The Fourway Restaurant

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[youtube=gC4Z_ysG0HU]

Suggested Listening for this Entry: Anything by the Staples Singers after starting with "I'll Take You There", a video of which is attached below.

Suggested Food and Drink for this Entry: Catfish, Cornbread and Turnip Greens. You can pick your own beverage, but if it's some fancy coffee, you're banned from further reading. And, save room for dessert. I didn't and I regret it.


Upon returning to downtown Memphis Saturday night, we decided we wanted to be at the Stax museum when it opened at one Sunday afternoon. One of the restaurants I really wanted to dine at in Memphis was the Fourway Restaurant , which was in the general vicinity of the Stax museum, so we decided to eat there prior to visiting the Stax museum.

After having a dinner of a soda and a candy bar the night before, and still refusing to fall to the temptation of the hotel breakfast bar, I was more than ready for the Fourway. We found its 998 Mississippi Blvd. location with ease around noon.

The Fourway Grill was opened in 1942. Upon being remodeled in 2002, the name was changed to the Fourway Restaurant, but the menu was left alone and consists of the typical menu items you would expect in a soul food restaurant. But, every review and write up I had read on the Fourway said this was no typical soul food restaurant and that dessert was possibly the best offering on the menu.

We were seated at a table in the bright and comfortable dining room and were brought menus by our waitress, Bettye. I was so hungry I was ready to, as Robin Harris would say, order everything on the menu except "Thank you. Please come again." It made for a tough decision because everything sounded delicous. My decision was catfish with slaw and turnip greens. Although Ips had made a trip a short while earlier to the hotel breakfast buffet, he followed my lead and went with the catfish platter. After inquiring of Bettye why the Fourway didn't serve collared greens, to which Bettye's answer was basically just "because we don't", The Player showed restraint and had only a side order of turnip greens. (The Player too had filled up on the hotel buffet.)

I had a good feeling about this meal before it was ever served and it didn't disappoint. The catfish was light and tasty and the turnip greens were beyond belief. While driving Ips and The Player to the Memphis airport the following evening, Ips made the comment the best food he had the entire weekend was the turnip greens at the Fourway. I agreed wholeheartedly. In fact, I rank them as the second best thing I had during my entire twelve day trip. You'll have to wait for the entries on Kansas City to read about what I believed was the best.

It didn't take long for us devour what Bettye placed in front of us. As we were finishing our meals, the Sunday afternoon after church crowd started to file in. Suddenly, our t-shirt and shorts look wasn't holding up to the crowd. Quite a few styling suits and dresses walked through door the last few minutes we were in the Fourway. A showing like that is always a good sign for a local restaurant as it shows the locals frequent a restaurant during what is considered family time down south and out in the country, Sunday afternoon.

We paid our check and headed out, but not before getting the picture of Bettye shown above. She was very gracious in posing while waiting for my point and shoot camera to fire up. (The six year old camera's display window went haywire later in the day, flashing psychadellic images instead of the picture about to be taken.) Of course, the rest of the staff was looking at me like I was nuts while I toyed with the camera.

I know I've probably come accross as hard to please in the some of the previous entries on eating establishments. But, the Fourway Restaurant lived up to the reviews and the hype. To me, it's required eating for anyone visting Memphis. My only regret is, that for once, I showed restraint and didn't have dessert!

And Miss Bettye, if you ever get a chance to read this, thanks again the picture.

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