mcewen's on monroe

another review. more just needs to be said about this place. fine dining comes at a price, but their lunch is out of this world. you're selling/preparing me a maple/miso pecan glazed grilled salmon fillet (not small, either) cooked to perfection, a rather hefty serving of some deliciously buttery/garlicy mashed potatos, some no less than perfectly cooked sauted green peas with some sort of cheese crumbled in it, and/or a robust serving of some of the best squash casserole i have ever tasted for... $11 at lunch. that's it?! it's insane what you get for lunch at this place. every time i go there for lunch, i always order this meal, changing up the side items. it is always cooked perfectly, ever part of it, has extremely wonderful depth in taste/flavor, and the portions you receive are perfect. whenever i eat a meal here, especially at lunch, i am always blown more away. that salmon... oh, that salmon. my eyes roll back into my head, it is so good.

one thing to note - lunch is served from 11am-2pm. because, as you can see from my opinion at least, the food is amazing, it draws the working crowd from downtown rather quickly, so i would suggest trying to get there close to 11 so you can beat the rush. if you don't beat the rush? just wait it out. you will not be sorry! holy crap, so good.


-----02 jun, 2011-----

i will say that i have been multiple times, always ordered something different, and have never had a bad "meal" here. i have two gripes 1. being that the cheese grits that come with scallops... they are really bad. salt and pepper couldn't even save them. 2. it can be very pricey for some of the food, but(!) you are getting a perfectly cooked meal (sans grits) for your buck. they have small plates that are delicious, great entrees, delicious desserts, and wonderful staff and atmosphere. if i could afford it, i'd eat here at least once every few days! p.s. get the duck. just... get the duck; you'll be glad you did.

always great. mcewen's is a great example of how to run a restaurant. i eat there about two times a week for lunch. the sandwiches are very good and the prices are affordable. try the potato salad as your side item... it's excellent - roasted potatoes, red onion, light creamy sauce. they have interesting lunch specials and soups. the only thing on the menu that i don't like to order is the grilled portobella mushroom sandwich. it is just not as good as the rest of the items. the service is always good... i think the staff has worked together there for years.

you can't go wrong eating here... you can get an excellent sandwich or entree for a good price (lower than hueys, blue plate and little tea shop).

favorite restaurant in memphis. steak with finglerling potatoes.... and the sauce they put on it makes me want to lick the bowl clean..... so good, so good....

had 3 small plates. crab au gratin was great!!

i just don't get it.food was good but way over priced. waiter was nice but service was slow. i left hungry.

downtown? don't miss it. in short, mcewen's is my favorite restaurant in downtown memphis. the food and service are consistently good, the bar is lively (but not unpleasantly so), and it is elegant in a clubby-chic kind of way.

visitors to downtown, don't miss it.

absolutely delicious. wonderful service with a family feel atmosphere. the tartare was fresh and flavorful. banana creme pie makes you want to go back the next day.

neighborhood bar with great food. this place has it all. great staff. neighborhood feel. great semi-southern menu at a reasonable price. i go here 1-2x per month. very consistent. a guarantee.

definitely try the hummus. scallops were very good, too. cheese grits average; waiter didn't know vegetables on chef's choice veggie plate; service gets a solid 'c'.

loud, service could be better. visited for my birthday. for their prices, the service could use some work. when our cheese plate arrived, the guy who brought it disappeared super quickly without explaining the cheeses. the menu says "chef's choice." the server passed by our table several times without stopping to check on us so we were almost finished with the cheese plate before we could ask what the cheeses were, and that was only after i waved her down. yes, they were exotic so it's not like i would have guessed some of them. similarly, when she handed us the dessert menu she didn't bother explaining what the chef's choice of cheesecake was that night.

in general, the server seemed reluctant to make recommendations. i asked if the sweet potato encrusted catfish was good and she said yes, but it turned out to be only ok. it wasn't exactly encrusted with sweet taters, but rather cooked with some shredded sweet tater on top. also the mac and cheese that came with it tasted sweet. what?! who wants sweet tasting mac and cheese? it wasn't worth the $22 price tag for the entree.

also, it was very very loud in there. the server apologized for that when she seated us and said she thought the loud table would be leaving soon, but they didn't. why didn't they ask them to keep it down?

on the up side, the banana cream pie was very good and the biscuits were good too, though they only brought two and didn't offer to refill the basket. cheese plate was pretty good, esp the spiced pecans.

came here kind of late. nice atmosphere. everything was excellent, my daughter ordered the trust me vegetable plate and it was surprisingly very delicious and plenty to fill you up. the waitstaff and owner were very nice and answered all our questions.

pan seared sea scallops (1/2 order). over risotto

salmon maple glazed. lunch special, always cooked just right, with maple and pecans, great side dishes too!

every plate was delicious! oysters were perfectly fried, and the plum sauce was rich with flavor. the scallops and sea bass were cooked perfectly, the the sides were well seasoned. exceptionally pleased!

outstanding! can't wait to go back.. we went to mcewen's for the first time last night for a birthday dinner and everything was just perfect. i started with a salad special with prawns, arugula, pancetta & a lemon-thyme vinaigrette that was fantastic. would love to know how to make that dressing--so delicious--and the baby arugula was fresh and tender. hubby had the wedge salad and said the lettuce was cold & crisp and the toasted pecan blue cheese dressing was superb.
i followed with the sweet potato crusted catfish with collard greens and macaroni & cheese. it is just a wonderfully balanced plate. there's a tiny bit of sweetness and spice to the crusted fish, the greens had just a bit of tooth since they are braised and not cooked to death, but with the most delicious vinegary-sweet sauce, and the macaroni is "just right" - flavorful with just the perfect amount of sauce.
hubby had the ny strip and found it perfectly done and very flavorful - a perfect meat-eaters cut of steak.
enjoyed the atmosphere and there is the right amount of room between the tables. feels cozy but not at all cramped. we brought our own wine ($15 corkage fee) but they had several options on their wine list. service was great - prompt, friendly, helpful, unobtrusive. just what you want.
we were so full, but finished with the banana crème pie, which is rich and creamy and everything a banana crème pie should be. so glad we tried this place--will definitely be back.