Farm Fresh Goodness
Recently, I stopped by Belly Acres in Overton Square to see what it was all about. Judging from the reviews, it appeared that Belly Acres made a great impression with its burgers. Most seemed to like the Southern Gentleman, a hamburger featuring a thick slice of roasted sweet potato in it. Notice that I said "hamburger" because the burger comes without cheese. For me, a burger without cheese is like corn flakes without milk because they complement each other perfectly. For someone to pull that off, he/she has to have all the right ingredients and expertise to make a great burger. The folks at Belly Acres have mastered their craft, exemplified by the Southern Gentleman.
The key to making a great burger is the meat. If you get quality ground beef, you could be a novice (or to borrow a term from a "fan" of this blog, an "imbecile") and make a somewhat decent and edible burger. That said, put quality grass-fed beef in the hands of Belly Acres' chefs and you're going to see some amazing burgers. In the case of the Southern Gentleman, the tastiness of the ground beef hit me at the first bite. Like some of my favorite burger joints such as Three Angels Diner and Local (whose Overton Square location has the best burger in the district), the meat (cooked a perfect medium rare) was flawless. Lightly seasoned, the beef tasted similar to ground sirloin in my non-expert opinion, although Belly Acres could be using 80/20 ground beef. Whatever it is, the meat really impressed me.
With great tasting ground beef as its foundation, the Southern Gentleman is a masterpiece of a burger. With a slice of sweet potato and pickled greens, the burger is more like a country dinner within a wheat bun. Add in bacon, lettuce and maple ketchup and the result is a unique burger that is really good. I'm surprised that more Southern restaurants don't serve this type of burger. To sum it up, the Southern Gentleman is a great hamburger that I can confidently recommend to others.
UPDATE (April 14, 2018): For the more adventurous, you might want to try the Belly Acre Burger. Unlike the smooth Southern Gentleman, the restaurant's signature cheeseburger features a chorizo and beef patty topped with Pepper Jack cheese and jalapeƱo and habanero peppers. The habaneros, as you know, are extremely spicy and not for the meek (like me). That said, I took one bite of the habanero side of the burger that had me whimpering. After putting the habaneros aside, I was able to enjoy the rest of the burger that was really good. Overall, everything in this burger (including habanero peppers that tasted great before the heat kicked in) really impressed me, although it will be a awhile before I work up the courage to get another one.
Belly Acres turned out to be a wonderful experience and I look forward to returning there soon. Whenever I revisit, I'm getting one of the restaurant's buffalo burgers that I believe will be very good. The restaurant also serves vegan burgers and numerous other sandwiches and entrees, so anyone with an appetite will likely find something that's appealing. Belly Acres prides itself as being "Citified Farm Fresh," meaning that everything it serves, from the vegetables to its free range chicken and grass-fed beef, comes straight from the farm to its little restaurant in Midtown Memphis. That pride extends to the restaurant itself, judging from the crop duster replica hanging from its ceiling and the huge mural of a farm displayed in its main dining room. It also celebrates Memphis, for you get a stand holding a miniature street sign that identifies you to the restaurant staff when your order is ready. I'm sure that kids love it because the signs kind of resemble Sesame Street's logo. Speaking of that, I felt like I was in elementary school when I waited in a long line before placing my order at Belly Acres' counter. That line (for a Saturday evening) extended to the entrance of the restaurant, so people who are in a hurry may want to consider that before dining there. Belly Acres has become very popular since its opening and will likely build on that in the years to come.
NOTE: The Overton Square location has closed as of September 19, 2023. According to The Daily Memphian, the reason that the owners gave was "safety concerns, staffing and declining business." Fortunately, its East Memphis restaurant at 6130 Poplar Avenue is still open (with another restaurant opening soon in Southaven), not far from another former Overton Square burger joint, Hopdoddy. I hope this doesn't become a trend.
Website: www.BellyAcres901.com
It's Time
Memphis in May is just around the corner, meaning it's time for the finest BBQ teams to strut their stuff at next month's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Tom Lee Park on Riverside Drive. I want to wish all of them the best of luck as they compete for top food honors at the BBQ Fest. As someone with barbecue team experience, I want to point out that judging for best BBQ starts on Saturday morning (May 16) and lasts until late in the afternoon for teams that fare well. Alright, before you call me "Captain Obvious," let me say that at least one barbecue team didn't get the memo about that during last year's event and was a "no show" (as in no barbecue to present to the judges) during the competition. I cannot understand how anyone could be stupid enough to not know that, consequently wasting time and thousands of dollars (including money from sponsors) on basically a three-day party. So to this year's barbecue masters, don't be like that team but rather have your shit together for this year's festival. Also, I want to offer another piece of advice to one of the teams: make sure your "spokesman" is properly dressed during judging. After seeing him one night with his shorts hanging below his butt crack, I'm afraid that he might jeopardize your chances of winning at the BBQ Fest. With presentation being a part of judging, having your "spokesman's" exposed heinie near the food might prove distasteful. Anyway, good luck to you and all the other teams (including my boys on the Squeal Street BBQ Team) at this year's BBQ Fest.
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