restaurant iris

loud!. our visit to restaurant iris was very disappointing! our party of six was closely seated next to a loud party of ten. the restaurant seemed to be full, so being reseated wasn't an option. the noise was so bad that we could barely carry on a conversation. the chef actually came through and tried to close the doors between ourdiningroom and the one it was connected to! however, no one on the staff, except our server, apologized or tried to make our experience better. it's tricky to deal with disorderly customers, i realize, but something should have been done. the situation was basically ignored, as we were. this might have been an off night, but due to the lack of attention from the staff, we won't be rushing back.

last thursday, i experienced a snow day miracle. my friend ace saw on twitter that restaurant iris had a few openings that night and she called in right away to snag us a reservation. good lookin' out!   you've probably heard of restaurant iris, chef's kelly english's first restaurant in memphis. the finediningspot has won many awards from local publications for the chef's creative take on french creole cuisine.  it's considered a must-eat in memphis, and it's a lot of people's favorite place in town, but for one reason or another, i hadn't eaten there yet. it's been on my list for ages. iris famously only has 13 tables , so getting a reservation requires a bit of planning and good timing. thanks to my quick-thinking friend, we got in for a late dinner. here's what happened. first, we managed to survive the snowy drive and get a spot in the treacherous overton square parking lot. normally, you can park in this lot or the garage, or take advantage of the valet parking at iris. don't even think about parking on the street on that side of monroe or in the lots for the businesses across monroe. just don't do it.  restaurant iris is in a converted house. inside, there's a hallway down the middle of the building with several rooms with a handful of tables in each. it's upscale but cozy. if you tell them it's a special occasion, they'll decorate your table. we were early for our reservation, so the bartender offered us some cocktails while we waited. ace went for the beautiful salty dog, a classic vodka-and-grapefruit cocktail with a salted rim. i chose the pear martini, which is alcohol mixed with slightly-pear-flavored alcohol. my kind of drink, but not for everyone. given the average price of cocktails at newer spots in the overton square area, i was surprised that the cocktails were all just $8 or $9, with one exception, which was $11. you can't even get a smallish restaurant-branded margarita at some places for these prices, so props to iris for being reasonable. th

most amazing food. this place never ceases to amaze. wonder food and great service. i have eaten at 8 of the top 10 restaurants in america (and several three michelin star restaurants in europe) and this should be on the radar for one of the best in america. kelly english is a true chef and food genius. love it!!


-----13 may, 2012-----

one of the best restaurants in memphis. michelin star level. most negative reviews either concern the cost of this level ofdining(which is reasonable considering the field ie: per se, guy savoy, jambon, commander's palace, et al) or inexperience (the reviewer is a moron). i have eaten at iris scores of times and have never had a less than spectacular meal. world class level without all the parisian or new york attitude. amazing.

best day ever. let me tell you about our experience at iris, yesterday march 23rd.

my boyfriend had just proposed to me that morning, and we were out celebrating. he had made it sound like we had made reservations elsewhere, but he wanted to try restaurant iris to see if they by chance had a cancellation. once we go in, we are seated in their sitting room to order some of their amazing cocktails, waiting to see if we could be squeezed in. i had the french 75, and daniel, my fiancé, had the romanov something. both were exquisite and "lovely" as the bartender would say. the seating hostess came back and said that there was a recent cancellation, and we could be seated now. as we sit down at the table, there is a bottle of perrier jouet, a french champagne that was described as "heaven in a glass," on the table recommended by jeff (the sommelier/waiter/manager/person of awesomeness). at this point, i was completely confused since i thought we were just squeezed into a table. turns out that daniel had made the reservations in advanced, and the wait staff were all playing along with it.

jeff, our waiter, had given us the specials, and i saw that the salmon, grilled brie on brioche (which was offered last time we went and amazing) was not on the appetizer menu. i wasn't as excited about the other appetizers, so i was going to skip that course completely. then out of nowhere, jeff brings out the salmon appetizer since apparently daniel had requested it a week earlier. (such a happy surprise!) daniel had the new orleans bbq shrimp, which was also requested. he didn't really share that one, so i assume it was amazing. my salmon and brie was fantastic and just as i remember it.

for the main course, i had the scallops, which were four large, succulent scallops pan seared over caramelized corn and fennel purée. the sweetness of the corn and the bitterness of the fennel perfectly balanced the composition to complement the scallops and elevate the taste. this of course all paired with the perrier jouet, a fruit forward champagne, made for a perfect combination. daniel's main course was the teres major, which was a lean piece of meat with indian like spices over a cauliflower combination and topped with a mint chutney. his dish was served medium rare and perfectly cooked, each bite allowing for a different experience from the last.

the last course, an amazing ending to a perfect meal was the coffee cake with a scoop of ice cream on top (i think butterscotch, but i'm not sure) along with a dessert wine. jeff gave me a sample of the ville something (ask him, and he'll tell you which one it was. so amazing). but i must say that i really liked the wine that dan got, which was a sauterne. it went so well with the coffee cake, like they were honestly meant to be together. dan got the assortment of cheeses with the sauterne. his dessert was a perfect dish (if you're into cheese for dessert) with his desert wine and the cheese accompaniments also complementing the taste and complexity of each of the four cheeses.

obviously, you can see that the food at iris was amazing. i could gush about it all day. at iris, not only is the food exquisite, but also the entire staff (esp. jeff) was spot on for the course timing, recommendations and attention to detail. at the end of our meal, the chef/owner even came over to congratulate us. what i'm trying to say is that when you have an important day or event, like an engagement, don't leave your finediningexperience up to an amateur. iris is more than equipped to handle your request and make it the best day ever, like it was for me.

unbelievable!!. my boyfriend and i celebrated valentine's day a few days early at restaurant iris. we could not have asked for a betterdiningexperience! from the moment we walked in the door, we knew that this was a special place. the service was impeccable and the food....let's just say we've never had anything better! the setting is very quiet and romantic. we were checked on several times, but not in an intrusive manner. how nice for chef english to come to our table after we received our food to see how everything was...such a class act! to quote my boyfriend, "we will go back." i can't wait!!

the atmosphere combines with the balance of creativity, tradition and attention to detail in the dishes themselves to create the kind of experience that makesdiningin new orleans so wonderful, and that memphis needs more of.

i had a disappointing experience at iris last weekend. after all the hype, i was expecting a better time. first off, i thought the customer service left something to be desired. the waitresses was not very helpful or personable. if i go to a finediningplace, i expect them to feel out your needs and i felt that was lacking. we started off getting the knuckle sandwich. the lobster was succulent, but the bread was somewhat soggy. for the main course, we got the popular surf and turf. first of all, there was too much sauce period. i could not tell about the other ingredients. additionally, the steak was grilled when we were expecting a seared steak. for the price we paid, it was not worth it. money would have been better spent at ruth's chris. lastly, the ambience of the establishment needs to be changed. the room they put us in should of had 2 tables in there, but there were 4 tables. we could hear every word and conversation the other tables were having. when you want an intimate/romantic setting and all you can hear are other conversations, it is really annoying. not worth the hype.

fantastic. every time we go to iris i feel as though i'm treated like family. the staff are very attentive and you can tell that everyone there wants you to have a pleasurable experience. the food is out of this world. it is for sure my favorite finediningrestaurant. the lobster knuckle sandwich is my favorite app. my fiance always gets the brussel sprouts with benton's bacon. the "surf and turf" is incredibly rich and delicious and could seriously feed 4 people. iris is a definitely a must-try.

awesome! everything was perfect - the food, the atmosphere, the staff! could not have asked for a betterdiningexperience.

loves it!. where is the "loves it" selection? this is the best finediningestablishment in memphis. i was interested in seeing what all the hype was about considering every review on here of restaurant iris is outstanding so i took my girlfriend there for her birthday last night. we were completely blown away with every aspect of thediningexperience. to start, the wine list is incredible and reasonable. we got an excellent napa merlot that went well with the entire meal. we started with the beef raviolo which had an amazing butter sauce that we dipped our french bread in. for our main course, she got the sea bass and i got the speckled trout which we both shared. the sea bass was served on top of garlic mashed potatoes while the trout was served with a cauliflower sauce and topped with almond slivers. our waitress was unbelievably professional and guided us through the whole meal. i mentioned it was a birthday evening so for dessert, she brings out strawberry glory that was surrounded by a nice "happy birthday" message written in chocolate!! needless to say, we were beyond words and i believe i have a new favorite restaurant in memphis!! thank you for making a special night even better!!

my heart...my love. oh restaurant iris...how i love thee so. perfection.
love it, love it, love it.

you must try everything on menu, as there is nothing lacking. right now, my favorite is the veal with spaetzle. but the scallops, the steak, the oyster bread pudding, oh my. honestly, the service here is 210%. the knowledge of the menu 210%. the fact that the chef/owner makes an appearance at your table...priceless.

thank you chef kelly. thank you for bringing 5 stardiningto midtown.

one of the bestdiningexperiences i have ever had. from beginning to end the food was supreme....go see for yourself

there are plenty.... of high-end delicious restaurants in memphis. i love food and i have yet to eat at them all. restaurant iris is the most "now" of the many many finedininglocations in memphis. fashionable couples and forward-thinkers are at home in the atmosphere. the decor is very warm and though the food is fine, the art puts us at home in southern whimsy and fun.

i was there for my mother's birthday, and the menu at all tables (not just ours) had an insert wishing her happy birthday. this restaurant prides itself on switching up the menu and providing fresh menus nightly.

now, the food. i had gulf oysters cooked three ways - all were delicious and the "bread pudding" was actually just like a sweet and savory bread pudding, and not too fishy! my mother had the lobster "knuckle sandwich" which she described as quite flavorful. i had a bite of someone's beet salad - very fresh and hearty portions of beets. the lamb with sweetbreads was possibly the nicest piece of lamb i've had.

they offer a five course meal with wine pairings for 75$ but each course can be ordered a la carte.

finediningthat i am planning on having again - *before* i get around to trying every high-end restaurant in memphis.

kelly english is a real jewel!. all i can say about this place is what a jewel ofdiningdelight!
much kudos to kelly english and his staff for cooking up delicious food, and the service is hands down, the best in finedininghere in memphis. english works with several local farmers to serve up some of the best locally grown food in the area. there is a reason why he was named one of the top 10 chefs in the nation by food and wine magazine. keep up the wonderful work restaurant iris. truly amazing!

fabulous experience. this restaurant has restored my faith in memphis dining. having been in business for over a year, it is quite refreshing to see that the high quality of service and food has been maintained since opening (sadly, something that is rarely accomplished in the memphisdiningscene).

so about my experience: i brought my boyfriend here for his birthday this past saturday night and could not have been more pleased. the service, food, presentation and ambiance were all top notch. the chef was a class act-- on a saturday night, with every table in his restaurant filled, he stopped by each one to introduce himself and thank the diners for coming in. the food was absolutely amazing. my boyfriend and i admittedly gorged ourselves, but our favorites were the terrific raviolo, veal schnitzel and short rib. don't even get me started on dessert-- in a word, phenomenal. i'm still dreaming about the bread pudding and malt. also, there is a terrific wine list. i recommend the belle glos pinot, yum.

and, when we couldn't finish everything on our plates and decided to take our leftovers to go, they came wrapped up with adorable ribbons. so cute in fact, that i plan to reuse for future gifts... shhh, don't tell.

be sure to book a reservation... you will definitely be happy you did!