Dining Guides
What to Order: Crispy rice-French toast at Maeve’s Tavern a standout brunch dish
The finished slice is topped with a finely milled pistachio powder, butterscotch and a dollop of pistachio whipped cream on the side.
Ellen Chamberlain
Ellen Chamberlain is a global citizen who is happy to call Memphis her forever home. The Michigan native has worked in media for nearly 25 years as a radio broadcaster, journalist and ghostwriter. As The Daily Memphian’s food and restaurant writer, she gives readers inside perspectives of their favorite restaurants and the people behind them, suggestions for the best bites around town and the latest food news from in and around Shelby County.
There are 189 articles by Ellen Chamberlain :
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December 2025
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Dining Guides -
Food News Hearts, tulips and swans: Local baristas throwdown a latte
Baristas left it all in the cup, with one champion of the bracket-style latte art competition taking home coffee beans, an eight-cup siphon — and bragging rights.
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$15 Deals $15 Deal: El Porton’s grilled steak bowl
Take time to enjoy the unlimited tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa is blended to a nearly smooth consistency and has the slightest kick.
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Table TalkTable Talk: 25 years of Mr. Rusty’s is over, but his taste of Chicago isn’t gone for good
After more than 25 years of serving authentic Chicago-style fare, Mr. Rusty’s Real Taste of Chicago closed its doors at 1859 Winchester Road the day before Thanksgiving.
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Food NewsWhat to order: The Lobbyist’s yams crowned with an airy kataifi
Chef Jimmy Gentry’s vegetable-forward menu is full of creativity, but it’s the yams, topped with a pastry made of shredded filo dough, that’s the standout dish.
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November 2025
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Dining GuidesWhere to eat in Silo Square in Southaven
Restaurants at Silo Square include a coffee shop, a bagel shop, breakfast, barbecue, lunch, dessert and a wine bar. Here is the definitive dining guide to the Southaven development.
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$15 Deals $15 Deal: Bayou’s crawfish basket
The crawfish are plump and juicy, tucked onto a bed of crispy seasoned fries that soak up just enough of the drippings to keep every bite interesting.
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Table TalkTable Talk: The holiday pause is the perfect moment to savor Memphis
Our local restaurants deserve the same kind of enthusiasm and exploration we’d give to the eateries in our holiday vacation destinations.
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Dining GuidesWhat to order: Hog & Hominy’s collards and hominy
The restaurant’s collards and hominy is a culinary mission accomplished: It brings the taste of home to the table.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Friendsgiving is for (chosen) family
“The community I’ve cultivated, and that’s found me, in this city makes spending the holidays here warm and an opportunity for deep reflection and gratitude.”
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Food News Will Memphian whip up a win on Gordon Ramsay baking competition?
The results are a secret, but we know Chloe Sexton, the baker behind internet phenom Chloe’s Giant Cookies, is a cast member on “Next Level Baker,” premiering in December.
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Food News Memphis entrepreneur launches new bourbon line with a country star
The Memphis-born bourbon brand blends duck-hunting heritage with sustainability.
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Dining GuidesWhat to order: Felicia Suzanne’s West Indies crab salad
Felicia Suzanne’s, one of four Michelin Guide-recommended restaurants in Memphis, has a menu that feels like a love letter to Southern cuisine through the application of classic French technique.
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$15 DealsDonning her signature muumuu, Bartlett venue owner is serving up breakfast
Stephanie Moss Townsend has owned Egeray’s Party Room for six years but recently decided to begin serving breakfast in honor of her mother.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Memphis native creates new spice blends
Mane Street Seasonings is Memphis through and through.
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Dining GuidesWhat to order: Boiling Fish at Petals of a Peony earns Michelin attention with fiery finesse
At Petals of a Peony, after the plates are cleared, the soft tingle of pepper and the warmth of that final bite linger — the kind of souvenir you can’t pack up.
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Food NewsSecond Line bids Midtown farewell, Iris gets a new neighbor
“With The Second Line moving, we’re doubling down again to give Midtown something special,” chef Kelly English said.
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Food News Memphis in May opens 2026 barbecue contest applications
It’s time for friends to choose sides — and for grilling frenemies to join forces — and get ready to fire up their pits for the 2026 Memphis in May International Festival’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.
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Table TalkTable Talk: Michelin guide whets Memphis chefs’ appetite for stars
More from the Michelin Guide’s American South 2025 event as well as how the recognition has energized the Memphis honorees.
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Food News Michelin’s Southern debut: Memphis restaurants recognized at historic ceremony
Michelin held its first-ever awards ceremony dedicated to the American South. When the stars were finally revealed, Memphis made its mark.
Related content:
5 Memphis restaurants recognized in Michelin’s American South guide
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Food NewsHog & Hominy, Andrew Michael give Hudman, Ticer two in Michelin guide
“When we got into it, it was all about hospitality,” said restaurateur Michael Hudman. “Not that Michelin never crossed our minds, but we think of Andrew Michael ... you’re coming by to eat on a Sunday night at your grandmother’s house.”
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Food NewsPetals of a Peony’s all authentic menu gets Michelin nod
“We thought authentic Chinese food would go well in Memphis, so we opened up. At the beginning, we didn’t have a lot of business, but after a while, the word spread,” said general manager Bo Zou.
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Food News 5 Memphis restaurants recognized in Michelin’s American South guide
One of the restaurants received a Bib Gourmand Award as recognition for “good quality, good value cooking.”
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Ask the MemphianAsk the Memphian: What seasoning makes Memphis fries so good?
This week’s question comes to us from a reader who says she is obsessed with the seasoning on fries in Memphis. But is it all the same? The short answer is no.
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Dining GuidesWhat to order: The Memphian’s Korean BBQ short ribs and mushroom flatbread
Why bar hop the block when you can simply hop on an elevator?
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