Deja Vu

Déjà Vu

936 Florida St.
Memphis, TN 38106
901-942-1400
Sunday & Monday: Closed
Tuesday & Wednesday: 11:00 a.m-3:00 p.m.
Thursday & Friday: 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

We finally made the journey from our eastern abode to one of the more unique downtown hideaways.  Certainly located off the beaten path, Déjà vu is fantastic Cajun cookery.  We thought a rainy spring Saturday would be the perfect time to try their sausage po boy.  Once I got the menu in my hands I nearly diverted from my mission.  So many items, so little time. 

We kicked our excursion off with 6 hot wings and fried plantains.  Expecting the wings to come out blazing hot, I was pleasantly surprised when the heat and flavor had a very good balance that complimented one another.  The plantains were an ideal side with their mellow flavor and light texture.  It’s so easy to fry a light item and erase all of the flavor leaving a dish that tastes like little more than a deep fryer, but that was not the case today.  The spice of the wings and the light sweetness of the fried plantains delivered a wonderful dish.

One of the most impressive aspects of our visit was our server.  She was beyond hospitable and more than helpful.  I was unaware, prior to our arrival, that there is more than one sausage po boy at Déjà vu.  I had to pick between smoked sausage, hot sausage and gator sausage.  Our server, without hesitation, recommended the gator sausage with a side of red beans and rice.  We also ordered shrimp creole, grilled cabbage and smothered okra. 

I’ve had gator before, but only in gumbo or as a fried bits similar to popcorn shrimp.  This was a totally new way to eat it and it is easily my favorite form to date.  In my prior experiences with alligator meat there hasn’t been a ton of flavor.  It either gets left in the fryer or lost in the roux.  This sandwich was full of flavor.  I found the sausage to have a slightly gamy taste that was refreshingly unique.  I have nothing else to compare it to, but it was almost like a surf and turf dish wrapped neatly in a convenient case. Red beans and rice made this perfect Cajun concoction. 

The shrimp creole tasted like a dish straight out of New Orleans, and even the smaller order was a generous portion.  My wife ended up adding the okra to the creole, and it couldn’t have tasted more perfect together.  The cabbage (one of her favorite veggies) was also delicious, cooked perfectly with a smooth buttery flavor. 

In summary, don’t pass this one up because of its slightly random location and odd kitchen hours.  This one is worth the trip, and we’ll undoubtedly be back.

 

 

 

 

Gator Sausage Po’ Boy – 4.5/5 stars (him), 3.5/5 stars (her – not a gator gal)
Déjà Vu – 4.5/5 (him), 5/5 (her)

Gibson's Donuts

Gibson’s Donuts

760 Mt. Moriah Rd.

Memphis, TN 38117

901-682-8200

Open 24/7

We return with our tail tucked shamefully between our legs due to our embarrassingly long hiatus from posting.  We’ve remained active on Twitter and hope you’ve enjoyed our Tweets and taken part in the treats.  So, without further adieu we’ll dive back in…

Today we knocked out a 5k and rewarded ourselves with Gibson’s Donuts.  We went by to try #26 on the Memphis Food Bucket List, the New Orleans donut.  Mission. Accomplished.  We also tackled the red velvet and bacon donuts.  I mean who only eats 1 donut after they walk in and smell all the ooey, gooey, sweet goodness that is fried dough, sugar and icing.  We chose a creamy, cold chocolate milk to wash all of it down.

We chose the lemon New Orleans donut.  This was delectable, buttermilk dough treat.  We loved that we got the benefit of a “no hole” donut.  We understand a New Orleans donut to be a buttermilk based donut with a dimple in it that puffs up once fried.  With light lemon glaze this donut was a magnificent treat.

The maple bacon donut is a more traditional donut in the sense that it comes in the classic “O” shape.  The flavor was anything, but traditional.  Bacon has become quite en vogue in the dessert/sweets arena.  While we enjoyed the texture and salt the bacon brought to this maple glazed confection, we couldn’t help but wonder to what level Benton’s Bacon could have taken it.  We admit to being spoiled by Mr. Benton’s hogs and for that this donut shouldn’t be punished.  Be sure try this one on your next trip to Gibson’s.

Our favorite flavor of the day was red velvet donut.  This was an extremely pleasant surprise.  To be fair we love pretty much everything red velvet so it had a bit of a head start before anything even made it to our mouth.  The folks at Gibson’s nailed the red velvet flavor in this cakey donut and finished it with the perfect amount of cream cheese icing. 

We hope you find Gibson’s as enjoyable as we did. Make sure you put this Memphis staple on your short list of must haves.  We promise to be back sooner rather than later and hope that our experiences lead you to some great meals and memories of your own! 

New Orleans - 4/5 stars (both)
Gibsons - 4.5/5 (him), 5/5 (her) #redvelvet