Memphis
We checked in, stop for a drink (not complimentary) and pupus in the forgettable club lounge and headed out to explore Memphis before our 9PM dinner reservation at Felicia Suzanne's (gift cert #1), on an absolutely gorgeous 75 degree fall evening.
Great southern cuisine and a terrific wine list at Felicia Suzanne's.
On a beautiful evening, the terrace is the place to eat.
A most enjoyable and delicious meal with friendly, albeit somewhat less than polished service.
House Smoked Wild King Salmon Deviled Eggs with a dollop of domestic caviar...
Shrimp and Grits:
Wild gulf shrimp and andouille sausage sauteed in a creole sauce over a crispy stone ground grit cake...
And to finish, the decadent Old Fashioned Baked Fudge, warm Chocolate Sauce, and Ice Cream...
After dinner, we did the horse-drawn carriage tour of downtown.
And some of our new friends...
Next day, perfect 80 degrees and low humidity, we started with a 90 minute Backbeat tours, a fabulous musical bus tour of Memphis, including Sun Studios where Elvis cut his first record.
Followed by a decadent BBQ lunch at Corky's (gift cert #2)...
After lunch, we were off to Graceland. OK, the guy has been dead for 30+ years, but Lisa Marie is raking in the millions. Yeah, it was corny, but very interesting and the memorabilia incredible.
For an airplane junkie, the Lisa Marie, a Convair 880 purchased used from DL...
...and the smaller Lockheed Jetstart were very cool.
We headed back downtown and strolled Beale Street, which is nothing more than a couple of blocks of bars, restaurants and clubs.
For dinner, we discovered that our gift cert #3 restaurant was not open on Sundays, so we walked back up to Main Street and had another outdoor terrace dinner at the most enjoyable Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar, which we had seen on our walk to Felicia Suzanne's. The restaurant boasts the Open Table 2011 Diner's Choice Winner and a 2010 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.