Tiffany Tastes

Downtown Grocery Shopping and Good Eats at City Market

There is finally a place to buy groceries in downtown Memphis. As the previous closest options were Miss Cordelia's on Mud Island and the Kroger on Poplar and Cleveland, City Market offers downtown residents a much closer place to pick up foodstuffs.

City Market sits right on the trolley line at the corner of Union and South Main. It's a smaller store, but it covers all of the essentials.

It has a small produce/dairy aisle where you can pick up fruits, vegetables, eggs and milk.

 There is also an extensive selection of oils, vinegars and condiments for a variety of ethnic foods.

You can even pick up sundry items like lotion, toothpaste, shampoo and soap.

City Market also has a prepared food section with ready-to-eat entrees, sides and desserts. (To catch up on the specials, check out the City Market Facebook page) I highly suggest the chicken salad and the chocolate bread pudding.

City Market
66 South Main Street, Suite 100
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 729-6152

Operating Hours
Monday - Saturday 7:00am-10:00pm
Sunday 9:00am-5:00pm

Quality and Authenticity - Mexican Style

You would think it would be hard to find authentic, tasty, reasonably priced Mexican food this far north of the border, but that's not the case in Memphis. We have plenty of options to choose from, one of my favorite being Taqueria Caminos de Michoacan.

This small eatery in East Memphis also boasts a panaderia or bakery, which appeals to my sweet tooth. We arrived at around 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday evening, and fresh items were constantly being brought out of the kitchen and loaded into bakery cases.

Caminos de Michoacan starts every table out with chips and three kinds of salsa. I love the variety. They have a standard version, a smoky one with chipotles and a green one that features tomatillos and jalapenos.

Tacos here are served with cilantro, onion and radish - no piles of cheese and sour cream here (Did I mention authentic ?)

I love the tortas, which are Mexican style sandwiches. I got one filled with beef and avocado on fresh bread baked in house.

Final Impressions: Service was attentive, but unobtrusive and the food was really tasty. We rounded out our meal with a couple of Mexican Cokes and some goodies from the pastry case, and we didn't even hit $25. You need to try this place.

Tiffany's Favorite: The torta
Tom's Favorite: The tacos

Tiffany's Rating :) :) :) out of :) :) :) :)

Caminos de Michoacan
3896 Macon Road
Memphis, TN 38122
(901) 458-5550

Average Appetizer Price: $3-$5
Average Entree Price: $5-$10
Average Pastry Price $1-$2

Operating Hours
Monday-Sunday 7am-10pm

Super Simple Onion Dip

A friend of mine posted this dip recipe on Facebook and said it was "Delicious!" So, I put it on my to-do list, and at a recent dinner party I busted out this recipe. It only takes a little extra effort than the store-bought version, and it's so much better.

It all starts with a pan full of onions

Cook 'em low and slow until they turn golden brown and delicious

Throw it in a food processor with a few other ingredients and blend to the desired consistency. It couldn't get any easier or more delicious. 

Caramelized Onion Dip
Adapted from A Dash of Sass

2 large yellow onions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
6 ounces light cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
2/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

- Quarter the onion and cut into strips
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Combine butter and olive oil in pan.
- Add the onions, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Saute for about 10 minutes, until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue sauteing for another 30 minutes, stiring frequently, until the onions are browned and caramelized.
- Add balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook an additional 2 minutes
- Remove onions from pan and let cool.
- Place cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce into a food processor. Process until well-combined.
- Add the onions. Process to desired consistency (I left mine a little chunky, but you can definitely go until it's smooth)
-Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
- Serve at room temperature with chips (or a spoon!).

This dip is even better the second or third day.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: A Love Story

In looking back at my blog, I couldn't believe that I hadn't written a word, nary a peep, about Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken. Now, if anyone asks me where they need to eat in Memphis, my first question is generally, "Have you been to Gus's?" (Unless they're vegetarians or they have something against delicious food.)

Many affectionally call Gus's a "hole-in-the-wall" But, I think that's part of the charm. If you're not in the mood for fried chicken, don't bother making the trip. While the sides are adequate and the appetizers a step above that, the real standout at this establishment is the chicken.

Gus's chicken is consistently hot and juicy, with just enough spice to jazz it up. It truly is a perfect food. I'm glad I don't live closer; I would be in real trouble.

Gus's is definitely small; the dining room has always been packed every time I visit. This may be the reason that the service can sometimes be less than stellar. However, like most other inconsistencies that can occur at Gus's, it's most definitely worth it.

Now, as a Memphis food blogger, I feel like I've done my due dilligence to my readers and any who may not know the wondefulness of Gus's.

And to all those lifelong Memphians who've never tasted Gus's, what on Earth are you waiting for?

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
310 South Front Street
Memphis, TN  38103
(901) 527-4877

Average Meal Price: $5-$9

Operating Hours
Sunday-Thursday 11:00am-9:00pm
Friday-Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm

Fast Fare From Tokyo Grill

As many of you know, I often consult Jennifer Biggs' columns when looking for new eateries to enjoy. I was intrigued by her review of the new Tokyo Grill. Described as a fast-casual Japanese restaurant with quality ingredients, the hubs and I decided to check it out one rainy weekday evening.

The restaurant is small and doesn't have much by the way of atmosphere, but the food is quite tasty for the prices. We tried the gyoza, which were meaty, well-seasoned and frankly much better than most restaurants in town.

The chicken fried rice was a good interpretation of quality well above its $5.95 price tag, with a portion size large enough for 3 meals.

My wonderful dining companion chose the sushi special (choice of one, two or three rolls with miso soup.) The three roll combo came it at a very reasonable $8.95.

Tom selected the Boston roll, spicy crawfish and spicy tuna. While the quality varied, he did say that it was well worth the price, and it came with this hefty portion of miso soup.

As you can probably tell, most of the items came already packaged to go, even though we ate in the dining room. But hey, it saves a step, even if it's not the most environmentally friendly.

Food was prepared very quickly; we received our order in less than five minutes. But, it was freshly prepared as I could see the sushi chef rolling each of my husbands rolls from seat.

There weren't many customers when we arrived, but business picked up around the time we finished our meal. One guy had come for lunch that day and then returned for dinner. With prices this good and quantities this large, I can't say that I blame him.

Tokyo Grill
4978 Park Avenue
Memphis, TN 38117
(901) 761-7888

Average Appetizer Price: $3-$6
Average Entree Price: $6-$9
Average Sushi Price: One Roll-$3, Two Rolls-$7, Three Rolls-$9; Specialty Rolls: $6-$8

Operating Hours
Monday-Saturday 11am-9:30pm
Sunday 11:30am-9:30pm