LYFE Kitchen (Memphis)

"LYFE begins today" in Memphis, Tennessee. And we welcome that notion with open arms. The all-natural, healthy restaurant concept with a "fast-fine" disposition is already showing our city that whole and authentic ingredients do not require a hefty wallet. The concept is truly refreshing; the East Memphis floor plan flips a once-stuffy Sharky's seafood spot into an open walk-up ordering counter, bar/lounge, dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, and vast patio. I particularly loved the herb planters lining outdoor patio booths. Though the chefs are not rushing outside to pick fresh rosemary for an order of Art's Unfried Chicken, it's nice to note the details of healthy living throughout the restaurant.

I typically do not focus on price points upon sharing restaurants on Caramelized, though I simply cannot get over that my quinoa crunch bowl was just over $7. It's a usual complaint around town that a "good" salad with beautiful toppings and protein can't be found under $13. LYFE closes the door to that old salad life.

The bowl boasted garlicky edamame hummus, steamed quinoa and barley, crisp radish, arugula, broccoli, cherry tomato, half of a perfectly ripe avocado, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Truly, it was excellent.

After speaking with LYFE's founding Chef Art Smith (who used to be Oprah's private chef), I learned that the bar, in fact, has much to offer, too. The largest bar concept of all locations, Memphis will offer all-natural cocktails such as grapefruit palomas, margaritas with agave, and a Memphis Mule with housemade pungent ginger beer and Tito's vodka. I'm especially excited for the Mule, which I'll have to enjoy during LYFE's Social hours (4-6 p.m.) for the $6 deal. I'll have to get accustomed to order a cocktail at the same counter as others ordering a salad or smoothie; though I have already decided that late Summer afternoons on the patio will be the spot to sip these libations.

I hope you'll enjoy your first LYFE experience as much as I have. Downtowners, get ready for the second location in the Chisca on Main!

Bounty on Broad Brunch (Memphis)

The past four days have been a bit of a blur, as I managed to lug every furniture piece, kitchen gadget and clothing article from the apartment to my new house in Downtown Memphis. 95-degree weather tempted our patience, but friends and family diligently pushed through to bring the new space together beautifully, like effortless magic. Ashley York Binkley is gracefully styling and coordinating the interiors, which Ashleigh Peak will capture through her Well Worn Co. lens next week. I cannot wait to give you a full tour in the coming days. Until then, I hope the iPhone social media snaps suffice! A traditional Aldo’s pizza picnic on the kitchen floors commenced on Friday evening after successfully closing on the property. Though once we hit Sunday morning, our tensed muscles did not stand a chance on the concrete. My family instead treated me to a brunch spread at Bounty, complete with six must-try seasonal favorites. I’m tempted to test these out in the coming weekends, where I will (surprisingly) soak up as much of Memphis as possible versus traveling.

The shrimp salad stole my heart (and a majority of space on my shared plate). Avocado crema graced the bottom of the bowl with plump pink shrimp, zucchini, arugula, yellow heirloom tomatoes, and fragrant olive oil. I plan to buy these ingredients at the now next-door farmers market and make a rendition next week. I’ll share the recipe if successful!

Smoky potato hash with fried duck egg, smoked bacon and haricot verts was wonderfully light on the palate. I am used to extra greasy, dense hash browns with too much seasoning, but these were simple and additive to the rest of the dishes. I’m still in hysterics after my sister was turned down when she asked for ketchup—Bounty’s ingredients are so authentic, Heinz cannot be found in the building!

The scrambled eggs with garden vegetable and shaved parmesan were fluffily fabulous. You could just tell that these eggs were well watched over the heat by the chef downstairs. I need to learn Chef Jackson Kramer’s technique for my morning routine!

Most notably were, in fact, the simplest of them all: peaches and blueberries with shaved almonds and crème fraiche. The platter was an eye-pleaser and palate refresher to open and/or close the meal.

Now, off to plan a brunch of my own!

Pardon the Pamplemousse

Pardon the frequency, but my affinity for pink citrus has expanded beyond my daily Pamplemousse Le Croix ritual at the office. I perused through my iPhone photo gallery the other evening, only to notice that grapefruit has appeared in more than a few snapshots from the past week.

Porcellino's bruléed grapefruit (below) is my favorite weekend bite--imagine a cold grapefruit half with a thick molasses crust torched to crispy perfection. A healthy créme brulée, if you will? Oh, and I highly recommend the yogurt and granola as a pairing. It's the best taste and presentation of yogurt & granola that Memphis, Tennessee has ever seen.

The paloma at Hog & Hominy (pictured below) temporarily subdued the 110-degree heat index earlier this week. I swooned over the refreshing square ice cubes and center-dunked slice of grapefruit. Utterly smooth and refreshing, the tequila cocktail pushed me to post on social media that every productive Monday should end with a paloma.

My recipe below is a summer Caramelized version of a pamplemousse cocktail. Roll out the bar cart and shake away this upcoming weekend! This pamplemousse fizz is ideal for kicking back on the front patio.

 Makes 1 serving

Grapefruit wedge Margarita salt Ice cubes 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice 3 tablespoons tequila 1 jalapeño pepper slice 1/2 lime Pamplemousse Le Croix

1. Rub the rim of a glass with a grapefruit wedge; dip in margarita salt to coat.

2. Fill glass with ice cubes. Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Add grapefruit juice, tequila, lime juice, and 1 jalapeño pepper slice. Cover with lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled.

3. Strain into prepared glass. Top with Le Croix. Garnish, if desired.

Inspired by Southern Living

The Second Line (Memphis)

I recently read in last Sunday's New York Times, "there are no shortcuts to quality." The Second Line doesn't believe in shortcuts. It's beautifully obvious. I admittedly crave trips to New Orleans pretty frequently for the city's charming culinary magic, though Chef Kelly English has managed to bring the once-unbeatable creole rendition to Midtown Memphis through every menu item. And while I have written about the cocktails and the atmosphere of my coveted Overton Square hangout, I somehow have yet to write about the food.

My Instagram boasts the recent table spreads from the orange and turquoise patio. Earlier in the summer, the fried catfish po boy graced my plate for the first time. An unusual feature compared to the usual fried shrimp or oyster, the catfish was fried to a golden brown crisp with that wonderful contrast of an outer crisp and an inner buttery texture. Add that to a fresh, cloud-like baguette with thick-cut tomatoes and lettuce. Hello, happiness.

The brignole side salad served as a necessary substitute to balance the fried entrees with a touch or two of green. While side salads are usually overlooked and boring, the Second Line's was a spunky refresher of crushed red pepper flakes and quartered artichoke hearts. I was a big fan of the feta and green olives, which reminded me of the dirty martini I'd sip later that evening.

The Besh barbecue shrimp appetizer knocks any other rendition out of the park. Compared to other Memphis versions, The Second Line shrimp are plump and bursting with creole flavor. We sopped up remaining sauce with the side baguette (as if I needed more carbs).

Now skip to brunch, which offers a curated, eclectic mix of Southern-inspired breakfast favorites (with the Kelly English twist, of course). Eggs Benedict with rich spinach madeleine and artichoke are a vegetarian favorite; Cast-iron skillet huevos rancheros with stewed black beans and fried eggs brought me back to my South Austin brunch adventures; and the insane pancake stack with strawberries and molasses brought me to heaven. All were washed down amongst our party of six with the signature bloody mary recipe, which I'm dying to imitate at home.

If you aren't on a diet, perfect. If you're on a diet, pretend you aren't for one meal and make it into The Second Line. Every carb is #worthit.

St. Roch Market (New Orleans)

Built in the late 1800s as an open-air seafood market, St. Roch's Bywater doors were closed as soon as Hurricane Katrina hit. Now as a true refurbishment and rekindling of New Orleans' charming spirit, St. Roch Market stands as an elegant and airy centerpiece for all things food and drink, all hours of the day.

The space, as you can see, is simply stunning. I'm a sucker for white and natural light. We floated through the gallery of marble countertops and chalkboard menus. I was in awe of the concept that vendors functioned individually yet collectively created a cohesive, complete environment.

The thirteen vendors highlight small menus of specialty items, hand-prepared on the back counters of their established booths. While Alex ordered our Coast Roast coffee drinks, I picked up a slice of extra cinnamon-y coffee cake from The Sweet Spot, and Ashley picked up avocado toasts with red pepper flakes and hard boiled egg from Juice Nola. We brought our brunch offerings to a small marble table in the center of the building and dug in.

Yet throughout the space, you can choose between raw oysters, cold-pressed juice, baked confections, West-African cuisine, artisanal meats and cheeses, crepes, Korean-Creole fusion, and crawfish mac and cheese. Produce at the market entrance is available, too.

Now, I'm ready to bring one to Memphis. Who's with me?

The Smith (New York City)

I firmly believe in savoring breakfast -- labeled the most important meal of the day for a reason -- especially when it's a weekday morning egg scramble or poached-style toast ritual. But on a weekend at The Smith in New York City, the classic egg dish is amplified to a cast-iron lobster frittata or a poached egg avocado toast. That, my friends, is a proper American brunch. And that brunch should, indeed, be experienced right here.

We were seated by a floor-length window with beautiful views of Midtown scenes and pedestrians. Though locals complained about the "heat wave" overwhelming Manhattan, a sunny and 82-degree forecast was more than appreciated by my family, who is still learning to manage the heavy humidity of Memphis.

The breezy, brunchy vibe transmitted from tables to waiters, who kindly delivered individually-wrapped packages of crusty bread with whipped butter to accompany our dozen ice cold oysters on the half shell.

The lobster frittata special, while cooked through more than I typically prepare, highlighted slices of buttery brie, blistered cherry tomatoes, and quite impressive servings of fresh lobster. The portion was delightful, especially when served in a piping hot skillet. If only this could be translated into a weekday morning pre-work breakfast...!

The avocado toast with poached egg and frisée was clearly a home run, and the ahi tuna and lobster salads were refreshingly light compared to our Il Mulino feast the evening beforehand. Light-as-air fennel slices and crisp hericot verts were fantastic additions to fresh seafood, which would satisfy any summer palate. The bold colors across our table reflected a colorful, comprehensive menu I'd recommend to any tourist or NYC local. The Smith was simply, utterly wonderful.