It’s that time of year again when Memphians’ pack on an extra ten pounds in their quest to maintain Memphis as one of the unhealthiest cities in America! Okay, that definitely isn’t a very cool way to start a post, but Memphis in May is home to the biggest and arguably the best BBQ competition in the US. Riverside Drive in Downtown Memphis is converted into a Tent City for swine lovers. With over 100 competitors in the annual BBQ Competition $9.00 dollars becomes a gateway to placing yourself on Kevin Spacey’s Gluttony list in the movie 7even.
I think I’m going about this the wrong way. Memphis in May is the highlight event, but instead of walking down to the river yesterday, LV and I opted to hit Main Street.
135 S. Main St. Memphis, TN 38104 to be exact. This is the home of the Bluefin Lounge. A little backstory here, we began a fitness group on Facebook at the start of the new year. We have maintained our commitment to eating healthier. In doing so we have been choosing restaurants with a little diversity on the menu. Memphis, not New Orleans, is the best place to eat in the South. You can find yourself in a world of hurt with the abundance of wing shops and restaurants that serve these elegant, rich, decadent, you get the picture. Since we decided that it wouldn’t benefit us to go down to the Memphis in May BBQ drug-fest (honestly, we both have this feeling the people in our workout group are hiding in bushes waiting to jump out), we did a little research and LV stumbled upon Bluefin.
Not to get my stereotype on here, but “Oh What a Feeling!” We paid our 20-dollar parking (Friday night in Memphis… what do you do? KSS = Kayne Shoulder Shrug) and parked in a lot less than 300 feet from the Main Street and Bluefin. Now, had we used our noggins we could have parked on South Main for free, hit the trolley stop and rode down to the Bluefin. (KSS) Alas, we didn’t, and we actually didn’t have a lot of time since we took advantage of the Little Gym and dropped the kids off for a few hours of “WE” time.
Walking up to the Bluefin amidst the hustle and flow (damn I’m really pouring on the Memphis stuff in this one) of Main Street felt like walking down St. Charles heading to Canal. Hipsters, thugs, touristy looking white folks and street vendors hustling jewelry lined the street. We got to the doors and a greeter stood smiling and ushered us in. Once inside Memphis disappeared. There was a classic, cool and the layout was a neo-Asian, contemporary vibe with a cascading waterfall in the middle of the place as the centerpiece. The Bluefin is a true lounge. It has several areas for visitors that allow you to socialize at the bar, be seated in the upper deck to eat, you can utilize (if you have a large party) one of the Tatami rooms which can seat 10 people comfortably, or you can veer to the right and enter a lounge with artwork by local artists and steps that lead to a second bar area.
LV and I were escorted by our server Howard to the upper deck seating area; big ups Howard, who recommended flash seared Endamame drizzled with Lime and salt (Only 6.00 dollars!!! Boom!). The Hood cat in me screamed, “Damn these some good ass snap peas.” Which wasn’t an appropriate thing to yell so, I just whispered that to LV 😉 LV decided to order a Hurricane (fried sushi rolls) and RockRoll Shrimp (shrimp with cream cheese, that was a little spicy, on rice). I’m not very adventurous so I went with the Veggie Flatbread Pizza (a ten inch masterpiece of pesto, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta). We topped off our meal with a desert of Creme Brulee, which I continuously called Creamy Bruce Lee until I realized that having creamy Bruce Lee in my mouth was hella fruity. Our meal only rang up at 43.70. I did a big hell yes at that price considering we typically pay twice that amount or more for the kind of atmosphere and service we received.
Overall, I found the Bluefin a cool enough place to add to my Memphis Hi-Lites. Which means that for the price and atmosphere I give the Lounge two big ass thumbs up and about a 9 out of 10 on my “If I Was Single, I Could… never mind” list.
If you are in Memphis and you are having a difficult decision in picking a spot to visit, don’t hesitate to visit the Bluefin Lounge. It’s definitely another hidden Memphis Hi Lite.