Tasted ~ The Elegant Farmer

The Elegant Farmer was essentially a birthday gift to me from several people directly and indirectly. The word of mouth sequence that marketing experts would love to track in my instance goes as follows. {1} A lady asks Thomas of the very popular Eat Local Memphis blog where to eat Saturday for lunch. {2} Thomas asks his fans on Facebook for lunch suggestions. {3} A majority of the comments are about the Elegant Farmer. {4} A mutual friend of mine Margot notices this discussion on Facebook. {5} I have a chance meeting with her while shopping right before lunch. She wishes me happy birthday and presented the suggestion of the Elegant Farmer as a gift to me. {6} Christopher and Atticus track down their website and decide this is the perfect place to treat me to a birthday lunch. All thanks to the lady who didn’t know where to eat. And, of course to everyone else down the line, thanks so much too.

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When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by chef and owner Mac Edwards and manager Leslee Pascal who got us seated right away. I was instantly charmed by the avant garde art against the rustic walls. With such a glorious day, they had no problem filling the four tables outside in the patio garden which we just missed. Those lucky enough to have one of those tables were smart enough to call ahead to reserve it.
Below is a list of what we tasted with our most favorite items marked with an asterick.

{Tasted}
~*Banh You Banh-Mi Sandwich with Roast Pork / Option of pork, chicken, or mushroom. Pickled cucumbers, carrots, onions, jalapenos, daikon, fresh cilantro, sesame aioli. Served with wonton chips.
~Sloppy Joe / Ground beef and root vegetables simmered in a spicy-sweet-savory-chunky tomato sauce, toasted bun. Chosen with roasted potato side and sweet pickles.
~*Mac ‘n’ Cheese
~*Chocolate Cake / Made by manager Leslee

We ordered a large enough amount and range of food, also noting the raves from the other table, to decide that the entire menu would garner fans. With this being their first few days open, there seemed to be no “kinks to work out.” Our server, Leslee, and Mac were so well attentive especially to Atticus, making sure he was having a good time. We were even more impressed they took the time to rig a make-shift to go cup for him by cutting the lid of a soup cup and shortening the straw. As far as being impressed by the food, Christopher said that the real test would be my reaction to the Banh-Mi Vietnamese sandwich which I’ve grown up eating and always craving. I truly didn’t expect the exact version I’m familiar with. I just wanted something tasty, and that’s just what I got. The winning ingredients were the pickled cucumbers, daikon, fresh cilantro, and sweet sesame aioli.

We can’t wait to visit again, and not just to try all the other items on the menu, but to say hello to Mac and Leslee again because they were just so sweet and charming.

The Elegant Farmer
Near Central Ave
262 S Highland St
Memphis, TN 38111
ph +1.901.324.2221
Monday through Saturday, 11 AM to 2:30 PM / They hope to open for dinner by mid May.

Web / Twitter / Facebook
You can find a list of their sources for local ingredients here. The artwork shown is by Memphis College of Art student Maggie Russell. It is available for purchase.



Photos by Sophorn.