Category Archives: midtown

The Slider Inn

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The Slider Inn – Tiny masterpiece burgers and sandwiches on the most delightful porch in midtown.  They are also the only home of the lobster roll in the Mid-South. So if you’re a lost chowda-head, Red Sox fan or Maine expat, here’s your fix.
 
Slider inn has a deal where you can mix and match any of the sliders on the menu. So if you want a grilled skirt steak sandwich but also want to try the falafel and a gourmet PB&J, they can help a brother out.
 
You could eat sliders here five days in a row and not eat the same thing twice.

Local’s choice: $10 lunch deal includes 2 sliders of choice, side, soda and tip. Try any two, you won’t be sorry.

 

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Ecco On Overton Park

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ecco-on-overton-park

Ecco on Overton Park is a lovely cafe tucked in the Overton Park/Evergreen neighborhood.  Its a gourmet bistro with homemade pastas, excellent salads and a chorizo burger that isnt your normal slider.

Their lunch menu is abbreviated but very good and has some of the best pasta entrees in Memphis.

I’d highly recommend it for a nice, sitdown business lunch or a dinner date with your better half.

Cafe Eclectic

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Cafe Eclectic – I’d be hard pressed to find a restaurant that took as much pride in the artisan quality of their food as their role as a community building keystone. Founded in 2008 with a location near Rhodes College, they expanded to the downtown area with a little cafe in Harbortown. In 2013, they opened their University of Memphis location.

Each of the locations serves a slightly different, eclectic menu, but the quality of freshly prepared food is wonderful. Whether you’re looking for an excellent cup of coffee and scone for a study buzz or an delicious brunch for the family, Eclectic is the place. You won’t be disappointed with what you order.

In addition to excellent coffee’s, cafe’s latte’s and such, they also do homemade sodas and Mexican Coca Cola and Fanta (made with cane sugar vice corn syrup.)

They serve black bean patties as a meat substitute, so if you’re looking for a heartier vegetarian option this is also a good spot.

Locals Choice: Diablo Wrap (above), Black Bean Wrap or the Pear and Brie Panini (Below).

Cinnamon Rolls. Yes, they MAKE cinnamon rolls. Always a go-to option regardless of the time of day.

Belly Acres

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Belly Acres – located in the newly revived Overton Square, this place is awesome.  Its right across the street from the new parking structure on the Square which gives it easy access for families with Littles. My daughter loved the farm decor complete with vintage tractor, trees, barrels, and a barn-storming biplane caught in the wall.  The first thing my 2 year old noticed on the way in was the airplane.  The experience took off from there.

Belly Acres prides itself on being certified farm to table, so its ingredients are very fresh and the quality is excellent. Its a modified, fast-casual setup where you are seated by a host, but you order at the counter.  This gives you time to look over the menu and not get hassled by the waiters, but you can settle into the table with your family and get comfy.


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Once the whole crew figures out what you want, you roll up to the counter and place your order.  Instead of a number for your order, they give you a small street sign with a local Memphis street to put in the caddy on your table.  Nice touch guys.  

Street sign table caddy

I ordered the Southern Gentleman burger (but of course) with the Acre salad for the Wife and chicken fingers and sweet potato fries for Little Bit.

Salad

It was awesome.  I’ll be the first to admit that it never crossed my mind to put a sweet potato, pickled greens and maple ketchup on a burger, but it totally works.  The burger and fries were excellent. Little Bit’s sweet potato fries were seasoned with cinnamon, but they were baked, not fried, so there’s a feel-good parenting moment about letting your kids eat french fries.  We all three agreed that the chicken tenders were some of the best in Memphis.  They were a great addition to the Acre salad to make it a little more substantial.

Southern Gentleman with Pickled Greens, Sweet Potato Slice, Bacon and Maple Ketchup

It obvious that the folks at Belly Acres have put a lot of thought into their craft, and they’ve done a heck of a job.  Their food is excellent.  The service was superb. The atmosphere was casual and fun  They also sell beer and wine, so Mom and Dad can have a little extra treat while taking the family out to dinner.

Some of the best chicken tenders in Memphis

We thoroughly enjoyed it, and its going to become a regular stop for our gang.

Local’s Choice: If you’re a chicken tender connoisseur these are in the same ball park as Gus’s but milder with less of a kick.  The Southern Gentleman was a excellent.  I’m looking forward to going back and trying their other excellent options.

Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza

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Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza – If Henry Ford had a pizza joint, it would look like Pyro’s.  Their sweet spot is made to order, personal sized, thin-crust pizzas.  All the ingredients are fresh and they build your pie in front of your eyes.  Its like a burrito bar or sub shop, they start with you crust, and give you a choice of sauces, cheeses, meats, followed by a Farmer’s Market worth of fresh vegetables.  Each station has its own attendant, and your pizza comes together in about 2 minutes while you wait in line.  You pay then sit, while they fire your pizza in an oven the size of an industrial kiln.

Typically, I’m not a thin crust guy. I was skeptical that I was going to need to double down since most thin crust pizzas are like a pita chip with sauce and cheese. However, the BBQ Pizza was loaded with enough pulled pork and bacon to carry its own man card.

Oh, by the way, they serve beer too, and they have a few TV’s to keep you in the loop on SEC football developments.

Local’s Choice: BBQ Pizza + the seasonal Wiseacre Beer on Tap

Bosco’s

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Bosco’s is the original Memphis brewpub. They only sell in house brews here, so it’s an excellent time to show your “Bud Light Beer Snob” buddy what real beer tastes like. With names like Isle of Skye, Flaming Stone and Midtown Brown you have to actually have to read the tasting notes and figure out what you like. They do taste flights which are a great way to get a feel for the flavor spectrum of beer. They do gallon growlers for take home, and when you’re done you can bring them back for a refill. Bosco’s also has a commercial brewery called Ghost River which is sold locally by the bottle or you can buy kegs at the brewery loading docks.

Excellent food all around, specialty dish here is the wood fired pizzas.  These are personal sized and great to get a couple and share between the table. 



Local’s choice: Midtown Brown and a Flaming Stone for the wife. We both get the Germantown Purist Pizza. 

Stone Soup Cafe and Market

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Stone Soup Cafe and Market – located in an quaint house just south of Young, this little cafe does breakfast right. They have biscuits, pancake, quiche, crepes and omelets.

Farmers are real men, and real men eat pie. And the Quiche Lorraine is like a rich farmer’s omelet pie. So therefore, Real men DO eat quiche. Debate solved.
Their pancake (singular) is about the size of a VW hubcap. Fluffy and delightful it’s a great share item with little ones too.
Their crepes are excellent, and it wouldn’t be Memphis if there weren’t a peanut butter and banana crepe on the menu, which is a great excuse to eat dessert for breakfast.
Finally, if you’re a bear looking to hibernate for the winter then get the Gut Bomb. Grits, sausage, eggs and cheese layered in bowl. It’s only a step above strapping on a feedbag, but it’s delicious.
I’ve only ever eaten breakfast here, but they do serve lunch and cater as well. Their market in the back has a case full of baked goods that could give Wilford Brimley years of job security.