Finally! Another restaurant review! I know, right? Not too long ago, one of my co-workers took a job in DC and we went out to lunch to celebrate her new journey. She picked Felicia Suzanne's, a restaurant in downtown Memphis that I had never been to, but wanted to try. Now, Felicia Suzanne's is only open for lunch on Fridays, but open for dinner Tuesday thru Saturday starting at 5:00pm.
So, I thought I would do a full-fledged review including appetizer, entree and dessert just for you all :) For my appetizer, I had the soup of the day which was a creamy vidalia onion soup with a pesto drizzle.
This soup had an odd, gritty texture and desperately needed salt. It was flavorless and overall a big disappointment.
For my entree, I chose the pulled pork and caramelized onion quesadilla with an avocado salad and cilantro cream.
Even though it lacked the avocado salad part (there were some dressed lettuce leaves, but nary an avocado in sight), it was still really tasty. I think it could have used some more caramelized onions, but otherwise it was nice plate of food.
For dessert, I shared the Peppermint Patty with the rest of the table- Old fashioned baked fudge with peppermint ice cream
I'd like to note that the dessert options were given to me verbally by the waiter; I did not receive any kind of menu. The "baked fudge" had the texture and consistency of a dry brownie, although the fudge sauce gave a little moisture and was rich and smooth. The peppermint ice cream may have been the single most delicious thing I ate the whole time, cool and creamy with crunchy pepperminty bits. However, the portion of ice cream was small and I do not believe that the dessert was worth $9 (what I was charged, yet the online menu says $7).
There were some hits and misses with the food, but the real issue comes down to service. We arrived at the restaurant at around 12:45 on Friday afternoon.. When we walked through the door, the restaurant was absolutely empty. No customers, no restaurant employees. It took about 3-4 minutes for a waiter to come and seat us. Because of the lovely weather we chose to sit outside on the patio.
The patio is absolutely lovely and a great place to dine on nice days. When we arrived there was one other table with 2 ladies who looked to be almost done with their lunch. The waiter came to take drink orders, I chose a soft drink and one of my two dining companions selected unsweetened iced tea. Our drinks arrived with straws, but there were no straws provided for our waters. After we placed our orders, the waiter brought us bread and butter, but no bread plates were provided. Luckily, I had my bowl of soup, so I could rest my roll there, but my companions had to put their bread on the table...tacky. Our waiters seemed new, like they didn't quite get what was going on. It took a really, long time to get our food, especially since there were only two tables seated.
About 20 minutes into our meal, an older gentleman sat down with a young girl. The waiter seemed to know this gentleman as he called him by name and they had a brief conversation. The gentleman ordered a salad as an appetizer, which was brought to him in less than 5 minutes. He and his dining companion ordered their entrees which arrived before ours did (even though we had ordered before the man had arrived at the restaurant). Our desserts came almost at the same time, but the gentleman was provided his bill promptly, paid and left before we had gotten our check. From the time we walked in until we left, our lunch took almost 2.5 hours, which to me, is unacceptable based on the fact that it's a Friday afternoon (some people (like us) have to get back to work), and the fact that there were only 2 occupied tables at any given time.
Final Impressions: With tax and tip, my lunch cost me $37.00 which I think is substantial for one person at dinner time, let alone lunch. For that kind of money, I expect good food and good service, and we were really given neither. The pulled pork quesadillas are a good bet, but if I were you, I'd skip this place all together for lunch. There are plenty of places with more reasonable prices and better value for your money.
Additional Notes: The overall score for this restaurant was decreased by 1/2 :) based on service alone. I would give the food a solid :) :).
Tiffany's Favorite Part: Pulled pork quesadillas
Tiffany's Rating :) 1/2 out of :) :) :) :)
Felicia Suzanne's
80 Monroe Ave. Suite L-1
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 523-0877
Average Soup/Salad Price: $7-$22
Average Sandwich Price: (lunch only) $12-$15
Average Entree Price: (lunch) $14-$20 (dinner) $25-$33
Average Dessert Price: $7-$15 Operating Hours
Lunch: Fridays Only 11:30am-1:00pm
Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday starting at 5:00pm
Comments