Brooklyn Bridge Italian Restaurant- Memphis, TN

We have heard great things about Brooklyn Bridge for many, many years and for some unknown reason had just never squeezed it into our schedule.  However we finally went this month and here is what we discovered.

It's in a very odd location near Poplar and Kirby, tucked back into a very small shopping center.  Like little eager, lost sheep wandering into a forbidden pasture we eased through the door...and to our surprise, into a small, dimly lit bar area.  Looking at each other we thought, "Where the hell do we go now?  Is this it?"  Oh, ok - there was a doorway to our left and we chose to take the road less travelled (to the best of our knowledge).  Hey, whadda ya know - there was a hostess stand and seconds later, a cheerful hostess welcoming us and ready to seat us.  Hmmm, no waiting.  We like that.  We followed her through one dining area into another small dining area where we were seated, nestled in a cozy little corner.  Very romantic and quaint.  No one at the tables on either side of us.  Hmmm, we liked that too.

Our server greeted us promptly.  A cute little blonde with a very sweet innocence about her.  Service was excellent.  (We give her 5 SKULLS).  The wine list was adequate but limited.  Blogger-in-crime ordered Legado Malbec and it complemented his meal very well.  I forget what Riesling I ordered because I was focusing on what to eat.  The menu covered everything we love about Italian food.

We ordered the Mussels fra Diavavolo as an appetizer.  Black mussels sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce.  My better half liked them more than I.  As we (he) devoured the mussels we gazed around the room...noting the decor.  Classic Italian restaurant scene.  Murals on the walls, historic photos, shadowboxes and paintings.  Very romantic and not crowded when we visited on a Saturday night.

I caved and ordered the Lobster ravioli and added on additional scallops.  Ravioli stuffed with lobster and poached with shrimp in a tomato sauce.  Let me just say...OMG!  My new favorite dish.  I happen to like my pasta al dente...and it was perfectly cooked that way.  If you prefer it a little more soft, just ask.  The sauce was so rich it tickled going down.  I will definitely get that again!  It's hard to branch out when you have something that awesome at the maiden voyage.

My cohort ordered Beef and Shrimp Sergio.  Pan seared filet with shrimp and mushrooms in a 3-pepper demi-glace.  Excellent!  Filet was perfectly cooked to a nice med-rare.  We asked our server to make sure the chef knew what an excellent job he had done.  Side of angel hair pasta paired well with the demi-glace.  MMMM-mmmmm.

Stuffed as we were, I HAD to try a vanilla cannoli - just because I had never had one.  It was just ok - should have ordered the chocolate one...or that awesome looking cheesecake. 

We'll definitely go back very soon.

**5 SKULLS**

8th Annual Southern Hotwing Festival - DT Memphis, TN

  Ahhh...warm weather and Hot Wings.  The sexy clothes are finally out again.  We were very honored to be invited to judge this event and had a great time doing it.  The organizers and volunteers get huge props all around.  The festival was very well organized, the entertainment was top notch and the weather was excellent.  The Judges' meeting was held in the back of Earnestine's & Hazel's (a former brothel, now restaurant/bar) and you would be just crazy to walk past that bar, smelling those hamburgers on the grill and NOT get one with a cold beer. http://www.earnestineandhazels.com/  The judges were 'styled out' POST-judging with party favors, etc.  Kudos to whomever made that call.

We arrived a little early so we could size up the crowd and teams.  A mere $5 entrance fee and  $1 for samples fromt the booths. A luxury you can't get at Memphis in May. 47 competing teams (up from 33 last year) were ready for an eye-scratching, hair-pulling, chicken fight! The new location on S. Main at GE Patterson was a prime spot.  The area was spacious, people and pet friendly.  Good assortment of vendors.  The spray-on tattoo vendor booth was rockin!  Hot chicks vending beer.  Roller Derby girls skating about...gothy-HOT!  ( http://www.facebook.com/memphisrollerderby)  My blogger-in-crime can't wait to go to a game and sit in the suicide seats.  He's hoping for one or two of them to fall right into his lap.  I'll be sitting further back, out of the collision course with a very big stick. HA!

The FOOD:  We both drew on-site judging and set out individually for our wing adventures.  We were asked to keep our judging in line with the MBN guidelines (Memphis Barbecue Network - http://www.mbnbbq.com/):  Greet the team, introduce yourself, tell them you are one of their judges, repeat their team name, ask if you're in the right place, check to see if the area is clean (you know, no passed out team members or guests lying around in the booth), listen to their story (how they formed as a team, where they came up with the recipe, who does the cooking, etc), taste the wings, ask questions or encourage them to keep chatting while you eat as much as you can, thank them very much for hosting you.

We each judged 3 teams.  I was fortunate to have 3 very good teams with delish wings.  My co-hort was not as lucky.  We both had one team that put a match to our asses.  WHEW!  And we like heat!  But too much hot goopy sauce killed it for us.  Wings were perfectly cooked though...we just couldn't taste them because our taste buds were burned off!  It was NOT surprising that one of the teams I had the honor of judging won 1st place!  YAY for The Ranch Beneath My Wings!!!!!  2010 Southern Hot Wing Festival Champions!  I'm standing and applauding because their wings got 5 SKULLS from me! http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/2010/apr/19/164582/

In conclusion, we really think this festival ROCKED and are very certain that it will be much larger next year and will continue to grow.  Mark your calendars for next April dudes...you won't want to miss it!

Festival, Food and Entertainment get

5 SKULLS!!

Bardog Tavern - DT Memphis, TN

2nd best Bloody Mary we've ever had!  Only 2nd to the spicy Bloody Mary @ The Alpine in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

BUT the staff and patrons were snotty and seemed really 'clique-like.' They sorta looked at everyone as they entered (that wasn't a regular) like "what the hell are YOU doing in here?" Also, we were meeting a group of people there who had not arrived yet and decided to sit at a table near... the front window/door...but we were promptly told that we were not allowed to sit there unless we had 5 or more people with us and that we had to sit at the bar (where there were no seats of course!) or stand.  There were a few scattered tables across from the bar with scattered patrons - but not enough room for a group left.  Interestingly enough, a group of 3 came in 15 minutes later and were allowed to sit at that table (obviously because the bartender knew them). Just rudeness! We didn't eat so I can't comment on the food but the menu did look very inticing. After a while we met our group, left shortly afterwards and returned later that night - to our surprise, same treatment, if not worse. DOUBT very seriously that we will ever go back there.   If we do...we'll let you know how it was.

***2 SKULLS***