The results are in for the Memphis Magazine Readers’ Restaurant Poll, and…
- At January 29, 2011
- By mkw
- In Blog
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Restaurant Iris takes home the GOLD in SIX categories!
A Letter from Chef Kelly English
It is an incredible honor for Restaurant Iris to be recognized among Memphis Magazine readers. We truly love what we do and get unbelievable satisfaction hearing that you love it too!
The success of the restaurant would not be possible without our dedicated front-of-house staff, our talented kitchen staff, and our loyal patrons. All of you not only make Restaurant Iris what it is, you make it fun.
So again, many thanks to all who took the time to vote for us. We are honored and humbled by these awards.
Sincerely,
Gold Medal Awards
- Best Memphis Chef, Kelly English
- Best Restaurant, Restaurant Iris
- Best Service, Restaurant Iris
- Best Wine List, Restaurant Iris
- Best Ambiance, Restaurant Iris
- Best Place to Impress, Restaurant Iris
Silver Medal Awards
- Best Brunch, Restaurant Iris
- Best Business Dinner, Restaurant Iris
What makes a good diner?
Jeff Frisby, our restaurant manager, gives Marilyn Sadler tips for patrons in “The Good Diner.” Pick up your copy of Memphis Magazine today to read this article!
Sunday Brunch & Monday Service
In our effort to constantly evolve and bring our patrons high-quality food and unsurpassed service, we will now only be open for brunch one Sunday of each month.
This will allow us to be open each Monday evening for dinner from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., while giving us the opportunity to work with local chefs to create exclusive menus for each brunch.
If you’d like to attend next month’s brunch, please call 901-590-2828 to make reservations. Reservations are required.
Facebook & Twitter
Let’s chat.
“Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to hear all about what’s going on at Restaurant Iris! Or you can always send us an email!
Two for Brunch: Kelly English and Jonathan Magallanes make friends, make food.
- At January 13, 2011
- By mkw
- In Blog
- 0
Two for Brunch: Kelly English and Jonathan Magallanes make friends, make food.
Photo by Justin Fox Burks
What’s the first thing a young chef does after opening his own restaurant? Find someone else to do the cooking for a change.
After Kelly English opened Restaurant Iris in Midtown, he started checking out the Memphis restaurant scene. Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana in Germantown was a favorite find, as much for the people as the food.
On his first visit, English had an elephant-ear torta, a hand-carved sirloin sandwich, that reminded him of the roast beef po’boys he loves from his native New Orleans. He was hooked.
At the same time, Jonathan Magallanes, owner of Las Tortugas, visited Restaurant Iris “to see what all the fuss was about.”
“I was more than impressed,” Magallanes says. “I was blown away. It felt like everything I hope people experience at Las Tortugas.”
“Ours are very different restaurants but with very similar philosophies of carefully sourcing ingredients and taking care of our customers,” English adds.
English and Magallanes became friends quickly, and with that friendship, they began to exchange ideas. When Kelly competed in Cochon 555 in Atlanta, he looked to Las Tortugas for help.
“Kelly was in our kitchen learning tamales,” Magallanes says. “He used his own recipe for the filling at the event, but he learned technique with us.”
Last October, English and Magallanes were invited to cook at the annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium in Oxford, Mississippi. Their barbacoa was chosen to match the symposium’s “Global South” theme, and they were presented a challenging ingredient — cow heads — to prepare traditional tacos de cabeza.
“We had one practice run, and it went well,” English says. “For the event, we were going to do 42 cow heads. I wasn’t sure how it would work. Two heads in a hole is one thing; 42 heads and 800 pounds of charcoal is an entirely different thing. We were very confident in what we were doing, but we knew there was an outside chance that it wasn’t going to translate to 42 heads.”
After a sleepless night and a nearly disastrous encounter with the Oxford Fire Department over the size of the fire, the barbacoa was a resounding success, providing a unique dinner to hundreds of symposium attendees.
The teamwork between English and Magallanes will be seen at another event, thanks to changes English is making to the hours at Restaurant Iris. The restaurant will serve dinner on Monday nights, and brunch with visiting chefs will be served only on the third Sunday of each month.
According to English, Jeff Frisby, Restaurant Iris’ general manager, came up with the idea of a collaborative brunch.
“We wanted to do something where we could cook with some friends and take in some people regionally and offer Memphis something that they don’t have on a regular basis,” English says.
The obvious choice for the first brunch partner was Magallanes.
“Kelly called and asked if I was interested. I was more than interested; I committed right away. We’ve been experimenting and talking and tasting ever since,” Magallanes says.
Both restaurants’ styles will be represented in a blending of techniques and flavors. “This will be a very different type of brunch,” English explains. “We may not even serve biscuits. We aren’t at Jonathan’s. It will be a complete collaboration,” English says.
After the meal with Magallanes on January 16th (which is already sold out), brunch in February will feature Jennifer Chandler, author of Simply Salads and Simply Suppers. Future brunches will include Lee Richardson of Little Rock’s Capital Hotel; Elizabeth Heiskell, co-author of Somebody Stole the Cornbread from My Dressing; and Kat Gordon, owner of Muddy’s Bake Shop.
The friendly partnership between English and Magallanes will continue as well.
“Jonathan is one of the most passionate people about food that I have ever met. He will text me at 3 a.m. with a dish. He is full of ideas,” English says.
For more information on upcoming brunches, go to restaurantiris.com or call 590-2828.
Our New Sunday Brunch Schedule
- At January 7, 2011
- By mkw
- In Blog
- 1
“Third Sunday Brunches” Feature Local Chefs and Exclusive Menus
In our effort to constantly evolve and bring our patrons high-quality food and unsurpassed service, we will now only be open for brunch the third Sunday of each month.
This will allow us to be open each Monday evening for dinner from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., while giving us the opportunity to work with local chefs to create exclusive menus for each brunch.
Sunday, January 16
Chef Kelly English with Jonathan Magallanes of Las Tortugas
This month’s menu will feature:
- Omelet de carnitas con crema Oaxaca
- A tasting of “Queso de Mexico”
- Chilaquiles con huevos
- And much more!
PLEASE NOTE: We are fully committed for January’s brunch. Next month, February 20, will feature author and
chef, Jennifer Chandler.
If you’d like to attend next month’s brunch, please call 901-590-2828 to make reservations. Reservations are required.
Restaurant Iris a “Special Occasion” restaurant
- At December 17, 2010
- By mkw
- In Blog
- 0
According to Ilovememphisblog.com, Restaurant Iris was a favorite among Memphians when asked where they like to celebrate their milestones!
Check it out:
Stay Classy, Memphis: 10 Special Occasion Restaurants
There are some dining occasions – birthdays, special dates, anniversaries – when dollar taco night just won’t do. You need something a little classier, someplace that says that you wanted the evening to be special.
When you want to celebrate, make reservations at one of these swanky local restaurants:
6. Restaurant Iris (2146 Monroe Avenue, (901) 590-2828)
When I asked you guys where you’d like to have your birthday dinner if money was no object, about half of you picked Restaurant Iris.
Chef Kelly English’s midtown restaurant has only been open for about two years, but it’s already legendary. The food is definitely inspired by English’s Louisiana childhood – think lobster “knuckle sandwiches”, scallops, gulf shrimp and pork belly. Iris is open nightly for dinner and on Sundays for brunch.
*Clarification, effective January 1, 20100, Restaurant Iris will be open for dinner Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and for Sunday Brunch the third Sunday of each month.
More praise for Wild Abundance
- At December 9, 2010
- By mkw
- In Blog
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Wild Abundance — A Beautiful Cookbook for Carnivores and Hunters
The Huffington Post: Regina Varolli
Posted: December 7, 2010 05:25 PM
I love books, so when I come across a beautiful new cookbook — so lovely it doubles as a coffee table book — I’m a happy camper. 
Recently I’ve been losing myself in Wild Abundance: Ritual, Revelry & Recipes of The South’s Finest Hunting Clubs, gazing at the stunning photography of Lisa Buser, drooling over the delectable recipes of the chefs and cooks, and reading the warm tales about the people and places brought together by editor Susan Schadt.
Odd as it may seem for a girl who grew up in cities, my family actually did a fair bit of hunting when I was a kid. My father was a chef who loved to hunt, and my family would pile into our camper and drive all the way from California to Montana or Wyoming for weeks-long hunting, fishing and camping trips on horseback.
Perhaps because of this, I’ve always been skeptical of carnivores who shun hunting. I’ve just never understood why someone who is not a vegetarian could have anything against the hunt. Often when I speak of hunting, people gasp, You’d kill Bambi?! Yet these same people happily order venison in a restaurant and buy it from the market. I truly believe the modern mentality born of experiencing meat all cut up and sold in plastic wrapped packages at the grocery story is the very disconnect that has led to the horrible animal raising and slaughtering practices rampant in today’s food industry. To hunt is to respect and appreciate the life of the animal with which you’re nourishing yourself, as well as the land on which they nourish themselves.
Wild Abundance was conceived by Susan Schadt, President & CEO of ArtsMemphis, who wanted to share the story of the south’s best hunting clubs, expanding on the concept of her first book, First Shooting Light: A photographic journey reveals the legacy and lure of hunting clubs in the Mississippi Flyway. “When I was first thinking of the project,” said Susan, “I thought to myself, Who better to tell these stories than chefs?”
“When I called the first two chefs to tell them my idea, they got it right away. These hunting clubs represent the truest form of local, sustainable food. The ‘farm-to-table’ movement has been going on in these places for centuries, and hunters and fishers are the biggest conservationists of all.”
Of the spirit of the book, Susan also told me, “I wanted to pay tribute the unsung heroines and heroes of the kitchen.” The resident cooks of the hunting clubs. “At first the cooks were hesitant to have their kitchens invaded by celebrity chefs from the city. But in every case the chefs worked hard to earn the respect of the cooks, and they even learned a thing or two from them.”
Derek Emerson, Chef/Owner of Walker’s Drive-In and Local 463 in Mississippi, one of the chefs in the book, said to me, “I’m just a cook like they are. I’m called a chef, but we’re all just cooks at heart.”
Chef Derek Emerson's Grilled Quail with Corn Salsa (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Emerson, a three-time James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef in the South, didn’t actually go hunting on his visit to Fighting Bayou hunting club, telling me, “I wanted to get the whole experience of being with the cooks, Rosie Mae Brown and Annie Hogan. They make a big breakfast and dinner for the hunters, and I wanted to be a part of that. At first they were understandably not too open to me. But I respected that it was their kitchen and I was just a visitor. It wasn’t long before we were all working together like good old friends.”
Chef Derek Emerson and Annie B. Hogan having a laugh in Annie's kitchen (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Derek Emerson grew up in Los Angeles, and he’d never been exposed to anything like Fighting Bayou. “It was amazing. The traditions, the history, the people… and their love of the land. They have something they call ‘the benediction’ and ‘giving praise to the ducks.’ And there’s the ‘liar’s pit,’ a big outdoor fire pit where everyone stands around and tells stories. Seeing all this and being a part of it was like being let into some secret society.”
Emerson’s visit coincided with one of the many visits by New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who has been going to Fighting Bayou since he was a kid. “Eli comes into my restaurants, but seeing him at Fighting Bayou was different. He was so relaxed there, it’s like a second home for him. His family is a big part of the place and he comes down here as much as he can.”
Chef Derek Emerson with NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning at Fighting Bayou (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
The experience was so special that, said Emerson, “I’m going back to Fighting Bayou this season, and this time, I’m going on the hunt.”
Another chef invited to participate was James Beard Award winner John Besh, Chef/Owner of August in New Orleans, and five other restaurants around Louisiana. Besh made his way to The Bayou Club to hunt and cook with the people who make the place feel like a home. In the book, Besh — who grew up hunting — says, “The Bayou Club is much more than just a place to hunt. It’s about ceremony, tradition, camaraderie, and, of course, the best hunting of south Louisiana.”
Like his friend Derek Emerson, John Besh also did his best to work his way into the heart of the club cook, in his case Sylvia Herbert Nolan. In the book, Besh writes “I come bearing gifts of crab, oysters, shrimp and wine. That’s the way in with a good cook — food and wine!” Later in the story, he confesses, “I burn the sauce twice, much to the enjoyment of my dear chef Sylvia, who laughs and thinks it humorous that even with a television cooking show, I still burn the sauce.”
Chef John Besh in Sylvia Nolan's kitchen at the Bayou Club (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
John Besh with brother-in-law, best friend and hunting partner, Patrick Berrigan (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Chef John Besh's Foie Gras Stuffed Duck (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
The other seven chefs and hunting clubs in Wild Abundance are Alex Grisanti at Blackfish, Lee Richardson at Circle T, Donald Link at Grand View Lodge, John Currence at Mallard Rest, Kelly English at Menasha, Karen Carrier at Quail Hollow, and Martha Foose at Ward Lake (home of the Swamp Witches).
Hostess Susan Smith sets the table at Circle T (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Gathering around the fire pit at Circle T (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Chef Martha Foose's Kale and Black Eyed Peas (Photo by Lisa Buser, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Chef Martha Foose (front, far right) with The Swamp Witches of Ward Lake Hunting Club (Photo by Will Smith, Courtesy of ArtsMemphis)
Editor Susan Schadt traveled to every club with each chef. Of the experience, she told me, “It was probably the best thing I’ve ever been involved with. All the chefs volunteered their time, and there was visible growth in the relationships between the chefs and cooks. There’s real emotion on those pages.”
And so there is. So much emotion in fact, that even during the holidays, when I especially love New York City, Wild Abundance is enough to make this nature-loving, game-craving city girl want to run for the wilds of America, and never look back.
Wild Abundance is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble booksellers. All proceeds from the book go to support the programs of ArtsMemphis.
Changes, they are a-coming…
- At November 23, 2010
- By mkw
- In Blog
- 0
At Restaurant Iris we are constantly evolving in order to bring our patrons high-quality food and uncompromised service during each experience.
To that end, we will soon implement an exciting change to our service schedule. Starting January 2, 2011, we will only be open for brunch the third Sunday of every month, allowing us to be open each Monday evening for dinner, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
We are excited about the opportunity to add another night’s service to our schedule and look forward to the creative brunches we have planned.
The following chefs have already agreed to partner with Chef Kelly to create a special Sunday Brunch for you:
- Nick Seabergh, Giardina’s at the Alluvian Hotel
- Jonathan Magallanes, Las Tortugas
- Jennifer Chandler, Thirty Minute Supper
- Muddy’s Bake Shop
- Lee Richardson, Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel
Who would you like to see Chef Kelly partner with one month? Submit your ideas below or email them to marketing@restaurantiris.com.
English Speaks on Southern Food to CNN’s “Eatocracy”
- At November 11, 2010
- By mgw
- In Blog
- 0
Chef Kelly English recently shared his thoughts on the allure of Southern food to CNN’s Eatocracy blog in a post titled, “Southern Food: More Voices from the Field.”
Here’s an excerpt from the post:
On Wednesday, November 10th, Eatocracy is hosting its inaugural Secret Supper in Atlanta, Georgia, centered around the topic of how chefs’ increasingly close collaboration with farmers figures into the preservation and evolution of Southern cooking. Take your place at the (virtual) table, by joining in the conversation and cooking along at home.
Earlier today, we wrote about the chefs who are devoting their lives to reclaiming the soul of Southern food from its prevalent representation as bad-for you, deep-fried and cream-smothered genetically modified and overly-processed comfort food.
Here are some more thoughts on the matter from chefs and writers who heavily invested in the past, present and future of Southern food.
“One of the beautiful things about the South is that we are so enamored with every aspect of past, present and future. One of the most exciting challenges about being a chef in the South right now is the balance of those three pieces of time with respect to ingredients and technique.
A great example would be greens. You can put a pair of fancy pants on a pice of meat, but if you serve it with greens it better damn well be the greens your grandmother cooked. Southern food is, in my opinion, a great microcosm for the way we live. We always have progress on our minds, but never for a second do we abandon our traditions and forget who we are. The movement for heritage breeds of ‘meats’ and ‘threes’ suits us just fine.” – Chef Kelly English, Restaurant Iris
Chef Kelly English Featured in New Cookbook, “Wild Abundance”
- At October 28, 2010
- By mgw
- In Blog
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Chef Kelly English is one of the nine regional chefs featured in a new cookbook called “Wild Abundance,” which celebrates the food and camaraderie of hunting camps. The regional chefs, including English, Alex Grisanti, and Karen Carrier, each went to a hunting lodge and prepared meals with the club cook. The recipes in the book come from the chefs and the cooks.
English was committed as soon as he was asked. He has hunted for years, though not necessarily in lodges as lavish as some in the book.
“My dad’s hunting camp was actually a renovated school bus,” the Louisiana native said. “But we loved it. My parents have an old picture of me when I was about 2, holding up two of my dad’s ducks and biting one on the beak.”
For the book, he cooked at Menasha Hunting & Fishing Club near Turrell, Ark., with club cook Rebecca Sims (he adapted her corn cakes for a dish on the menu at Restaurant Iris).
“Throughout this region, hunting is kind of passed down from generation to generation,” said English, one of many Memphis chefs committed to buying locally. “And it is the ultimate farm-to-table experience.”
To learn more about this coobook, visit www.wildabundancecookbook.com
Chef Kelly English Mentioned on CNN’s “Eatocracy”
- At October 28, 2010
- By admin
- In Blog
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Restaurant Iris’ Chef Kelly English recently garnered a mention in a post on the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium on the CNN blog “Eatocracy,” written by Kat Kinsman.
I couldn’t get enough of that heady scent and luscious flesh and I’m sure I made a pest of myself at the pit where Chef Kelly English of Memphis’s Restaurant Iris was holding vigil over the barbacoa de cabeza all night. But, as the SFA’s director John T. Edge told me, “Your Twitter feed, more than anyone else’s out there, reflects your love of smoke.” He wasn’t wrong.
