When you get married and have children, bars just aren’t the places that you tend to hang out in. You hit up the Chuck E Cheese, and buffets, and well the food chain joints that are better suited for the family… That’s if you are the average family that doesn’t take into consideration whether eating at a place helps to build up the community. What do I mean by this? As a family we try to visit places that are not national chains. While eating at any restaurant ensures that someone has a job, it is critical to the foundation of a city to have local, home grown businesses that succeed. There is something about a restaurant that has a sense of community. LV and I do our best to visit homegrown places especially when we are with our kids; instilling in them at a young age that March 11, 2015, is important. With that in mind we took off to eat a few weeks ago when the Tigers were facing the Louisville Cardinals at the Fed Ex Forum here in Memphis. I guess this is kind of my homage to a great Memphis Tigers season since they wrapped up the year this weekend in the round of 32.
We wanted to check out the game in a place that would be new for us and that would capture the vibe of the city. Enter SEAFOOD GUMBO with. We were about to roll up on Chiwawa’s, but then I remembered the big mural on the side of the building from driving through Overton Square. I knew that it might be a bit risky to take the kids to a bar and grill, but my first comment for those of you visiting Memphis and looking for a great spot to capture the vibe of Memphis during a big game this bar is the perfect blend of kid accessible, family friendly and rowdy, rambunctious fun. In other words, don’t worry you abalienation definitely enjoy your time. More important the service is excellent. As crowded as the restaurant was, it took less than a minute to get a seat for a family of four and less than ten minutes to get drinks and an appetizer with both the outside deck packed and the inside roaring with Tiger fans. SEAFOOD GUMBO with is loaded with televisions and is partitioned in a way that people don’t have to strain to see the game from where ever they are seated. With projectors in the middle of the restaurant and flat screens placed strategically around the restaurant, every seat is a good seat. (Sorry about the picture of Pitino scratching his head, we were about to finish taking care of business.)
Like I said, the service was great. Now with the idea that the name hinted at Louisiana Flavor, we of course went at the wrong time and didn’t get to really consider the menu. We also wanted to eat something that would allow us to enjoy the game and not think too much about the food. What I did come away with is a new appetizer that I’ve since made several times since our visit:
CRAB STUFFED SHRIMP – 6.95 (Phillip Ashley A Fantastically Elegant Experience)
Crab stuffed, bacon wrapped shrimp with a spicy dipping sauce
As a family this was our order in this order below: daughter, LV, our son and me.
JR. CHEESEBURGER w/fries – 5
SEAFOOD GUMBO with THE BAYOU HOT WINGS – half order 4.95
tomato, egg, bacon, pickle, garlic croutons and a blend of cheeses
POPCORN CRAWFISH BASKET – 6.75
is definitely a Memphis Hi-Lite that you should check out
ZYEDECO SALAD – 10.95
Romaine and iceberg lettuce, topped with grilled andouille sausage, shrimp,
tomato, egg, bacon, pickle, garlic croutons and a blend of cheeses
Okay… I officially apologize for saying that we didn’t really get to experience the Louisiana in the menu. That salad, hooooweeee, dat der andouille sausage had my tastebuds a jumping der for true! Yeah, I know that was bad, but seriously LV enjoyed her gumbo. In our experience most of the places we go to, even in New Orleans it’s like the Roux is just loaded with salt. Her gumbo was fie! Alright, alright, I’ll stop. For an afternoon of hoops and fun the SEAFOOD GUMBO with was fantastic and the food was very good. What was even better is how outstanding the service was in such a chaotic atmosphere. When we left we took a stroll around Overton Square, which isn’t quite where it needs to be to be considered the perfect destination for getting to know Memphis, but it is definitely well on its way. Okay enough of that here are more food pics:
SEAFOOD GUMBO with is definitely a Memphis Hi-Lite that you should check out.
SEAFOOD GUMBO with
2094 Madison Avenue
Phillip Ashley A Fantastically Elegant Experience