18 of 52: enjoying the memphis eateries.

This was one food-filled week for Veena.

I have mentioned plenty of times on here how great Memphis is for food lovers. There's bbq, there's Asian, there's Indian. There are sandwiches and delis and Kwik Chek. There are more great restaurants in this city than you could ever hope to adequately visit in your lifetime, and there are new ones opening practically every week.

And last week, I got to visit 4 of those awesome places in 3 nights. Yes, that means I had two dinners in one night. And no, I'm not ashamed.

About 6 weeks ago, a few of us started a Tuesday Night Ladies' Night tradition, and each week we try a new restaurant for dinner. I had intentions of doing a roundup of the restaurants we've been to so far, and maybe one day in the near - or distant - future, that will happen. So far we have been to India Palace, Sakura, Bhan Thai, and Pho Saigon, and last week Walshie and I got takeout from Mulan [are you sensing an Asian theme happening yet?]. All have been pretty fabulous, and this week's selection was no different.

Walshie had been hearing about Skew-er for a while, so we decided to hit it up this week. Known for their skewers - hence the name - and ramen, I was initially torn over what to order, but the Tonkotsu Ramen sounded so good - and the picture looked so appetizing - that I opted for that. Since there were 4 of us, we decided to share a One For All skewer sampler, which gave us one each of ground chicken, salmon, grilled vegetables, asparagus, pork, beef ball, beef tenderloin, and shrimp. It was great, and at $5 per person, pretty reasonable for the amount of food that we got.

[the one for all skewer set]

Out of all the ramens we ordered, I'd have to say I liked mine the best. Not because I'm trying to brag, but mostly because mine had chili paste in it which added some flavour to the broth, unlike the other two which were good but rather bland for my taste [for the record, Chrystal had the Gokumiso ramen, and Christina had the Sapporo ramen]. Walshie had one of the Japanese rice bowls; it was good but kind of like a poor man's bi bim bap without the sizzle bowl. Regardless, it was a very good visit, and I will definitely be returning at some point in the future. Insider Info: Located on Sanderlin behind Fox & Hound. Known for their skewers and ramen, they also have sushi which looked pretty good. I paid for Walshie's and my dinners, and the total for both was $33 including tip, so it's pretty reasonably priced, especially for the amount of food you get. Bonus points for being in the same shopping center as Muddy's, so we definitely got cupcakes after dinner.

[my tonkotsu ramen. it was pretty delicious]

On Wednesday, we were supposed to have dinner to celebrate Maggie Goodman's return to Memphis, but of course United Airlines foiled our plans when they canceled her flight. But no worries, I met the Walsh sisters at Sakura for dinner instead. I knew going into it that if they had their Jungle Roll on special, that's what I was going to order. I had the Joyce Roll on my first visit - one of ILoveMemphis' 100 Things to Eat in Memphis - and while it was delicious, I had my eye on the Jungle Roll this time. It has all sorts of stuff on it, most of which I cannot remember, but the tipping point for me was the jalapenos. I'm a sucker for anything with jalapenos. And with the Walsh sisters in tow, what more could you ask for? [They had the Mexican and Phoenix rolls, both of which are always great, fyi] Insider Info: Located on Poplar between Perkins and Mendenhall. Large quantities. The salmon sashimi is pretty good, too.

[i forgot to get a picture of my jungle roll, but this is my joyce roll from last month. fried tempura deliciousness]

On Thursday, I had TWO dinners. First I met the Strickland family - Mark, Traci, Carter, and Andrew - at Huey's for dinner. I nannied for Carter right after I graduated from Rhodes, back when he was about 8 months old and I was a fresh-faced college graduate trying to figure out what the heck I wanted to do with my life. I've not seen him since he was about 2.5, and he's now a whopping 10 years old! And has a little brother, Andrew, to boot. So a few weeks ago Traci and I started hatching a plan to meet for dinner, and it finally worked out on Thursday for us to meet at Huey's. I had my signature Senor Huey, but really my highlight was getting to catch up with the whole family and getting to see my little Carter-man [I'll be honest, I teared up when I saw how tall he's gotten]. As per usual, the food was delicious. Insider Info: Multiple locations throughout Memphis; my personal favourite is the original location in Midtown. Everything is delicious, but it's an unwritten rule that you should always order the cheese fries.

And then I headed down to Second Line to finally get to have that dinner with Maggie, who made it in town on Thursday afternoon. Joining us were Walshie, Abby, Leslie, and Leah, and we took advantage of the awesome weather and snagged a table out on the patio. Bonus points for being Thursday night, so we got to listen to the music from ThursdaysSquared without paying the $5 cover. And the lovely fairy lights just made it that much better. I was full from my first dinner, but once I saw the menu, I knew there was no going back. I opted for the shrimp po boy with a side of red beans and rice, and it was awesome. I ate half the po boy and only about a quarter of the red beans and rice, carrying the rest home to have for lunch on Friday. Pretty genius, if I do say so myself. Insider Info: Located at the corner of Monroe and Cooper. They offer valet parking for $8, but if you drive around long enough, you'll find something on the street, or in the Overton Square or Studio on the Square lots for free. It's pricey, but it's worth it every once in a while. Be prepared to wait a while for a table unless you go super early or super late. If you go for brunch, the Bloody Marys are fantastic.

[the remains of my po boy and red beans and rice. made for a delicious friday lunch]

other highlights included: my first day volunteering at the Mid-South Food Bank; productive work days; DeltaCappella album release and spring concert; taking over Huey's [yes, for the second time] on Saturday night; Mother's Day lunch at PF Chang's.

[deltacappella in concert. that's the youngest walsh sibling front and center belting out paperback writer. it was fantastic]

And now I'm going to have to up my running mileage this week to counteract all that ridiculous eating from last week.
xx