Flying Saucer

Flying Saucer
130 Peabody Pl
Memphis, TN

There are several Flying Saucers in the country.  The one closest to me is in Downtown Memphis.  They are most known for all of their different beers.  Their menu is chalked full of tons of different beers from all over the world.  They have tons on draught and tons in bottles.

After walking around downtown in the summer, we decided we needed to cool down.  What better way to cool off than having a beer?  I ordered a Memphis Made IPA, which they were out of.  However, the server was awesome.  She was quick to offer comparable beers.  She suggested that I have a Brooklyn Bridge East India Pale Ale.  It was refreshing.  

For my second beer, I had the Sweetwater IPA.  It was bitter and hoppy but somehow had a touch of sweetness.  I enjoyed it the most.  

The saucer also has good food, including some vegetarian and even vegan options.  They also have different specials almost every day of the week.  My favorite is to go on Monday, which is Pint Night, where most draught beers are only $3.  It's an excellent way to sample different beers.  They also have a UFO club, which will help you track which beers you have tasted.  It also gives you some discounts to special events.  

Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

Chez Andy!

On Facebook, I saw a picture of meatloaf "cupcakes" with a mashed potato "frosting."  Well, we were cooking dinner for a get together for the TV show True Blood.  I decided it was time to recreate what I saw.

I made meat loaf using my standard meatloaf recipe.  Then I put them in cupcake tins.  I also made mashed potatoes using my own recipe.  So... If you want to recreate (or improve), you can use your own recipe.  

My friend told me to pipe the potatoes onto the meatloaf.  I used a plastic baggie to pipe to mashed potatoes onto the meatloaf.  Afterwards I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and a dollop of ketchup.  I loved it.  They were the perfect portion.  

Additionally, I made mini cornbread muffins.  They were great.  I just used the cornbread recipe off the cornmeal.  

I used Glory greens for the greens.  My friend made broccoli soup.   He used broccoli and cheese soup.  

The picture above is the combination of our handiwork.  

Cache Restaurant and Lounge

Cache Restaurant
425 President Clinton Ave
Little Rock, AR 72201

While visiting Little Rock, we went downtown to a near restaurant and lounge called Cache.  We had already had dinner, so we just went for drinks.  I did look at the food menu.  The restaurant is quite pricey and fancy.  I would have liked to have tried the foie gras, though.  Perhaps, I will visit again to try out the food.

We went upstairs to the bar and sat outside.  There is a phenomenal view of downtown Little Rock.  It was truly the perfect place to go for cocktails.  The prices were fairly average.  They were actually less pricey than I anticipated.  

For my first drink I had the Sarsaparilla Old Fashioned.  It was bourbon with sarsaparilla simple syrup with root beer bitters.  It was good.  It was like a typical old fashioned but with a twist.  The price was $10, which is pretty average for a specialty cocktail.  

My friend had another cocktail called the Sing and Sling which is "Bourbon, vanilla syrup, lime, blueberry compote, and lambic."

Later, I had a Kettle One Martini.  I think it was $12.  It was perfectly mixed with a nice olive garnish.  It was a great way to end the night.  

I'm not sure about the food, but I love the atmosphere and the drinks.  This is an awesome place for cocktails.  

Canon Grill

Canon Grill
2811 Kavanaugh Blvd
Little Rock, AR 72205

While visiting Little Rock, we had to go out for a drink.  There is a strip of restaurants and bars on Kavanaugh Blvd.  We stopped by Canon Grill.  It's a bar with pizza, pasta, quesadillas, and fajitas.  My friend ordered the cheese dip.  It was good.  It tasted like a Mexican restaurant queso dip.  

We were there near closing time, so we only had one drink.  They have a variety of drinks.  They have a full bar.  They also have a variety of frozen margaritas.  I went with a dos equis beer on draft.  

It's a chill place to go for a drink.  However, they do not stay open late.  

Big Orange

Big Orange
207 N. University Ave Ste. 100
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205

On my most recent visit to Little Rock, my friend took me to the Big Orange, which is known primarily for their burgers, salads, and milkshakes.  

The restaurant has a bit of a trendy vibe about it.  They have a full bar and a list of draught beers.  

My friend ordered my favorite salad, which is a tomato caprese.  It is mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic.  This one looked awesome.  It used yellow tomatoes rather than the traditional red.   

The restaurant can make any burger using beef, ground turkey, or veggie.  I went with the beef burger.  I had the Maytag Blue, which was topped with blue cheese and pepper jelly along with lettuce, onion, and tomato.  I always love the beef and blue cheese combination; the pepper jelly added a nice extra touch.  You can order your burgers to whatever temperature that you want.  The default is medium well.  I forgot to specify.  I would have preferred a medium rare.  However, that was my fault.  It was a great burger with full of flavor.  

I also had the order of house fries.  They were perfectly cooked.  They were crispy with just the right amount of potato.  They came with a homemade sauce.  I'm not sure what it is; I know it was a mayonnaise based sauce.  

I would definitely eat here again.  It was an awesome burger.  The prices are close to $9, which is fairly average for a gourmet burger.  

Coletta's Restaurant

Coletta's Restaurant
1063 South Parkway E
Memphis, TN 38106

Coletta's is an Italian tradition in Memphis.  It has been around since 1923.  The website says that they are Memphis's oldest restaurant.  However, the Arcade claims to have been around longer.  The restaurant also claims to have invented the barbecue pizza.  

There are two locations, each with a different menu.  We decided to visit the original location on South Parkway.  

One room is the Elvis room with plenty of Elvis memorabilia.  The clientele was pretty diverse.  Our waitress was very friendly.  

I went with the appetizer of black and green olives and peppers.  It was pretty much what one would expect.  The olives were pitted and unstuffed.  I would have preferred pimentos or something.  

They have a full bar, and I had a high ball of Jack and coke.  It was tasty, and about $5.50, I think.  

G chose the lasagna for his entree.  It was a huge portion.  It was a tasty lasagna.  The set up is not a traditional layered lasagna.  It was more of a mixed pasta style.  

Rolls accompanied our meal.  They were average.  

One friend ordered the spinach.  The entire menu is really set up more family style.  The spinach is an entree sized portion, but I doubt anyone would only want to eat spinach.  It was $7.50.  It was good.  It had eggs and cheese mixed into it.  

I chose the small vegetarian pizza.  It was topped with peppers and olives.  There was also plenty of cheese.  I fell in love with the crust.  It was a thicker crust, which I loved!  

I would love to go to the other location and compare the differences.  

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Crumpy's

Crumpy's
1806 Lamar Ave
Memphis, TN 38114

Down the street from me, there was a restaurant called Ruben's Chicken.  I had visited there a few items.  Then recently I noticed that it was closed.  However not too much later, much to my surprise and joy, a Crumpy's opened up.

Crumpy's is a Memphis staple, known as one of the best places for wings in the city.

My meal came with some rolls. I was given the choice between ranch or blue cheese.  I had some fries, which I ordered as seasoned.  I loved my fries.  They were seasoned perfectly.  

For my meal, I had the honey hot wings.  They are whole wings, which are garnished with celeries and carrots.  The sauce was awesome.  They are spicy, but with the honey sweetness.  

I am so glad that this place is near my house now.  It's pretty much within walkable distance, so I will be a repeat visitor.