www.feliciasuzanne.com
Another really good restaurant website..
901-523-0877
135 South Main Street
Memphis, TN 38103-2438
About 100 feet North of the
corner of Main and Monroe in the Brinkley Plaza Building. Get off the trolley
at the Monroe Street stop. If you are driving, enter the Brinkley Plaza parking
garage at 20 N Front St. between Monroe & Madison. The garage entrance is
on Front Street on the Northeast corner of Front & Monroe.
Signs at the back of the
garage will direct you to Felicia Suzanne's. Parking is $5 after 4:00pm or
hourly before 4:00pm. Brinkley Plaza garage only accepts cash, but Felicia
Suzanne's can add parking to your dining check if you are paying by credit
card.
It is always
pleasant at the bar and I do like the atmosphere. There is a great view of Main
Street out of the 20' tall plate glass windows that front this restaurant. Entering
the restaurant from Main Street, you encounter the hostess stand on your left.
To your right are two stairs up to a beautiful and tranquil side garden -
sometimes with live music. Always professional, funny (when he lets himself be)
Steven Shipp runs the front of the house. This is a great people watching spot.
Love the trolley's going by, the busy bar; separated gracefully from the
elegant dining area. Check out the ceiling to get a vision of the old
Lowenstein's Department store (Steven had to tell me) this once was. For those of you that went to school in the
late 60’s and early 70’s, is this Alice's Restaurant? "You can get
anything you want at Alice's Restaurant (exceptin' Alice)". Please
substitute Felicia, where you see Alice. If you don’t understand what I’m
saying, you missed a heck of a good time!
Ok, for
those of you that have read my stuff & are expecting something
"catty" I'm sorry to disappoint you... This will be more of a love
sonnet-to the restaurant.
Felicia
Suzanne Willet is truly an amazing woman & i am frankly honored that she
treats me as well as she does. Here's
how she blew me away the 1st time... I did a party in my home for
about 25 on a Friday in Dec 2010. I had just moved downtown & was casting around
for a caterer. I called Felicia Suzanne because I had eaten there twice. I picked
out the menu over the phone off of suggestions by whoever answered (don't remember). They said “We'll take care of everything except… can you get
us good ice?” I responded, “Sure, where?” They recommended “The Igloo at Summer
& Perkins.”
On the appointed
day- the staff shows & Felicia shows up herself! Are you kidding me!! No one does that!!! She
starts cooking on my electric terrible-ass cooktop. What!!! WHO IS THIS MANIAC? She is pleasant,
smiling, very professional, bandana covering her hair, wearing a black chef jacket,
what the hell is she doing cooking in my lame-ass kitchen, an honest to
goodness real chef, who has damn good creds, doing on a Friday night, when they
are busy, in December for God's sake, HERE??
Yes the food
was GREAT! Yes the service was GREAT! The party wasn't bad either-Pam &
Terry played (more on these two in the future, more Memphis treasures in my
[less than] humble opinion).
So on a
Friday night, I arrive at the restaurant about 7:45 to sit at the bar and have a glass or
three of good wine (they know their wine here), a little dinner and this is
what it is like.
7:45 There
is an 16 “top” at the window table in the front and they are working on appetizers.
The word “top” is the number in a dining party. For example, an eight top is a
dining party of eight. A three top is a party of three. It is somewhat unusual
for a fine dining restaurant to accommodate large parties on Friday’s and
Saturday’s especially without a prix fix menu.
8:20 A 6 top
& a 15 top arrive together.
8:25 A five
top arrives and there are 6 people eating at the bar. I haven't ordered-I’m fascinated
by the immense amount of orders about to arrive in the kitchen all at once. Hummm, could be
32 orders arriving in the kitchen all together. That is a stretch for any
kitchen!
9:00 The restaurant
is humming. I met a very pretty woman from Tupelo (with her date-damn!) at the
bar. Why are there SO many really pretty women from that town? The 16 top is leaving-looking
happy.
I find out
from a server that last night Felicia had 14 people at the kitchen table!!! The
lady loves a challenge & working without a net. Plus she does a ton of good work for the Make
a Wish Foundation. When you go to her restaurant, read her awards posted
outside the restrooms. Is Felicia Willet, Memphis' most under recognized
treasure?
Tonight I
ordered… Oysters Bienville
I’ve had this appetizer a number of times at the restaurant. It is a ‘classic’ appetizer in New Orleans and it is supposedly named for the founder of the City of New Orleans. Created at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans and Felicia’s rendition is delicious. If you like oysters, make sure you try this one.
Cantaloupe soup
I ordered this more out of curiosity
than anything and wound up eating the entire bowl. Great balance in a slightly
chilled soup. Loved it!
Shrimp risotto with heirloom tomatoes.
OK, I do love risotto and this dish
definitely did not disappoint me. One of the great things about Felicia is her
use of the freshest, in season ingredients and her support of the Memphis
Farmer’s Market and our local farmers. This was a wonderful, fresh tasting,
well crafted dish.
Newman Farms Pork Loin Roulade
Really, really great dish. Felicia
takes a pork loin from one of the greatest producers of pork in the country, butterflies
and stuffs it with a savory stuffing and then rolls, ties and roasts it. Wow! No kidding, Newman Farms supplies pork to
some of the best restaurants in the country. The farm is based near the teeming
metropolis of Myrtle, MO.
Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese
I just could not resist tasting this
one. Nice crust, perfect pasta. Just this and a green salad could be a
wonderful, ‘semi-light’ dinner. More!
Overall
Obviously,
I love this place and the people. Felicia is very talented, uses local produce
and producers whenever she can. She is truly a Memphis treasure and she is
recognized as such outside of our city. I encourage you to try Felicia Suzanne’s
early and often!!
See
you at the bar!!
