I had lunch at Local on Main yesterday. On weekdays, they have a $10 plate at lunchtime. There’s a different special each day and you get to pair it with two sides. The specials are:
- Monday – Chicken legs
- Tuesday – Meatloaf
- Wednesday – Chicken breast
- Thursday – Brisket
- Friday – Catfish
I got the catfish, blackened (you can get it fried if you prefer). For my two sides, I selected corn and greens.
The catfish was delicious and perfectly seasoned, but I gotta tell you, the star of the show was those greens! They added just the right amount of fatback to bring out the flavor. 10 out of 10!
Watch out for that corn, though. It was Local’s chef’s take on Mexican street corn, and the spice packs a mighty punch. Don’t get me wrong, it was yummy, and I love spicy foods. But to use the words of a member of a Bananas Foster team that used to compete in Shoulder at BBQ Fest, “That’s gonna be a bit rough on the back nine tomorrow.”
Overall, delicious lunch, and good value. I will be back next week to try the turkey or the brisket.
Now, let me say a few words about Local on Main. You may have noticed, over the years, that I have blogged about it considerably less than the other Downtown locals’ bars – ironic given the name.
For years, I tried to like Local but just couldn’t. Part of the reason stems from the 2008 college basketball game when #1 Memphis lost to #2 Tennessee, its only loss that year until the finals of the NCAA tournament. The former owner of Local, a UT fan, let someone plug in her phone to the jukebox and play “Rocky Top” on the speaker system. This isn’t Knoxville. It was an insult to the many Memphians who bleed Tiger blue.
It was more than just that, though. On New Year’s Day 2008, I stepped into Calhoun’s – now Max’s Sports Bar – for the first time. I immediately got a feeling that I had found a new home, a place where I would enjoy merry times. And indeed I did.
Later that year I stepped into Bardog Tavern for the first time. Once again, within the first minute, I knew I had found a home. I knew I had found a place where I’d spend a considerable amount of time.
For years, though, I didn’t get that feeling when I visited the Local location on Main Street. People tried to get me to like it. My friend Courtney who bartended there coaxed me in a few times. My buddy Uncle Ray, may he rest in peace, convinced me to come in for a couple of beers.
It felt like merely a place where I conducted a transaction, a place where I exchanged money for beer and food and which had no value to me beyond that. “That place has all the appeal of a bar & grill on Germantown Parkway, or Goodman Road,” I commented to friends.
The bar came under new ownership a year or two ago, and I thought, “Someday I’ll give that place another chance.” Someday didn’t come quickly, though. As things reopened post-pandemic, I clung to what was familiar more than ever.
Things changed this week when one of my favorite bartenders of all time got hired there. For her, I’d give it a try. I got there right when the place opened on Wednesday and…
It didn’t feel like Germantown Parkway.
It didn’t feel like Goodman Road.
I got the vibe I did at Max’s in January 2008. Or Bardog later that year.
I was home.
Of course, it helped that my friend of 13 years was behind the bar. It helped that I was one of about 20 regulars who followed her over from the old place, so I had lots of friends to talk to.
But still, the vibe was way different than previous times I’ve been in Local on Main. I’ve seen the new owners around but haven’t had a chance to officially meet them yet. However, knowing that bars tend to be extensions of their owners’ personalities, I have a feeling the new owners are good people.
On to the news… Steve Lockwood & Old Dogs play South Point Grocery’s front porch today at noon.
Today is International Bacon Day. My recommendation would be to celebrate it with a breakfast shot – Jameson and butterscotch schnapps, chased by orange juice, chased by a piece of bacon.
There’s a Main Street Festival, a small business expo, happening in Court Square today from 3 to 8.
The River City Jazz & Music Festival happens tonight at the Cannon Center.
DJ Superbrad plays the Blind Bear tonight beginning at 9.
Darian Roe plays the King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room tonight from 8 to midnight.
Go Tigers and Woo Pig Sooiee! Back tomorrow with more news.