CHAR
BEST JAPANESE SEKISUI SAKURA OSAKA
RESTAURANT
BEST INDIAN INDIA PALACE GOLDEN INDIA BOMBAY HOUSE BEST VIETNAMESE PHO SAIGON PHO BINH LOTUS VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT BEST THAI BHAN THAI BANGKOK ALLEY JASMINE Char’s surf and turf offerings, updated to match the restaurant’s pleasing décor, include 12-ounce filets plated with house butter; crab claws marinated in balsamic and deep fried; and pan-seared Atlantic salmon with sun-dried tomato caper vinaigrette.
M
aybe it’s the 80 different bourbons, ryes, and whiskies on the drink menu or the infectious appeal of a steakhouse on a Saturday night, but Char Restaurant is popping. Located in an appealing mixed-used development called Highland Row, Char brings an upscale polish to the emerging University District, serving memorable dishes like East Coast-style crab cakes (all crab, no filler), seafood carbonara made with bucatini and
locally sourced duck eggs, and cowboy prime ribeye, cooked at high heat — up to 1,600 degrees — and plated with chili-infused house butter. The menus, directed by chefs Anthony Hatten and Steven Howell, combine classic favorites with some Southern whimsy, a feeling carried over to the restaurant’s décor. With 6,000 square feet, Char easily accommodates dinner celebrations, weekend brunch, and business lunches, when daily meat-and-two specials join more
expected fare like pimento cheese burgers and chicken BLTs. Owner Ben Brock says the steakhouse has soul, and I couldn’t agree more, especially when Le Tumulte Noir, a Memphis combo, riffs gypsy swing during Sunday brunch or Audie Smith plays Stevie Wonder songs for the couples snuggled up to his baby grand piano. — Pamela Denney
BEST VEGETARIAN / VEGAN LYFE KITCHEN FUEL CAFÉ BOUNTY ON BROAD BEST FOOD TRUCK CENTRAL BBQ FUEL CAFÉ SUSHI JIMMI / SAY CHEESE (TIE)
431 S. HIGHLAND (901-249-3533) F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 • M E M P H I S M A G A Z I N E . C O M • 35
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