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Memphis Trip
Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: If you feel like playing prince or princess for a night, there's no more romantic place to do so than amid the palatial surroundings of Chez Philippe, 149 Union Ave. (tel. 901/529-4188), at the opulent Peabody hotel.
Best Spot for a Celebration: Amusing decor and food as creative as the atmosphere make Automatic Slim's Tonga Club, 83 S. Second St. (tel. 901/525-7948), a good spot for a casual celebration.
Best Decor: Dine from the comfort of refurbished hair dryer chairs at Beauty Shop, 966 S. Cooper (tel. 901/272-7111). Or just sit at the banquette and tables and soak up the chic blush-and-cream-colored decor and retro block-glass booth dividers.
Best Wine List: Melange, in the Cooper Young historic district of Midtown, 948 S. Cooper, tel. 901/276-0002), has one of the best wine selections in Memphis.
Best Value: The abbreviated bistro menu served at La Tourelle Restaurant, 2146 Monroe Ave. (tel. 901/726-5771), provides a chance to sample this restaurant's excellent food, but you don't have to eat as many courses and you spend a lot less money.
Best for Kids: At the Buntyn Restaurant, Park Avenue at Mt. Moriah (tel. 901/458-8776), the folks really like kids, and the kids really like the old-fashioned meat-and-potatoes cooking.
Best Continental Cuisine: The decor is a cross between classic French-country-inn and baronial mansion at Paulette's, 2110 Madison Ave. (tel. 901/726-5128). The menu combines American and Hungarian influences with continental; you will find the likes of filet mignon and veal tenderloin accented with wine and herb sauces.
Best French Cuisine: Because both have such good reputations, I couldn't choose one above the other, so I'll leave the decision up to you. The cuisine at Le Petit Bistro, 5007 Black Rd. (tel. 901/767-7840), is contemporary French, served in a casual bistro atmosphere, while at La Tourelle, 2146 Monroe Ave. (tel. 901/726-5771), both classic and contemporary dishes are served in an elegant setting.
Best View: Joe's Crab Shack, 263 Wagner Place (tel. 901/526-1966;), a casual chain restaurant, is located in a converted warehouse overlooking the Mississippi River. Both the views and the menus conjure up images of the Gulf Coast.
Best Barbecued Ribs: The legendary Rendezvous, 52 S. Second St. (tel. 901/523-2746), has, hands-down, the best ribs in Memphis. Accompany these with red beans and rice and some mustard slaw, toss in a bit of attitude from the waiters, and you have the makings of a very memorable Memphis meal.
Best Japanese Cuisine: Sekisui of Japan, Humphreys Center, 50 Humphreys Blvd. (tel. 901/747-0001; and two other locations), serves consistently good tempura, teriyaki, kushiyaki, yakizakana, and platters of the freshest sushi.
Best Steaks: The steaks at Folk's Folly Prime Steak House, 551 S. Mendenhall Rd. (tel. 901/762-8200), are such a Memphis institution that the restaurant has its own butcher shop; restaurant patrons can also buy some of the best meat available for cooking at home.
Best Late-Night Dining: When the urge to eat strikes late at night, you can nosh tapas with your martinis at Melange, 948 S. Cooper St. (tel. 901/276-0002), which stays open until 2am; or suck down some saucy ribs at the Rendezvous, 52 S. Second St. (tel. 901/523-2746), which stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Best Brunch: Sunday brunch at The Peabody Memphis hotel is an elegant affair, held at the Skyway on the roof level of the hotel between 10:30am and 2pm.
Best Barbecue: When in Memphis, you have to eat as much barbecue as you can get your hands (and mouth) on. Corky's Bar-B-Q, 5259 Poplar Ave. (tel. 901/685-9744), makes it easy with a drive-up window.
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Best Historic Hotel: Even if The Peabody Memphis, 149 Union Ave. (tel. 800/PEABODY or 901/529-4000), weren't the only historic hotel in the city, it would likely still be the best. From the classically elegant lobby to the excellent restaurants, and from the renovated rooms to the horse-drawn carriages waiting at the front door, everything here spells tradition and luxury.
Best for Business Travelers: Under the same management as the Peabody, The Ridgeway Inn, 5679 Poplar Ave., at I-240 (tel. 800/822-3360 or 901/766-4000), is convenient to East Memphis business and is geared toward the business traveler. The pastry shop is a great place to start the day.
Best for a Romantic Getaway: The sleek new Madison Hotel, (79 Madison Ave. (tel. 901/333-1200 or 866/44-MEMPHIS) is a treasure tucked inside an historic bank building downtown. What could be more romantic than watching the sunset from the rooftop garden?
Best Trendy Hotel: The Talbot Heirs Guesthouse, 99 S. Second St. (tel. 901/527-9772), across the street from the Peabody, is a small B&B done in a boldly contemporary style, a first for Memphis. Each guest room conjures up the pages of Metropolitan Home. Automatic Slim's Tonga Club, one of the city's hippest restaurants, is just a couple of doors away.
Best for Families: With its atrium lobby (complete with stream and resident ducks), indoor pool, and two-room suites with kitchenettes, the Embassy Suites, 1022 S. Shady Grove Rd. (tel. 800/EMBASSY or 901/684-1777), is a good bet if you've got kids with you.
Best Moderately Priced Hotel: Its lavish refurbishment and garden-like courtyards, as well as its proximity to the convention center and the Main Street Trolley, make the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 300 N. Second St. (tel. 901/525-1800), especially appealing.
Best Service: The Peabody Memphis, 149 Union Ave. (tel. 800/PEABODY or 901/529-4000), offers the most consistent and professional service in town. The employees here just seem to try a little bit harder to please the guests, even when overwhelmed by hordes of duck-watching daily visitors.
Best Location: In the heart of downtown, the Holiday Inn Select Downtown, 160 Union Ave. (tel. 901/525-9141), offers an elegant lobby, a sushi restaurant, and a prime location near AutoZone Park and Beale Street.
Best Hotel Pool: Though it isn't very large, the guitar-shaped pool at the Days Inn at Graceland, 3839 Elvis Presley Blvd. (tel. 800/329-7466 or 901/346-5500), may be the most unique hotel pool in Memphis.
Best View: Ask for a west-side room on an upper floor of the Marriott, 250 N. Main St. (tel. 888/557-8740 or 901/527-7300), and you'll get sunsets with the Mississippi River and the Pyramid in the foreground.
Best for Elvis Fans: You just can't get any closer to Graceland than Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, 3677 Elvis Presley Blvd. (tel. 877/777-0606 or 901/332-1000), which has a walkway straight into the Graceland parking lot. And what romantic could resist booking the "Burning Love Suite"? Here you can also make a splash in the outdoor, heart-shaped pool, and indulge in Elvis videos 24 hours a day.
