We recently shot a wedding in Oxford, Mississippi. It’s a little bit of a haul from Northwest Arkansas, so after we dropped the kids off at my parents’ house in Fort Smith, we decided we’d break up the trip just a little and stay one night in Memphis (which is about an hour twenty from Oxford). We knew we’d be arriving late afternoon and leaving by 7:30am, so we didn’t have to plan a bunch.
But we had thirteen hours in Memphis. Here’s what we did.
We stayed at the Moxy in downtown Memphis. It’s a Marriott property (to which we are fiercely loyal), so (1) we could book it with points (but I don’t think we did, I think it made more sense to just use cash … the conversion wasn’t great), and (2) we got a great upgrade! We ended up staying in the Sound Studio suite, which had a record player, a vinyl collection, signed posters of musicals that went through Memphis, and guitars to play! My. only bitch-eating-crackers complaint is that the coffee bar in the room was just a little lacking (first world problems).
When we checked in, we were given two free drink tokens for the bar downstairs, good for either a rum punch or a beer. We checked in right toward the end of Drag Bingo and I was super bummed that we missed it. We loved the vibe of the lobby and bar, and it had a great outdoor patio space with a fire pit.
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room now.
Downtown Memphis isn’t known particularly for being safe. They’re making progress, but it’s still helpful to keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings (which, if you’re a woman over the age of 10, you’ve been doing anyway). I say that because when we were looking for dinner options, we wanted to be in walking distance, but not too far. We ended up choosing a restaurant called Flight and I’m so, so happy we did!
Flight’s concept is so cool: they have a full menu that you can order as a small plate, an entree portion, or as a flight. It’s basically like a bougie buffet, and y’all know how much I love a buffet. I love that you don’t have to choose between two or three things you might like: you can either build your own flight or choose from some pre-selected flights. The restaurant is such a vibe, too. It reminded me a little of the restaurant from Love Actually (the Jamie & Aurelia one with the balcony tables). It’s a great spot for a date night, especially if you get one of the cute tables on the balcony.
Admittedly, we got excited and went a little bonkers. We started with Beef Wellingtons (little tiny ones, app sized) and a half-dozen oysters (the mignonette was to die). We also got a Tiny Bubbles champagne flight.
Then I tried the soup flight and it may have been my #1 favorite order. It came with lobster bisque, seafood gumbo, and she-crab soup. It was delicious and omg-so-rich that I had to bail out of a dinner flight and just order a small plate 😂 I ordered one of the nightly specials, which was a surf and turf, a filet topped with a scallop with a sauce I’d like to go swimming in and holy moly, it did not disappoint. Dale ordered the Butcher’s Flight because he’s a whore for a good duck breast and the lamb was singing to him like a siren. We had big plans to save room for dessert and we failed absolutely miserably. I had to wobble myself back down the stairs and metabolize a little on the walk back.
And then we lapsed into a coma and headed out early the next morning! It was a short trip, but we hit the jackpot with the hotel and dinner. If you’re headed to Memphis, give them a try!
