#midtown memphis

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

Little Italy in midtown Memphis 

[toothbrushjesus]

Karaoke with tbj... horrible still shot but,

It was a good night so I had to turn up on my favorite song one time...

[whatitsliketobeawallflower]

[whatitsliketobeawallflower]

[whatitsliketobeawallflower]

[kensfoodfind]

Bari's Meatballs & Tiramisu

Not "Special"

Last weekend, I went to Bari Ristorante for its annual special of meatballs and tiramisu. Despite these things being staples at other Italian restaurants, Bari only offers these menu items in November. With it being a yearly thing, I was curious about why that is. What makes Bari's meatballs and tiramisu so special? As it turns out, they're not.

The meatballs come in threes and smothered in marinara sauce and topped with shavings of Parmesan cheese. As far as I can tell, Bari's meatballs aren't any different from other places that offer them. There isn't any special seasoning or anything else that makes the meatballs distinctive, so I can't see why Bari would make these only once a year. The only thing that sets Bari's meatballs apart from others is that they ranged from lukewarm to cold in terms of temperature, at least from the ones I had. For a fancy restaurant that's charging a lot for these, I expected better. I can get better meatballs year round from other restaurants including Slider Inn that is across the street from Bari ("Slider" only sells them on Mondays).

The tiramisu looks and tastes the same as most restaurants that offer it. The dessert has the requisite coffee flavor that most are familiar with and is constructed in a typical layered manner for tiramisu, which doesn't make it "special" in my opinion. It really isn't distinguishable from most Italian restaurants so I can't see why anyone would wait until November for it from Bari when its available year round from just about every other Italian restaurant in Memphis. If you want to get tiramisu that at least looks different from normal, go to Ecco that doesn't use as much cocoa powder in its version of it.

In my opinion, I believe that Bari's meatballs and tiramisu are nothing more than marketing gimmicks to get people to visit the restaurant. It might be doing it to compete with Memphis' Downtown Dining Week promotion that highlights some of Downtown Memphis' best restaurants. Is it worth it? I can only speak for myself but I don't believe it is. I mean, both the meatballs and tiramisu are good, but its not worth waiting a year to pay premium prices for them. Nonetheless, Bari Ristorante is a nice, nearly authentic Italian restaurant that's cool to dine at during anytime of the year.

Website: BariMemphis.com

[memphisbarbecue]

R.I.P EASY-WAY

    The last Easy-Way store in the city, at 814 Mount Moriah, did its last business today. I don’t know how long they have been winding things down, but I didn’t get an inkling of it last week. This morning, it was unmistakable as soon as you set foot inside.     It’s really not a surprise, as the local chain has been pulling back in recent years, closing in Midtown (noted in an earlier post) and Frayser. The 1998 Yellow Pages listed eight locations across the city. The last store is basically flanked by Krogers, and the opening of Sprouts increased the siege.     Easy-Way has always been one of my favorites -- a no-nonsense place to get fresh fruits and vegetables quickly and inexpensively. I’m wondering where I’ll be able to find a steady source of Ripley tomatoes this summer. The Cupboard restaurant usually has some for a while. Last year’s season ran well into October at Easy-Way. And the cookies from Backermann’s. Sigh.     The former Easy-Way on Cooper in Midtown was in the news last week as the site of Hattie B’s, a hot-chicken place from Nashville, and in the news here as an old barbecue restaurant. The Mount Moriah corner looks like valuable East Memphis real estate.     Thanks, Easy-Way, for all the good stuff, from one of your people.

[brittxtina-blog]

Stoney from "Set It Off" vibez 📷😎😭 photo credit: @theonlydropout