Dory is Dave and Amanda Krog's intimate Brookhaven Circle Memphis room, formerly tasting-only, now running a la carte New American with weekly chef's-counter seats.
Must order: Whatever the chef sends as the catch of the day.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner only; reservations on the site fill weeks ahead for Saturdays.
Address: 716 W Brookhaven Cir, Memphis, TN 38117
Chef Kelly English's Restaurant Iris in East Memphis moved to Laurelwood on Poplar Avenue in 2022 with a tighter menu of New Orleans Creole on Mississippi seafood.
Order: Crawfish and grits; the four-course tasting menu at dinner.
Tip: Lunch service since the 2022 move; the four-course tasting at dinner is the steady bet.
Curfew is Fabio Viviani's Union Avenue Memphis restaurant inside Canopy Downtown, with wood-fired steaks, house pastas and one of downtown's later kitchens.
Order: Wood-fired bone-in ribeye with whatever pasta is on the daily list.
Tip: Kitchen runs to 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar takes walk-ins; the dining room books on OpenTable.
Char Restaurant in East Memphis on Highland Street runs USDA prime steaks, fresh Gulf seafood and crab cakes in a modern Southern steakhouse with nightly piano.
Order: Prime filet with the crab cake starter.
Tip: Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30; the piano bar runs on most weeknight evenings.
Coastal Fish Company sits on Hyde Lake in Shelby Farms Park in Memphis with day-boat oysters, grilled snapper and a long sunset patio over the water. Opened 2019.
Order: Half-dozen oysters and the whole grilled snapper.
Tip: Sunset tables face the lake; reserve a week out on OpenTable for Saturday dinner.
Chez Philippe is the modern American fine-dining room inside the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, with white tablecloths, formality and weekend afternoon tea.
Order: Afternoon tea at 13:00; the prix fixe at dinner.
Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday for dinner; afternoon tea Wednesday to Sunday. Reserve on OpenTable two weeks out.
Erling Jensen's eponymous East Memphis fine-dining room runs Danish-trained, French-leaning tasting plates from a Yates Road bungalow. Open in Memphis since 1996.
Order: Rack of lamb with the daily seasonal tasting starter.
Tip: Reserve on Tock; the bar takes walk-ins. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
