great too.
