Treating Myself
It's not often that I go out and treat myself to a really nice dinner. Usually, a nice meal means a trip to one of my favorite restaurants like the Majestic Grille or Café 1912, but I decided to change it up. Making my way to Downtown Memphis' South Main Arts District, I dined at one of the city's newest restaurants, Bishop. It's one the many restaurants owned by Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, renowned chefs who also run Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Catherine and Mary's, Hog & Hominy and other restaurants. Although I have never had a bad meal at any A&M restaurant, I am particularly drawn to Bishop. Maybe it's because of the closure of Rizzo's Diner or the discontinuation of Sunday Brunch at the Majestic Grille or the fact that it's a really nice restaurant, I just love going there. The restaurant is located at Memphis Central Station, the boarding point for Amtrak train travelers going to either New Orleans or Chicago. The train station also has an upscale hotel (Central Station Hotel) that perfectly complements Bishop (as such, the restaurant is open most of the year even when other restaurants are closed). With my finances, I could never afford a night at the hotel but I can afford an occasional drink and/or meal at Bishop's bar. For the sake of this review, I decided to go all out with it by making a dinner reservation at Bishop.
SIDE NOTE: Although there might be some days when you can just walk in and get a table, it is best to reserve it ahead of time because more often than not, you won't get lucky at the last minute, especially on weekends.
Soon after getting seated, I was immediately greeted by my waitress... er, server (I feel weird using that term) who handed me a menu while informing me of the restaurant's daily specials. I pretty much knew ahead of time of what I wanted, trying to stay within the restaurant's French theme. With that in mind, I started off with escargot for an appetizer. The last time I had it was decades ago in Atlanta when I was hanging out with my family, where I learned that "escargot" is snails. From my fuzzy memory, I believe the escargot was served with the meat inside the shells, making it a nice and interesting treat. At Bishop, the escargots are served a bit differently, with the bits of meat (which along with the escargot, includes ham and chicken gizzards) immersed in butter and persillade, a traditional oil-based French garlic and herb sauce. By itself, the escargots were chewy and quite flavorful, and tasted better with French bread that I got later (the bread's butter was a bit salty). As an appetizer, the escargots were a great start to a nice dinner.
While I was eating my appetizer, I initially decided to get a beer. Shortly after I got it, I decided to get a shot of Japanese whiskey (more on that later). As I focused more on that, my server asked me if I liked my beer. I told that I did, although honestly, the beer was stale and not worth drinking. Of course, I thought nothing of it until my server asked me again if I was satisfied with my draft beer. This time, I was honest and told her what I really thought. She responded by getting me another beer (Wiseacre Tiny Bomb) that was much more to my liking. I'll admit that I didn't expect this, for most places (including a lot of upscale restaurants) don't care if you like your drink or not. For them, you order it, you pay for it. Fortunately, Bishop goes out of its way to make the dining experience enjoyable, paying attention to every detail. I appreciate that and look forward to more of Bishop's excellent service in the future.
After finishing off my appetizer, I was ready for the main course. Given Bishop's specialty, I wanted to order something that was definitely French. After looking over the menu, I realized that it wasn't that extensive. Mostly consisting of small plates, Bishop's menu isn't for people with huge appetites. So, choosing from the limited "Large Plates" menu, I decided to get the Beef Bourguignon.

Double Take
Although Bishop has earned a reputation as a fine dining establishment, it can also be a place to simply chill while grubbing on a burger. On my last birthday, I did just that. While my intention was to have a nice dinner, I didn't have the foresight to make a reservation so I ended up at the bar. Hoping to get a table that never came, I made the most of it during my pointless wait. Unlike a lot restaurants, Bishop doesn't serve a lot a "common" beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon so I classed it up a bit by getting a Crosstown Siren, a Blonde Ale that's one of my favorite local go-to brews (by the way, the Siren costs seven dollars, not exactly cheap). While sipping on my beer, I saw a bottle on the bar's top shelf of liquors that piqued my interest. It was a bottle with a Japanese character (or "kanji" for those in the know) on the label that stood out from the rest of the bottles. Being the adventurous man that I am, I asked the bartender about the bottle. It turned out to be a Japanese whiskey called Ohishi. Unlike other whiskeys that I've had, Ohishi is distilled from rice aged in Sherry casks for a smooth and sweet flavor. Definitely different from other whiskeys, the Ohishi tasted more like caramel than a sour mash shot of Jack Daniel's. While enjoying my delicious libation, I never thought how much the Japanese whiskey cost (about $13 a shot) but rather let my inhibitions down and rolled with it (after all, it was my birthday). After waiting for about an hour, I decided to eat dinner at the bar. Although it wasn't ideal, I was enjoying my whiskey so much that I couldn't leave without getting some food to go with it.
So here I am, at a Downtown Memphis restaurant by myself, sipping on whiskey and beer. Obviously, I wasn't going to get the candlelight dinner that I wanted, so I got into "bar mode" and ordered something appropriate. Initially, I thought about ordering the Branzino from Bishop's "tinned" menu. Fortunately, a guy sitting next to me got that, with the Branzino fish served in a tin can. "Wow" (or rather "WTF"), an upscale restaurant serving meals in tin cans and even having a menu for that? Hey, far be it from me to tell anyone how to run a restaurant (least of all guys like Andrew and Michael) but that isn't something that I would serve if I had a dive bar like Earnestine and Hazel's. However, I can't knock Bishop's hustle too much, for the guy eating his "tinned" dinner really enjoyed it. As for myself, instead of going for a French "tinned" dinner, I opted for something more "American" in the form of a burger.
In getting the Bishop Burger, I wasn't going into this blindly. The burger is regarded as one of the best in Memphis according to publications like The Memphis Flyer. Also, many of my friends had high praises for it. After having one myself, it's no dispute that Bishop's signature cheeseburger is a first class gourmet masterpiece. In terms of taste, imagine an Oklahoma smash burger (which you can get Bishop's sister restaurant Hog & Hominy) on steroids. Although the burger includes tomato aioli and thick slices of bacon (all in a fresh Brioche bun), it's the onion flavor derived from the B1 sauce that makes the burger really stand out and absolutely delicious. By the way, the beef patties were cooked a perfect medium rare, which in itself made the burger awesome. It's been awhile since I've a burger this good, but Bishop more than exceeds my expectations. To add a bit a style, the Bishop Burger is served with a knife plunged on top of it with the B1 sauce oozing from the burger. Along with a cup of fries that tastes better when dipped in B1 sauce, the Bishop Burger is a complete meal that I look forward to having again and again, even on my birthday. Especially when I'm drinking Ohishi whiskey with it.
For dessert, I wanted something that I could put a candle in (after all, it was my birthday). The bartender suggested the profiteroles, a French pastry styled as a gooey ice cream slider. When the bartender brought it out, I thought he got me confused with a kid. The profiteroles looked more suited for children, but I can be a big kid on my birthday. After blowing out the candle on my plate, I cut into the profiteroles to cap off the night (I didn't eat them by hand because I didn't want to make a mess). The dessert was really nice, for the pastry was creamy and sweet (similar to an eclair). The chocolate and caramel blended nicely with both the pastries and vanilla ice cream, which along with the almonds made for a satisfying dessert. Although I would have preferred an actual birthday cake, the profiteroles was a savory substitute that made my birthday special.
Overall, I had a nice time celebrating my birthday at Bishop. Even though I was dining alone, the staff at Bishop made the night special for me. My bartender even led the bar (including patrons) in serenading "Happy Birthday" to me as I blew out the candle on my birthday "cake." And the best part was, despite the fact that I'm not a regular customer with the restaurant, Bishop comped my dinner. That was a pleasant surprise that I did not expect and it's certainly something that rarely happens at places where I am a "regular" customer. The night ended on a happy note, with me heading home standing somewhat upright, which isn't how I celebrated birthdays in the past. As I get older, I really need to cut back on drinking so I can enjoy the finer thing in life. After all, I don't have a lot of birthdays left so I should make the most of them.
Here's a better pic of the Bishop Burger |

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