A few weeks ago I joined some of the girls for a farewell dinner for Amber at Interim in East Memphis. Amber is a professor at Coe College in Iowa and had been back in Memphis for the Christmas holidays, so we had a nice little dinner to see her off in style.
All the other girls had been to Interim before in the past, but I had never been before. In truth I thought it was a fairly new restaurant, and I was surprised to hear that it's been around since the beginning of 2007, celebrating its 7th birthday just this month.
The first thing I noticed about Interim is the atmosphere. It's a very nice setting, with dim lighting and lots of silverware - what I would deem "fancy" but what most others would probably just find suitable for a nice dinner out on a Friday or Saturday night. What sets it apart from other similar restaurants is the open kitchen -- if you're seated close enough, you can actually see the food being prepared and can see the various orders as they are ready for serving. We were just next to the kitchen, and we enjoyed using our vantage point to help us choose what we wanted to order.
Interim offers a small but varied menu, with catfish, beef tenderloin, a burger, pork chops, and a fish of the day all on offer. The only catch I could see was a limited option for vegetarians -- other than a vegetable plate, there are no other main course choices unless you just go for a Caesar Salad without the chicken.
I went with the Blackened Catfish as my entree, and it was delicious. It was cooked perfectly and flaked apart without even the need for a knife. The accompanying vegetables were great as well, and the portion was perfect. Possibly a little more than I needed to eat, but I practically licked my plate clean. I also had a bit of Katie Walsh's Mac and Cheese and Julie's Beef Tenderloin, and both were excellent as well. Katie Hart and Amber both ordered sides of fries as starters after we saw them plated with the burgers, and they were great. My only complaint with the food would be that there wasn't enough butter with the bread that we were given as a starter. Otherwise, thumbs up all around, and we probably could have asked for more if we really wanted to.
We also had a round of varying cocktails, and while I enjoyed Golden Bulleit [Bulleit bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice], my enjoyment was overshadowed by the $10.50 price tag that went along with it. It pains me sometimes to spend that much on a drink.
Speaking of prices. I really liked the food and atmosphere at Interim, and it was quite a fun ladies' night, but it was definitely pricey. I am cheap at the best of times, we all know this, but particularly being unemployed, spending upwards of $40 on one drink and a main course is a bit too extravagant for my taste and my current situation. It's a restaurant I would definitely return to with my parents, but probably not one I'll go back to while I'm still without an income.
Other than the prices and the limited vegetarian options, Interim is a great restaurant, and definitely one to try if you're looking for something different. If you're going on a Friday or Saturday night, I would definitely suggest making a reservation. The crowd was pretty steady when we were there on a Friday, but we were seated rather quickly since we had a reservation.
Location:
5040 Sanderlin Avenue
Memphis, TN 38117
901.818.0821
Hours:
11am-2.30pm Monday to Friday; 10.30am-2pm Sunday Brunch
5.30pm-10pm Monday to Saturday
5.30pm-9pm Sunday
I recommend:
the blackened catfish if you like seafood; the beef tenderloin if you feel like splurging.
Happy Eating!
xx
All the other girls had been to Interim before in the past, but I had never been before. In truth I thought it was a fairly new restaurant, and I was surprised to hear that it's been around since the beginning of 2007, celebrating its 7th birthday just this month.
The first thing I noticed about Interim is the atmosphere. It's a very nice setting, with dim lighting and lots of silverware - what I would deem "fancy" but what most others would probably just find suitable for a nice dinner out on a Friday or Saturday night. What sets it apart from other similar restaurants is the open kitchen -- if you're seated close enough, you can actually see the food being prepared and can see the various orders as they are ready for serving. We were just next to the kitchen, and we enjoyed using our vantage point to help us choose what we wanted to order.
Interim offers a small but varied menu, with catfish, beef tenderloin, a burger, pork chops, and a fish of the day all on offer. The only catch I could see was a limited option for vegetarians -- other than a vegetable plate, there are no other main course choices unless you just go for a Caesar Salad without the chicken.
I went with the Blackened Catfish as my entree, and it was delicious. It was cooked perfectly and flaked apart without even the need for a knife. The accompanying vegetables were great as well, and the portion was perfect. Possibly a little more than I needed to eat, but I practically licked my plate clean. I also had a bit of Katie Walsh's Mac and Cheese and Julie's Beef Tenderloin, and both were excellent as well. Katie Hart and Amber both ordered sides of fries as starters after we saw them plated with the burgers, and they were great. My only complaint with the food would be that there wasn't enough butter with the bread that we were given as a starter. Otherwise, thumbs up all around, and we probably could have asked for more if we really wanted to.
We also had a round of varying cocktails, and while I enjoyed Golden Bulleit [Bulleit bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice], my enjoyment was overshadowed by the $10.50 price tag that went along with it. It pains me sometimes to spend that much on a drink.
Speaking of prices. I really liked the food and atmosphere at Interim, and it was quite a fun ladies' night, but it was definitely pricey. I am cheap at the best of times, we all know this, but particularly being unemployed, spending upwards of $40 on one drink and a main course is a bit too extravagant for my taste and my current situation. It's a restaurant I would definitely return to with my parents, but probably not one I'll go back to while I'm still without an income.
Other than the prices and the limited vegetarian options, Interim is a great restaurant, and definitely one to try if you're looking for something different. If you're going on a Friday or Saturday night, I would definitely suggest making a reservation. The crowd was pretty steady when we were there on a Friday, but we were seated rather quickly since we had a reservation.
Location:
5040 Sanderlin Avenue
Memphis, TN 38117
901.818.0821
Hours:
11am-2.30pm Monday to Friday; 10.30am-2pm Sunday Brunch
5.30pm-10pm Monday to Saturday
5.30pm-9pm Sunday
I recommend:
the blackened catfish if you like seafood; the beef tenderloin if you feel like splurging.
Happy Eating!
xx
No comments:
Post a Comment