Jarretts in Memphis--A Gourmet Bistro

Jarrets opened in August 1994 in the strip mall where it is today. Rick Farmer has been in the culinary business ever since he was high school and he opened two restaurants in Nashville. After stints in San Francisco he lived in New York where he worked under and learned French cooking arts from two respected French chefs. An extended stay in France taught him even finer arts from real master chefs. He then moved to Memphis where he opened Jarretts (named for his son), in 1994, using the skills and culinary techniques learned over a lifetime. Jarretts was named "Best New Restaurant" by Memphis Magazine in 1994, the year it opened, and has been on Commercial Appeal restaurant critic Frederic Koeppel's 10 Top Memphis Restaurants list for the past ten years.

Jarretts is an adventure in eating. The qualities you will find in his fine dishes are surprising combinations, inventive preparation and presentation, and a wonderful freshness with the best seasonal vegetables and herbs. The restaurant itself is somewhat frumpy on the outside. Located in a plain little strip mall of east Memphis on Quince Rd. But once inside there's a whole new world of color and light. The patio is a wonderful place to dine on warm spring and summer nights. You're also surrounded by art works by local artists and its worth passing some time just walking around and taking a look at all of them. Flowers are a regular part of the décor here. Be warned that they don't take reservations for small parties so there might be quite a wait. Come early or late, but try to avoid the dinner crowds' heaviest times. If a wait is involved, the artwork helps pass the time and I would definitely try to get a seat at the bar.

Jarrett's fish and seafood is my all time favorite and many people choose these dishes because they offer such different presentations of trout, grouper and other fish. Some popular and unusual dishes he makes are the smoked trout ravioli with Arkansas caviar and the horseradish encrusted Grouper. Their surf and turf is several cuts above that of some other local eateries as well. The other main dish I loved was the roasted pork tenderloin and the Terrine of Hudson Valley Foie Gras and apricot marmalade is a choice for those who love the richness of a foie gras dish. His pecan barbecues rack of lamb is quite delicious and a bit of a treat for people who are tired of fish and beef or pork. They have an excellent wine list that is well served by their knowledgeable wait staff. They go out of their way to pair each dish with two or more wine suggestions to compliment each other. Jarretts also has wine tastings.

Their home made sausages and duck spring rolls are some of the most interesting of their appetizers-well worth a try. Many people like his strudel and can make an entire meal off these.

If you can still possibly have room for a dessert, this is the place for them. The crème caramel is perfectly prepared to just the right consistency. His chocolate cake pumped with rosettes of hazelnut butter cream and then topped with a rich Fra Angelica hazelnut sauce is like nothing anywhere in Memphis.

Jarretts is on the fairly expensive side usually at between at anywhere from $25-$50 for a full meal with salad, appetizer, main course and dessert. However, he has one of the most gourmet of lunch buffets anyone in Memphis can get for under $10. These are not just thrown together, but reflect his creativity as well. Some of these buffet items are: delicious fresh green salads, black beans, a sweet curried rice, roast pork loin; delightful scalloped potatoes, some interesting and delicious quiches, beef bourguignon, hearty chili; my favorite pickled red cabbage. This is definitely the place to have lunch if you're in East Memphis during the daytime. The restaurant is closed on Sunday.
Address: 5689 Quince Rd.
Memphis, TN, USA 38119
Phone: 901/763-2264