I have lived in Memphis since I was four years old, but there are some parts of the city I did not spend much time in. Often residents completely overlook areas designated for tourists. I did not have a high opinion of downtown Memphis when I was growing up. The architecture from the 1800's with crumbling red brick walls and chipping paint was not my cup of tea. It was too modern! I longed for the swirls of iron, hanging Spanish moss off branches, and stone flourishes in New Orleans. Downtown also had an air of adult entertainment, something which I was sheltered from as a child. Now as an adult, I have fond memories of the few times I did end up downtown. I went to many unique, world class exhibits in the Pyramid that filled me with excitement and wonder at treasures from the past. My favorite being a tie between ancient Egypt and the Romanovs. I also went to my first concert there (Britney Spears). I went on a field trip in elementary school to take a ride on the Mississippi in a River Boat. Later as a teenager, I would sneak with a friend into a building to watch the sunset melt into our river from the top of 20 story building roof. I would go by the banks of the river to watch the grey, green, and blue currents flow at an alarming speed.
I have been truly blessed to have been able to work downtown since 2012. I get to explore it even more at my own pace and with my own interests.

Downtown (and Memphis as a whole) is revitalizing. We're three breaths in. An article for the top 20 under 30 came out in the Memphis flyer last week, featuring a friend of mine from elementary school. It is bizarre when your generation finally gets into the spotlight. We're grown up. One thing that stood out to me in the article was that when this group of bright, young adults got together, they chatted about Memphis entering a "Renaissance." I could go on and on about deconstructing that idea, but I  agree. It may take a little while more for our city to feel it, but greatness is ahead of us. This may seem a little too lofty and idealistic, but you have to  start somewhere. One place this is felt is all the ingenuity and fervor with our growing restaurant, hospitality, arts, and food scene. It's exciting, and I am happy to explore it.

Last night I finally made my way to Tamp & Tap, a unique combination of local beers and food with fresh coffee. This place had been on my radar to try for quite a while, but I never quite made it over. I had heard great, amazing things about the food so I tried the "Stanley" described as brioche, smoked turkey, fontina, candied bacon, arugala, roasted artichoke aioli.

The inside of the sandwich was heavenly. Sweeter than I imagined when I read the description, but that did not matter. My favorite flavor in this sandwich had to be the pickled red onions. Are you saying bleh? "Pickled" is one of my least favorite words. It calls to mind sour and cold. This was sweet, sharp, and tangy. A long time ago, my sister took me to a now long gone Russian restaurant and bar, Cafe Samovar. We drank and I distinctly remember an appetizer involving pickled red cabbage and bread. The flavor was extremely reminiscent bringing back a wonderful memory between two sisters that often did not get along. My only criticism was the bread crumbled to nothing as I ate it. Maybe it was little overly toasted? Maybe my hunger was so ferocious it destroyed the bread? It didn't stop me from eating every last bite.

My husband and I enjoyed Wiseacre's Ananda and High Cotton's Sawmill Stout. Out of the two, I uncharacteristically enjoyed the stout. It really did just taste like chocolate. Both are excellent brews.

Today, my adventure continued to another downtown bordering on midtown spot, Arepa and Salsa. I had unsuccessfully tried to convince a friend to go with me before, but today I went with a coworker who also enjoys the occasional treat. Shout out to Jenny at wonderfully-complex.com. Go read her blog! Go, go! She graciously agreed to come with me and even split an appetizer and our entrees. Now onto the meal. For starters, I tried a freshly blended melon drink. Freshly blended fruit juices are one of my all time favorite drinks to get at Hispanic restaurants. I always get the watermelon Sandia over at Los Tortugas in Cordova. This was similar in flavor, texture, and sweetness.

In my experience, melon drinks just pair well with Latin food. The subtlety and mellowness of it matches well with corn cakes, black beans, cheeses... that sort of fare. I ordered the UFOs: "mini fried cheese arepas with Latin style sour cream dipping".

They were so light and airy! Crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside. You could definitely taste the cornmeal. Like creamy fried cornbread. Delicious. Next up, I ordered the Pernil tostones: "fried plantain stuffed with roasted pork, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cabbage salad and house sauce." Jenny ordered the Veggie Queen Arepas: "black bean, salty cheese, eggplant, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and house sauce." Jenny was kind enough to go halvesies.

If you say the word "plantain", I say, "yes". A sandwich made out of plantains? Triple yes. With avocado and pork?? Listen, that's just too many yeses. It was awesome. The veggie arepa was also great. The eggplant was cut nice and thin and paired well with all the flavors. The outside was nice and crisp. Jenny remarked that she's not even a big veggie person, but it just sounded too good to pass up. She also gave big thumbs up to the sauce. We rolled ourselves out of there and back to the office, thoroughly satisfied. 
These two new(ish) places officially Steffi-discovered.

I love to cook, but recipes intimidate me. If you worked with me at a certain cupcake shop, you suffered many of my culinary failures. I had to redo multiple recipes several times. Cooking is indeed a science. My failures are truly an embarrassment for me as I am known for my cooking, but they come frequently if you give me written instructions to follow.

This may seem like a cop out, but I wonder if it has to do with my learning style. I grew up preferring not to measure, but to learn from trial and error. This is the easiest way for my mind to make those crucial connections. My parents when I was growing up also suffered through many horrible cooking experiments where I tried my hand at different regional cuisine and spice combinations. I cringe thinking back to the horrible dishes that they ate with a smile on their face, offered suggestions, and encouraged me to continue on. This is especially painful because my background is one defined by food. I am from New Orleans - one of the food capitals of the world.

My cousin teased me when I sent her my recipe for crawfish bisque. It involved "handfuls", "pinches", and a lot  of things"to taste". That's my style. In my defense, I have to immerse myself in the taste, feel, and sight of food. Cooking requires a lot of physical involvement of the senses. My tummy rumbles thinking about smelling food on the stove top and adding spices in small increments to my dishes to achieve the perfect blend of flavors. If I were fastidious, I would document my food more diligently with photos and my processes. Alas, this is also my failure. I am hoping that I can turn some of that around.

French cooking is remarkably well known for its richness and blend of flavors. Creole and Cajun cooking is a derivative; thankfully, one that I can handle. Real French cooking scares me with its precision, high stakes, and temperamental qualities. When I think of real French cuisine, I think of two things. One is a quote from one of my all time favorite movies, Tampopo, when a homeless gourmet laments, "French cooking is a constant battle with burns!" in regards to a boeuf bourguignon that got a little charred. The other is Babette's Feast. We read the book and watched the film in a course I took, Studies in World Literature: Food for Thought. Babette makes an insanely rich (in every sense of the word) meal for her guests. The description of the dishes make your mouth water, and I desperately want to recreate them. These two fictions share a connection to me. For friends, I once prepared an "eat-along" dinner to Tampopo. I made dishes featured in the film and served them to my friends as they watched the film for the first time. I didn't document this or write my recipes... and surely, I could do it again with more precision. I will, one day. Which lends to the next. I would love to recreate and serve the dishes to the film Babette's Feast to friends. Despite my hesitation to attempt the difficult recipes, I will do it. Through my failures, I will become stronger and better. I will try not to be afraid. And maybe this time, I will actually take notes as I go along.