If you don’t look up, you’ll miss it.
The last few Memphis Hi-Lites have consisted of LV and I sneaking out, divorcing the kids and playing upscale couple about the town. The reality is those nights are far apart and we don’t get to live the life of empty nesters and hipsters. Our true forms can only be displayed in daylight where we don the suits of parental units and escort Thing 1 and Thing 2 to random G rated films and frozen yogurt (because you know that’s how parents with swag get down – insert wack hip-hop pose here).
Seriously though, we very rarely go out without the children, and we don’t mind at all. The problem is we don’t really like chain restaurants and whenever we do leave the house we still want to cruise downtown and enjoy the city. So what is a family to do in Memphis on a Friday night when you are a bit too responsible to drop the kids off with other people? We found out last week. We took off for a drive and decided we would ride around downtown until we saw a restaurant that wasn’t as “date night” ish. When we couldn’t really see anything we decided to grab the first parking spot and walk, since it was trolley night and we couldn’t go wrong. We headed towards Main Street and kept walking towards Second Street. LV saw a store that she wanted to check out and I began smelling the ribs at Rendezvous (No review on this place because they have enough reviews. You can click the link though if you like. It is a Memphis Hi-Lite, but this is about my new favorite family dining experience.) We kept walking passing Hueys (burger joint), Kooky Canucks (featured on Man vs Food) and Texas De Brazil (the hell if the kids order a 50 dollar plate!). Just when we figured we would make the loop and head back to Main (we didn’t want to hit Beale Street), LV looked back and saw this sign.
Never one to pass up a plate of shrimp, especially at 11.99!!!, she said let’s go here. We stopped and walked in. It was like stepping onto a southern back porch. We entered through a screen door, up a plank and through a second door to a bright world of chatter, cooks laughing and people cracking crabs and lobster and peeling shrimp. The vibe was right when I heard a baby crying for split second before refocusing my attention on the menu which was huge. For the record Flying Fish is a chain, but it is not a large chain with a pepper or apple in the title. With all of the noise and action, we stood in a long line, which moved along very fast and placed our orders.
LV shared the pound of Hot Broiled Shrimp, side of potato and corn, with Thing 1. Thing 2 is very picky so she just got a burger and fries. We can’t be too adventurous with her. She has had a thing with yacking in the car lately. Once before we went to D.C. and on the way back from D.C. Not wanting to tempt fate, we get the stuff for her that will stay down. I ordered: FISH TACOS – 3 crispy corn tortillas stuffed with Fried Catfish, pico de gallo, cole claw, and Comeback Dressing served with rice and beans. 9.99. I replaced the rice and beans with Fried Okra and threw in a Key Lime pie for dessert.
Now the most impressive thing about this outing is that everything on the menu was reasonably priced… actually it was downright cheap. I think overall for our dinner we only paid about 38.00. Since this was our first trip, we didn’t tip at the register prior to eating because you pay up front like at a fast food joint. I hate that I didn’t tip because the service was incredible. The food was ready fast and the tables were bussed and cleaned immediately when customers left. I love that. There are a couple of tvs up, but the kids spend most of their time looking at the walls where there are stories of local fishing spots and guys who have had these random weird catches. There is a wall of fame and the bright lights and smiles make for a very cool night out for the family. What’s even better for those of you without the kiddies, is it is right around the corner from Beale Street, Fed Ex Forum, Autozone park… you get the picture. It’s in the heart of downtown.
Flying Fish gets two forks up from this guy and it is definitely Thing 1 and Thing 2 approved. Facebook page
105 South Second St.
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: (901) 522-8CAT (8228)
Fax: (901) 526-1458
11:00am to 10:00pm
7 Days a Week