The last few years in Memphis were with young children so my list is rusty but my wife and I always liked Paulette's. Cozy atmosphere, food was good, and the desserts were awesome. Nice wine selection.
I liked Capriccio OK but it was mostly because we have always enjoyed drinks and conversation in the lobby of the Peabody.
The Melting Pot is a chain and corny in a way but I love the seclusion of the booths. You can have some fun there, talk, carry on, and not have 15 other tables looking right at you.

my husband just made reservations at Lolo's Table for us for valentine's day...anyone been there? the menu looks great.

No question...........Erling Jensen's place on South on Yates near 240 & Poplar

Terrific.................and very $$$$$

But I also like McEwen's

Won't be the same, IMO, now that Mac Edwards has sold it

TigerPat Wrote:No question...........Erling Jensen's place on South on Yates near 240 & Poplar

Terrific.................and very $$$$$

without a doubt the best. yes it is expensive, but only marginally more. and you get your money's worth. split an appetizer and a salad if you are inclined to order them and you'll will get more than enough and then the cost will about break even with some of the other restaurants mentioned above. And by far the best service in Memphis.


as to some of the others:

LoLos is pretty good. Good fish selections. Haven't gotten a steak, but there are very few places out I'll get a steak--i can almost always do better at home with a Fresh Market filet that I cook. Ruth's Chris maybe.

Yes, Mac sold the building that McEwens is in, but at this point I don't think there are plans to sell/close the restaurant. I ate a LoLos a couple of weeks ago, after Mac sold the building, and he was still walking around through the dining room in his sweater vest.

It has been a while since I've been to Cafe Society, but I've never been disappointed there.


a suggestion to anyone planning on dining downtown. check sites like http://www.memphisforless.com or http://www.restaurant.com or simliar. the combination of the large number of new downtown restaurants combined with the slowing of the economy and the lack of crowds for Grizzlies game (not to mention the slower than hoped for residential growth downtown) has lead to some very hard times for a lot of downtown restaurants. so you'll tend to find more discount deals down there.

Also, use http://www.opentable.com and you can book your reservations online well in advance at many places.

okay...last minute suggestions for valentine's day?

we still have the lolo's table reservation, but 95% of the reason i wanted to go there was to check out the regular menu, since neither of us had been there before.

now i found out they're doing a prix fixe menu of $60 per person (not including wine, i assume), and not serving their regular menu. that's all fine & good, but given their normal menu prices, the special menu is going to wind up being way more than we would have spent on a regular night there...and that's excluding wine.

i called jarrett's, and they're down to tables at 5 and 9 pm, which won't work. any other ideas?

i love mexican, so i don't mind el porton for v-day, but if i can figure out something nicer to do, that would be nice.

Ronnie Grisanti's - took my wife there on our first date.

Paulettes or Three Oaks in Germantown are great too.

Jim's Place Grill in Collierville is really good also

tigergreen Wrote:okay...last minute suggestions for valentine's day?

we still have the lolo's table reservation, but 95% of the reason i wanted to go there was to check out the regular menu, since neither of us had been there before.

now i found out they're doing a prix fixe menu of $60 per person (not including wine, i assume), and not serving their regular menu. that's all fine & good, but given their normal menu prices, the special menu is going to wind up being way more than we would have spent on a regular night there...and that's excluding wine.

i called jarrett's, and they're down to tables at 5 and 9 pm, which won't work. any other ideas?

i love mexican, so i don't mind el porton for v-day, but if i can figure out something nicer to do, that would be nice.

napa cafe in the wine cellar

Tigergreen, my suggestions would be the Majestic or Circa on Main Street, Pa Pa Pia's downtown (the old Meditrina and Cafe Samovar space), or Bari in the Overton Square area. Itta Bena above BB King's is also very cozy with good food. Sawaddi near the Peabody is also excellent if you like Thai cuisine. Oh, one more fun place with good Nawlins' food, Cayenne Moon downtown.

What about Tsunami (Cooper & Young)? We went there for the 1st time last night and had an awesome time. Food & atmosphere were great.

all great suggestions! i had thought of tsunami, itta bena & majestic, but tsunami was booked solid, and i hadn't called the other two yet.

however, my husband got proactive and has decided to cook ME dinner tomorrow night at home, so it all worked out....as long as i don't get ribs & steak for dinner, that is.

Briskbas Wrote:I don't know anything about Stella's atmosphere, everyone seems to like it, though. Capriccio and Folks Folly I'd stay away from for Valentine's. They're good, but don't really have the right ambience. Paulette's is a reliable, traditional Valentines standby. Bari would be a good choice as well.

Wherever you go, make your reservations now or else you'll be eating at 5:00 or 9:00. You also want too keep in mind that because of the volume of business, a lot of places do a prix fixe menu with a couple of options instead of offering their full menu, so you may want to call ahead and see what their options will be.

Someone mentioned the place on the top of Clarks Tower. Not a good restaurant, but an excellent first stop for cocktails.

Good Luck

tigergreen Wrote:okay...last minute suggestions for valentine's day?

we still have the lolo's table reservation, but 95% of the reason i wanted to go there was to check out the regular menu, since neither of us had been there before.

now i found out they're doing a prix fixe menu of $60 per person (not including wine, i assume), and not serving their regular menu. that's all fine & good, but given their normal menu prices, the special menu is going to wind up being way more than we would have spent on a regular night there...and that's excluding wine.

i called jarrett's, and they're down to tables at 5 and 9 pm, which won't work. any other ideas?

i love mexican, so i don't mind el porton for v-day, but if i can figure out something nicer to do, that would be nice.

Heh.

i know, i know.....

at least we did have the good reservation time at lolo's...7:45.

thanks for the suggestions guys.

LaChardonnay. Intimate atmosphere, great food, service varies, but is never terrible.

My husbadn and I always get the brushetta (it's da bomb) and then usually split a pasta dish. For two couples/two appetizers, I highly recommend the gourmet cheese plate. The pizza is great too.