Memphis, TN. The birthplace of rock and roll. The home of the late and great Elvis Presley. The purveyor of Beale Street blues. These days the city is making groundbreaking music in the kitchen as well. The Southern city boasts a number of superior restaurants, including the restaurant that I identify as the most conceptually delightful restaurant in America. That restaurant is Flight. It’s located at 39 South Main Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, just a short walk from the lively bars of Beale Street.

The concept is simple. As the name suggests, everything is served in flights. The cocktails. The appetizers. The salads. The soups. The entrees. The desserts. All of it. If you’re like me, this design takes a lot of the agony out of ordering. Trouble deciding between the filet and the ribeye? Have both! Most everything is served in flights of three, and the portions are extremely generous, especially considering that the steak flight, the most expensive of the entree flights, is a modestly-priced $45. If you’re feeling more devoted to a single dish, you can order a la carte, also.

And it’s not just the concept that makes this my favorite restaurant ever. It’s also the quality of the cuisine. The last time I traveled back to Memphis, which is, incidentally, my first hometown, I ate at this restaurant all three evenings that I was in the city, and every single thing I ordered from the menu was divine. My personal favorites included the lobster bisque, the chicken and waffles, the Boursin stuffed filet in a red wine Bordelaise, and the wild boar tenderloin with cherry compote.

And I say this next with all the authority of a helicopter mother: DO NOT skip the chocolate flight! Diet some other day. This dessert flight includes a lava cake with peppermint gelato that is startling in its intricacy. The peanut brownie and the chocolate chip cookie cake, also featured components of this flight, are also deliciously decadent.

The restaurant offers an upscale but unstuffy environment serviced by an attentive and friendly wait staff.

There is literally nothing to discourage this recommendation. This restaurant is everything a restaurant aspires to be. 

If food be the music of love, play on! Or something like that.

Reservations are highly encouraged and can be made well in advance on Open Table or by phoning the restaurant at 901-521-8005.

https://flightmemphis.com