THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Memphis

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Memphis Restaurant Review:

This lavishly appointed Southern-style restaurant is set in a grand 100-year-old Victorian house. The home, which used to serve as a schoolhouse for the children of stars like Chaplin and Fairbanks, is now a collection of intimate dining rooms dressed in sexy red wallpaper, with white linen-clad tables illuminated by crystal chandeliers and candlelight. There's a lovely and large patio out front, but its set far back from the street and the Hollywood hustle. The entire ambience is a refreshing change from most of the hip eateries that share the neighborhood with Memphis, and the food is serious Southern cooking with a few contemporary dishes thrown in (can you be in L.A. and not offer tuna tartare?). For starters, we like the popcorn shrimp or hush puppies with rémoulade, both relatively light and fluffy, and crab cakes with mustard sauce. Red beans and rice with andouille sausage is a fine example of simple Southern cooking. For entrées, consider the fried chicken or baby-back ribs with a maple-orange barbecue sauce. Desserts are highlighted by deep-dish pecan pie and a very fine banana bread pudding. Our biggest complaint is that the prices are more Beverly Hills than Memphis.