squirrel-squad.blogspot.com

We are bad bloggers. Not only have we been very quiet lately, but for the past few months, we've been keeping a secret. We've been saying that we just wouldn't wr ite about the Tennessean until we had a regular menu dinner there, but that was just an excuse to keep this wonderful gem on the Collierville town square all to ourselves. Now Jennifer Biggs has spilled the beans in the Commercial Appeal, so we might as well share our opinion too.

We love dining at the Tennessean. From the moment you walk up, you know you're in for a treat. Not only are you about to get to eat on a train, but owners Tom Powell and Marshall Criss make a point to greet each guest at the restored depot. The restoration of the cars has created a beautiful atmosphere for any meal. The soon-to-open club car will bring an extra touch of elegance to go along with the charm of the dining cars. The service matches the atmosphere -- elegant in the professionalism of the staff and charming in their easy familiarity.

Each meal starts with fresh biscuits and butter. These are beautiful, light biscuits that are just begging for molasses. They literally melt in your mouth and don't even need the generous slab of butter. Not to say that the butter doesn't make them even better.

The soups are divine. The spring and summer tomato was very nice, but the she-crab takes it to a whole new level. Lump crab melts into a roe-rich creamy base flavored with sherry. It really does take every ounce of willpower to keep from licking the bowl. The winter lunch and dinner menu replace the tomato with a mushroom soup that is a great dose of winter comfort food and gives the she-crab a run for its money.

The salads are always fresh and generously proportioned. The sandwiches are well balanced and out of the ordinary (pecan-crusted grouper or smoked gouda pimento cheese, for example). The house-made potato chips are truly addictive. But the true star of lunch is on the entree menu.

The shrimp and grits are some of the best in town. Chef Dave Krog uses Delta Grind grits and whips them to a creamy lightness. Those grits are topped with Gulf shrimp and a smoked tomato and tasso gravy that is piquantly rich without overpowering the creaminess of the grits. The other lunch entrees are also delicious and well prepared. On top of that, the most expensive entree on the lunch menu is $12, so you don't have to break the bank to get a good lunch.

Our first evening experience was one of the Tennessean's wine dinners. Not only were the pairings excellent, but the food was well prepared and beautifully presented with none of the catered feel that happens so often with wine dinners. Based on that experience, we knew that we wouldn't be disappointed with the regular dinner menu. We're also hoping to make it back soon for another of the restaurant's third Tuesday wine dinners.

The winter dinner menu is simple and beautiful. We started with lamb chop lollipops with a Dijon mustard dipping sauce and a very nicely balanced blue cheese slaw. We also had the seared foie gras with sauteed greens. Both appetizers were perfectly prepared and delicious. We had a good sampling of the entree menu at our table as well. J Squirrel decided on the veal tenderloin served with truffled mashed potatoes. Squirrelly, Jr., chose the prime filet of beef served with the most delicious potatoes au gratin that I've tasted in a long time. Needless to say, none of us got more than a taste of those. Papa Squirrel had the lobster ravioli. The dish was luxurious and flavorful comfort food. I ended up having the pheasant breast with mushroom orzo. The pheasant was perfectly cooked without being dry, and the orzo added a very nice complexity of flavors that made the dish divine. Needless to say we were all very pleased and pleasantly full, but not too full to try the dessert menu.

The Grand Marnier creme brulee was served with fruit coulis painted onto the plate like jewels. It was both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. Strangely enough, none of us adults could remember getting more than a taste of it, but somehow the ramekin ended up very clean, and Squirrelly, Jr., ended up looking very happy. The banana-bread bread pudding is a very nice dessert. The bananas add a nice twist to simple bread pudding, and the caramelized banana garnish could stand alone as a dessert item. The flourless chocolate cake is rich and soft without falling into pastiness and is very nicely paired with house-made vanilla ice cream and a dark chocolate ganache. The rich bitterness of the chocolate cake is a nice alternative to the sweetness of the bread pudding and creme brulee, but you can't go wrong with any of the desserts.

For that matter, you can't go wrong with any choice from the Tennessean's fabulous menu. The time and care that go into the planning and preparation of each dish are an obvious and justifiable source of pride for the restaurant and a real treat for those of us who choose to dine there. I'm sure we'll be there again very soon ourselves.


The Tennessean
123 North Rowlett St.
Collierville, TN 38017
(901) 853-9447
Lunch: Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 to 2:00
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday 5:30 to 9:00

commericalappeal.com

On board with The Tennessean

Restaurant in a renovated train car in Collierville's Town Square makes the trip worthwhile

By Jennifer Biggs

Friday, November 9, 2007

It's an occupational hazard. When you review restaurants and write about food, everyone asks you where they should go to eat. My friends, family and readers will be glad to know there's a new place on the list that I spout off whenever the question comes to me. The Tennessean in Collierville is the latest addition, right up there at the top. Both lunch and dinner were the finest I've eaten in a while, and to think I was scared it was going to be hokey because it's in a renovated train car. Well, I was a fool. This place is as far removed from a theme restaurant that tries to recapture a beach vacation as you can get.

Executive chef Dave Krog, who went from sous chef at La Tourelle to executive chef at Madidi when the latter opened, has been in the kitchen at The Tennessean since it opened in March. His food -- creative, well-executed and plainly delicious, even coming from a tiny rail-car kitchen (the only real change was a good stove) -- could be served in any fine restaurant.

These are fighting words, I know, but I believe The Tennessean serves the best pimiento cheese in town. I was iffy about ordering it when I read it was a "house made smoked Gouda cheese sandwich," but delighted to find that the smoky flavor is delicate, just this side of elusive. Served on toast alongside homemade, paper-thin potato chips (really, they're the thinnest I've come across), I could find myself compulsively eating this sandwich for lunch every day if The Tennessean were closer to me.

Also excellent was the pecan fried grouper sandwich. And while the smoked tomato sauce on the shrimp and grits was a little too much for me -- Krog later explained that it's Low Country style, and I guess I come down on the Cajun side -- the dish was delicious.

Lunch prices are reasonable, shockingly so. The pimiento cheese sandwich was $6, and the most expensive items are $12.

To dinner. Why, oh why, is pheasant not readily available at every meat counter in town? Krog's version of pheasant breasts is served atop a tomato and shiitake orzo with black truffles that made me want to lick the plate (which would have been really embarrassing, since it was actually my husband's meal). Honestly, I'm reminded of the free-range organic chickens that I pay dearly to put on my table, except that the pheasant breasts were sizeable and incredibly tender.

The veal tenderloin was its equal. Tenderloin is known for being tender, of course, but not for exceptional flavor. Krog's peppery treatment of the meat and the Madeira porcini mushroom demi-glace give the dish a deep, earthy flavor (excellent with a glass of Robert Craig Affinity, a blended red). The portions for both dishes were generous enough to make excellent second-day lunches, but we didn't leave a bite.

Quickly to appetizers and dessert. The foie gras was delicate and toothsome, and I had my heart set on eating every bite. But when I tasted the lamb lollipops, I knew I would have to share if I wanted more chops. They were superb, tiny New Zealand chops served with a blue cheese coleslaw.

The Grand Marnier crème brûlée was a silken treasure. The banana-nut bread pudding was served with caramelized bananas and a dense, delectable and slightly bitter caramel sauce. It was over the top -- and it usually includes homemade ice cream, but the freezer was broken the night we were there.

The Tennessean gets three stars, but with the upcoming opening of its club car (maybe as soon as next week) and the availability of vintage cocktails, I can see it being worthy of an additional half star.

Take note: The menu changes about every six weeks so that the kitchen can use seasonal ingredients. The Web site (tennesseanrestaurant.com) can tell you what's available; the current menu should run through Thanksgiving week.

The Tennessean

Address: 123 N. Rowlett, Collierville

Service: Attentive, knowledgeable and friendly

Reviewer's choice: Pimiento cheese sandwich; pecan fried grouper sandwich; veal tenderloin; breast of pheasant; lamb lollipops.

Telephone: (901) 853-9447

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday. Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner 5:30-9 p.m.

Price range: Lunch $6-12; dinner entrees $25-42

Payment: Major credit cards, no personal checks.

Handicapped access: No

Alcoholic beverages: Wine right now; when the club car opens a full bar will be available.

Dress: Casual is fine, but you could dress up if you want.

© 2007 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers