What to order? This is the must-try dish at Felicia Suzanne's Restaurant in Downtown Memphis
You can't go wrong with any order at Felicia Suzanne's. But there is one dish Food & Dining reporter Jennifer Chandler says is not to be missed.
What to order? This is the must-try dish at Felicia Suzanne's Restaurant in Downtown Memphis You can't go wrong with any order at Felicia Suzanne's. But there is one dish Food & Dining reporter Jennifer Chandler says is not to be missed. Check out this story on commercialappeal.com: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/dining/2019/10/23/memphis-restaurants-felicia-suzannes-must-try-dish/3912632002/
Jennifer Chandler, Memphis Commercial Appeal Published 7:00 a.m. CT Oct. 23, 2019
Felicia Willett, chef and owner of Felicia Suzanne's Restaurant in downtown Memphis, hit the mark when she named her New Orleans barbecue oyster appetizer "Oysters of Love."
Plump Gulf oysters are fried to crispy perfection and served over creamy grits and topped with a New Orleans barbecue sauce.
It's a dish that is beloved by her regular customers. It's been on the menu since the day the restaurant opened 17 years ago. I, like many, order it on every visit.
Every bite transports you to New Orleans. The dish captures everything that has made the Big Easy an iconic dining destination.
Oysters of Love appetizer at Felicia Suzanne's restaurant in downtown Memphis. (Photo: Felicia Suzanne's)
Willett's menu has its roots firmly in her Southern background, from her childhood in Arkansas, to her time in culinary school in South Carolina, to the almost decade she spent in New Orleans.
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"When I was developing our first menu, my mom said, 'You need to have something with barbecue sauce on the menu,'" Willett recalled.
As she thought about it, Willett decided to do her own spin on New Orleans barbecue shrimp — but with oysters.
Felicia Willett is the chef and owner of Felicia Suzanne's restaurant in downtown Memphis. (Photo: Felicia Suzanne's)
"The sauce is a classic barbecue shrimp butter sauce," she said. "What makes ours so good is that we make our own Worcestershire sauce."
The dish starts with the grits. Willett, a proponent of using local products, uses yellow corn grits from Hanna Farm. She has two tricks to make the grits smooth and creamy. First, she cooks them in milk rather than water. Her second trick is one I had not heard of before but will be trying. "I make the grits the day before. They are more tender when they have had a chance to sit overnight," she said.
Willett tosses her oysters in an organic corn flour and all-purpose flour blend she makes from flours bought from War Eagle Mill in northwest Arkansas. She starts with a 50/50 ratio of the two flours and adjusts based on the texture of the grains.
The result is a lightly battered oyster that is crispy, not crunchy.
The main dining room at Felicia Suzanne's restaurant in downtown Memphis. (Photo: Felicia Suzanne's)
The sauce is a perfectly balanced mix of her house-made Worcestershire, oyster liqueur, heavy cream and butter. "It's all about the reduction and the patience it takes to get it just right," she said.
Each order comes with five to six oysters over a bed of grits. You may be tempted to order just one for the table. But take my advice, you will not want to share.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
Felicia Suzanne's
The "not to miss" dish: Oysters of Love ($12)
Where: 80 Monroe Ave.
Hours: Open for dinner at 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; lunch served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday; closed Sunday and Monday
Online: feliciasuzanne.com
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