We had set Sunday aside for Corey and I to do some sightseeing on our own. I tried to make plans to have lunch with my friend, Shelley Hargraves, from high school, but she couldn't wing it. We had a nice talk on the phone, though.
Corey and I wanted to see Graceland before leaving Memphis. We took a shuttle there and our driver was pretty informative. He dropped us off and we took another shuttle up to the residence. It was so different than I expected it to be. I thought it would be more lavish, but it was an older home, and looked pretty understated to me. I was kind of shocked, for some reason, at the 70's decor! It was amazing how well preserved it was! It was literally like walking into a time capsule of the 1970's! Elvis didn't live super lavishly at all. At least not from what I can see in his house. I mean, he liked the flamboyant outfits and stuff, but you can tell that he was a total family man. It was pretty emotional for me. I really am glad we had a chance to do this....even if we were still sore from the race and had a hard time getting up and down the steps.
After Graceland, we took a tour of Sun Studios downtown. It was full of history and the supposed birthplace of American rock and roll. Its where Elivs Presley and Johnny Cash signed on, as well as Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. I enjoyed the studio portion of the tour, but I was a little bit bored in the beginning. Overall, I'm glad we went. I was really hungry by this point and was ready for some dinner!
I don't have many nice things to say about The Majestic Grille in downtown Memphis. One thing I thought was cool was that it was in an old historic movie theater and there was an old film playing on the wall: The Holiday Inn with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. I thought it was cool until the music/song/dancing part started every 5 minutes and the volume went up 25 notches.
We were greeted and seated immediately, but it took forever for our waiter to greet us. We ordered a cocktail and waited at least 10 minutes before he finally came out...empty handed...to see if we were ready to order. We only knew that we wanted to start with the onion rings and horseradish sauce (terrible! Greasy, batter kept falling off, and it was just tasteless!). Our drinks finally came, we ordered, and we waited quite a while for our dinner to arrive. I had the New York Strip steak with mashed potatoes and a side of spinach. Corey had the same, except with the market vegetables. The food was good, but our steaks were really fatty and gristly. I was overall pretty disappointed in the Majestic. Our poor waiter was so slammed and the bad service was not his fault at all and we told him that we understood when he apologized. Its not that the place was packed, but they only had 2 waiters and they had ours going from the back of the restaurant to the front, etc. He was literally sweating when he first approached us. I overheard another party complain.
I wish we had gone to Circa by John Bragg instead. I loved the menu, but when we got there it was dead, and Corey had said he walked into the Majestic the night before and thought it looked good, so we tried that instead. Kristin, if you're reading, I was so convinced that we went to Circa, that I told all of you (on Facebook) that that is where we went. I was wrong. It was not Circa, it was The Majestic. Oops. Next time in Memphis, I will try Circa instead! :)
Showing posts with label Steakhouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steakhouse. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mesquite Chop House
I went to Memphis over the weekend to meet some fellow Extra Pound Bloggers. They had all met before several times, so I was the newbie. I've known Angela and Kristin for about 3 years and Bridget for a little over one year, I think. I immediately bonded with all three of them and was really looking forward to meeting them in person. So, we came up with a reason: the St. Judes Memphis Half Marathon.
My husband joined me on this trip so that he could run the full marathon. We arrived Friday afternoon and went straight to the expo, where we met Angela and Bridget! I was so nervous! I was worried that they wouldn't like me. They both seemed nervous, too. But we made our way through the expo and then headed over to meet Kristin for dinner. Corey went on his merry way because it was girls night.
The concierge at The Westin made a reservation for 4 at Mesquite Chop House for 6:00. We showed up at least 15 minutes early, but our table wasn't ready. We ordered a glass of wine (well, me and Kristin did anyway) and noticed that a few parties came in without reservations and were seated immediately. I was irked, so I asked the bartender/hostess what exactly we were waiting for...she said she was hooking us up with a better table in the downstairs library and with one of their stellar waiters. Whatever, sounded good at the time.
Well, we were seated and greeted, made our selections, placed our order. The salads took quite a while to arrive, but the entrees took even longer. The service was extremely slow and we were all pretty hungry. I think all of our steaks were cooked to order, but for some reason, Angela's steak didn't come out with ours and poor Kristin kept having to ask for a napkin and a new steak knife. I'm going to chalk this up to them seating us downstairs and the rest of his station being upstairs. I was a server many moons ago and when you have one party in a separate station, it is hard to keep on top of it. We were mildly annoyed, but once we got our food, I think I was just grateful for the chance to have a nice conversation and get to know these girls in person.
I thought the food was delicious, but the service could have been better.
Thanks to Kristin for the lovely Friendship Soup and for picking up the check! That was a really nice surprise!! I know we all appreciated it!
My husband joined me on this trip so that he could run the full marathon. We arrived Friday afternoon and went straight to the expo, where we met Angela and Bridget! I was so nervous! I was worried that they wouldn't like me. They both seemed nervous, too. But we made our way through the expo and then headed over to meet Kristin for dinner. Corey went on his merry way because it was girls night.
The concierge at The Westin made a reservation for 4 at Mesquite Chop House for 6:00. We showed up at least 15 minutes early, but our table wasn't ready. We ordered a glass of wine (well, me and Kristin did anyway) and noticed that a few parties came in without reservations and were seated immediately. I was irked, so I asked the bartender/hostess what exactly we were waiting for...she said she was hooking us up with a better table in the downstairs library and with one of their stellar waiters. Whatever, sounded good at the time.
Well, we were seated and greeted, made our selections, placed our order. The salads took quite a while to arrive, but the entrees took even longer. The service was extremely slow and we were all pretty hungry. I think all of our steaks were cooked to order, but for some reason, Angela's steak didn't come out with ours and poor Kristin kept having to ask for a napkin and a new steak knife. I'm going to chalk this up to them seating us downstairs and the rest of his station being upstairs. I was a server many moons ago and when you have one party in a separate station, it is hard to keep on top of it. We were mildly annoyed, but once we got our food, I think I was just grateful for the chance to have a nice conversation and get to know these girls in person.
I thought the food was delicious, but the service could have been better.
Thanks to Kristin for the lovely Friendship Soup and for picking up the check! That was a really nice surprise!! I know we all appreciated it!
Monday, May 14, 2007
The new Izzy's
I love Izzy's! This spot has changed hands so many times, but it has been Izzy's for quite awhile. It was bought out in October and everything is the same, but there are new additions to the menu.
We were told there would be a 20 minute wait, so we took a table in the bar and ordered a drink. Of course, as soon as our drink was served, our table was ready, so the cocktail waitress brought our appetizer-popcorn shrimp-to the table. The shrimp was really good, but my suggestion would be to offer one more ramekin of a different sauce to add some variety. Plus, the remoulade sauce ran out way before the shrimp did.
Our waitress, Gabriella, was an angel! The service was excellent. It seems like Blake listened to Leslie on her review in the IJ about getting the staff up to speed. Gabriella was attentive, knowledgeable, and a self confessed foodie!
We split the "Wedge" and it was served on two seperate plates for us, which is always nice. The dressing was not your usual bleu cheese, but I can't put my finger on why. There was some tomato, red onion, and a nice kick was the pine nuts.
I ordered the 10 oz Filet Mignon-medium-for my entree, and had Izzy's Own Potatoes & Broccoli for my sides. My steak was perfection. So were the potatoes. The broccoli was a bit cold, but I never could figure out how restaurants keep it so hot...mine always gets cold when I serve it, too.
The Husband had New York strip, which he loved. I tried it, too, and it was good, but not as good as my filet. He got the creamed spinach, which was delicious, as usual.
We did not have dessert, but we did get our check in a timely manner and off we went. I know we will return. Izzy's gets 5 stars.
We were told there would be a 20 minute wait, so we took a table in the bar and ordered a drink. Of course, as soon as our drink was served, our table was ready, so the cocktail waitress brought our appetizer-popcorn shrimp-to the table. The shrimp was really good, but my suggestion would be to offer one more ramekin of a different sauce to add some variety. Plus, the remoulade sauce ran out way before the shrimp did.
Our waitress, Gabriella, was an angel! The service was excellent. It seems like Blake listened to Leslie on her review in the IJ about getting the staff up to speed. Gabriella was attentive, knowledgeable, and a self confessed foodie!
We split the "Wedge" and it was served on two seperate plates for us, which is always nice. The dressing was not your usual bleu cheese, but I can't put my finger on why. There was some tomato, red onion, and a nice kick was the pine nuts.
I ordered the 10 oz Filet Mignon-medium-for my entree, and had Izzy's Own Potatoes & Broccoli for my sides. My steak was perfection. So were the potatoes. The broccoli was a bit cold, but I never could figure out how restaurants keep it so hot...mine always gets cold when I serve it, too.
The Husband had New York strip, which he loved. I tried it, too, and it was good, but not as good as my filet. He got the creamed spinach, which was delicious, as usual.
We did not have dessert, but we did get our check in a timely manner and off we went. I know we will return. Izzy's gets 5 stars.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Flemings Steakhouse-Newport Beach
I've been here once before with the The Husband many years ago, and we fell in love with this place! We've talked about it ever since and have been dying to go back! Thankfully, they will be opening one in Walnut Creek this summer!
But, again, since I happened to be in Orange County this past weekend, and was meeting one of my best friends from high school, I decided to make a reservation at the one in Newport Beach. This place is friggin' amazing!! The decor is so rich and warm. Dark leather, wood chairs, dim lighting, red paint on the walls. Gorgeous! Of course, it didn't hurt that we showed up in my friends brand new 2007 Bentley GT Coupe! Nice!
We were seating immediately...and in not only my favorite room, the library, but at my favorite table! Perfect. Our server, Belinda, was a sweetheart! Let me just start right off by saying that this was the best service I have every had. She was so attentive...not too attentive, just right. I ordered a Merlot Wine Flight, and my friend ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Flight. She had never heard of them before, and I was astonished! I love, love, love the wine flight! You get 3 (or 6) glasses of 2oz servings of 3 different wines. You can do a white, a red, and a port, or 3 whites, 3 reds...you get the idea. This allows you to decide which one you really like in case you want to order a bottle. Well, I was really interested in some of the reserve wines, but we ended up getting a bottle of BR Cohn Cabernet for $60.00. Not the $800.00 bottle of ZD, Abacus that we really loved!!
I was inclined to try the Wicked Cajun BBQ Prawns to try and get away from my boring addiction to Ahi, but my friend wanted the Seared Ahi Tuna, which, of course, I was fine with! :) And boy, am I glad I did! This was the best tuna I've ever had!! It was tender and juicy, seared to perfection! It was served on a bed of julienned veggies such as zucchini and daikon radish, and a spicy mustard sauce. I do prefer wasabi and ponzu, but this was a nice twist.
My salad was incredible!! After much discussion several weeks ago, The Husband and I determined that the very first Iceberg Wedge we've ever had was here at Flemings and it was also the best one we've ever had. Well, Saturday night, I had the absolute best salad in my entire friggin' life! The Wedge. Surprise! Crisp Iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, red onions, crumbled bleu cheese, and just the right amount of bleu cheese dressing. My friend had her fair share of this salad and I still couldn't finish it...thats how huge it was! To be fair, she had the Flemings Salad which was seasonal greens, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes, and croutons. This is not my cup of tea, so I didn't try it, be she seemed to enjoy it.
Because I am a creature of habit, I ordered the 8 oz Filet Mignon, without butter. I really wanted to try some fish since I'm trying to stay away from red meat, but since none of their seafood selections appealed to me and this was, however, a STEAKHOUSE, I went for the filet. OMG YUM!! I ordered it Medium and it was perfect! I also had the most perfect order of steamed spinach, which I shared with my friend. She had the special, which was a Potato and Pecan encrusted Halibut served over a bed of broccolini. I meant to taste it, but she had already scraped off the potato and I kind of lost interest. She said that it was just too thick, as far as the potato was concerned. It was a huge portion, by the way. She had that, and my leftover spinach and filet mignon for lunch the next day. Since I was out of town, I couldn't take my steak home to my dogs. I need to start eating ALL of my steak, especially when its this good!
We ended our meal with one final glass of cabernet, received our check when we asked for it, chatted with Belinda some more, and headed out. In her Bentley. Nice.
But, again, since I happened to be in Orange County this past weekend, and was meeting one of my best friends from high school, I decided to make a reservation at the one in Newport Beach. This place is friggin' amazing!! The decor is so rich and warm. Dark leather, wood chairs, dim lighting, red paint on the walls. Gorgeous! Of course, it didn't hurt that we showed up in my friends brand new 2007 Bentley GT Coupe! Nice!
We were seating immediately...and in not only my favorite room, the library, but at my favorite table! Perfect. Our server, Belinda, was a sweetheart! Let me just start right off by saying that this was the best service I have every had. She was so attentive...not too attentive, just right. I ordered a Merlot Wine Flight, and my friend ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Flight. She had never heard of them before, and I was astonished! I love, love, love the wine flight! You get 3 (or 6) glasses of 2oz servings of 3 different wines. You can do a white, a red, and a port, or 3 whites, 3 reds...you get the idea. This allows you to decide which one you really like in case you want to order a bottle. Well, I was really interested in some of the reserve wines, but we ended up getting a bottle of BR Cohn Cabernet for $60.00. Not the $800.00 bottle of ZD, Abacus that we really loved!!
I was inclined to try the Wicked Cajun BBQ Prawns to try and get away from my boring addiction to Ahi, but my friend wanted the Seared Ahi Tuna, which, of course, I was fine with! :) And boy, am I glad I did! This was the best tuna I've ever had!! It was tender and juicy, seared to perfection! It was served on a bed of julienned veggies such as zucchini and daikon radish, and a spicy mustard sauce. I do prefer wasabi and ponzu, but this was a nice twist.
My salad was incredible!! After much discussion several weeks ago, The Husband and I determined that the very first Iceberg Wedge we've ever had was here at Flemings and it was also the best one we've ever had. Well, Saturday night, I had the absolute best salad in my entire friggin' life! The Wedge. Surprise! Crisp Iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, red onions, crumbled bleu cheese, and just the right amount of bleu cheese dressing. My friend had her fair share of this salad and I still couldn't finish it...thats how huge it was! To be fair, she had the Flemings Salad which was seasonal greens, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes, and croutons. This is not my cup of tea, so I didn't try it, be she seemed to enjoy it.
Because I am a creature of habit, I ordered the 8 oz Filet Mignon, without butter. I really wanted to try some fish since I'm trying to stay away from red meat, but since none of their seafood selections appealed to me and this was, however, a STEAKHOUSE, I went for the filet. OMG YUM!! I ordered it Medium and it was perfect! I also had the most perfect order of steamed spinach, which I shared with my friend. She had the special, which was a Potato and Pecan encrusted Halibut served over a bed of broccolini. I meant to taste it, but she had already scraped off the potato and I kind of lost interest. She said that it was just too thick, as far as the potato was concerned. It was a huge portion, by the way. She had that, and my leftover spinach and filet mignon for lunch the next day. Since I was out of town, I couldn't take my steak home to my dogs. I need to start eating ALL of my steak, especially when its this good!
We ended our meal with one final glass of cabernet, received our check when we asked for it, chatted with Belinda some more, and headed out. In her Bentley. Nice.
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