Restaurant Iris

Reviews 4

MA

Madison Yen

Let me tell you about our experience at Iris, yesterday March 23rd. My boyfriend had just proposed to me that morning, and we were out celebrating. He had made it sound like we had made reservations elsewhere, but he wanted to try Restaurant Iris to see if they by chance had a cancellation. Once we go in, we are seated in their sitting room to order some of their amazing cocktails, waiting to see if we could be squeezed in. I had the French 75, and Daniel, my fiancé, had the Romanov something. Both were exquisite and "lovely" as the bartender would say. The seating hostess came back and said that there was a recent cancellation, and we could be seated now. As we sit down at the table, there is a bottle of Perrier Jouet, a French champagne that was described as "heaven in a glass," on the table recommended by Jeff (the sommelier/waiter/manager/person of awesomeness). At this point, I was completely confused since I thought we were just squeezed into a table. Turns out that Daniel had made the reservations in advanced, and the wait staff were all playing along with it. Jeff, our waiter, had given us the specials, and I saw that the salmon, grilled brie on brioche (which was offered last time we went and amazing) was not on the appetizer menu. I wasnt as excited about the other appetizers, so I was going to skip that course completely. Then out of nowhere, Jeff brings out the salmon appetizer since apparently Daniel had requested it a week earlier. (Such a happy surprise!) Daniel had the New Orleans bbq shrimp, which was also requested. He didnt really share that one, so I assume it was amazing. My salmon and brie was fantastic and just as I remember it. For the main course, I had the scallops, which were four large, succulent scallops pan seared over caramelized corn and fennel purée. The sweetness of the corn and the bitterness of the fennel perfectly balanced the composition to complement the scallops and elevate the taste. This of course all paired with the Perrier Jouet, a fruit forward champagne, made for a perfect combination. Daniels main course was the teres major, which was a lean piece of meat with Indian like spices over a cauliflower combination and topped with a mint chutney. His dish was served medium rare and perfectly cooked, each bite allowing for a different experience from the last. The last course, an amazing ending to a perfect meal was the coffee cake with a scoop of ice cream on top (I think butterscotch, but Im not sure) along with a dessert wine. Jeff gave me a sample of the ville something (ask him, and hell tell you which one it was. So amazing). But I must say that I really liked the wine that Dan got, which was a sauterne. It went so well with the coffee cake, like they were honestly meant to be together. Dan got the assortment of cheeses with the sauterne. His dessert was a perfect dish (if youre into cheese for dessert) with his desert wine and the cheese accompaniments also complementing the taste and complexity of each of the four cheeses. Obviously, you can see that the food at Iris was amazing. I could gush about it all day. At Iris, not only is the food exquisite, but also the entire staff (esp. Jeff) was spot on for the course timing, recommendations and attention to detail. At the end of our meal, the chef/owner even came over to congratulate us. What Im trying to say is that when you have an important day or event, like an engagement, dont leave your fine dining experience up to an amateur. Iris is more than equipped to handle your request and make it the best day ever, like it was for me.

A

A Private User

This place is amazing! My parents went in July for an anniversary dinner and came back raving. My dad jumped on the opportunity to take me and my boyfriend there for our close in date birthdays. It lived beyond the expectations formed by my parents glowing reviews. The wait staff is impeccable and genuine. It is obvious they have tried and love the menu and are exceedingly helpful with the menu and wine list. They were able to immediately guess a cocktail off of the description "was refreshing and gin based". I started with the raviola. The brown butter and mushroom sauce was savory and perfectly balanced and paired perfectly with the meat of the single, large raviola. My mom got the same oysters three ways appetizer she got in July because it is that good. My dad did the same only with the cornmeal crab appetizer. All delicious. I got the Surf and Turf off my dads recommendation. It is a NY strip stuffed with oysters and has a blue cheese sauce. Even the little diced potatoes and bacon around it were memorable. Also at the table were the lamb and scallop entrees. Tried them all, all three were wonderful. Even though we were getting full, birthday desserts were a must. On our plates they wrote "happy birthday" in chocolate and had a candle. Very cute. I had the creme brûlée and a rootbeer float cocktail. The creme brûlée had the idealistic top and the best custard inside. Very smooth. The cocktail was too cool. Tasted exactly like a root beer float with just the smallest aftertaste of smooth vanilla vodka. Impressive. My mom got the Brandy Alexander and it was incredibly delicious. Chef English greets all his guests which is lovely especially since his food makes it perfectly clear he cares and is committed to deliver an excellent product. Our evening was memorable and Restaurant Iris delivered on every level. I will be happy to return for more special memories and fantastic dining experiences!!

CA

Catherine King

I went at 8:45pm on a Thursday night. I had the tasting menu. I love trying new foods in new places but started my meal angry as I had to pay $8 for valet parking in this semi suburban area. There was no street parking, and the enormous free lot across the street was completely full. Im happy to generously tip a valet ($8 did not go directly to valet), but not happy to pay for parking unless I am in a major downtown area and have to use a garage. The service was attentive, they kept my water full and repeatedly asked if I liked my food, however for a $130 meal I expect more. If there was a sommelier I didnt meet them, the sous chef (Kelly English wasnt there) didnt come out. I just didnt feel the engagement I have experienced at other fine restaurants from the staff. The amuse bouché was excellent, a local fig on a miniature toast, the brussel sprouts were above standard with nice pieces of bacon, miso covered marrow was with lovely pickled vegetables and bun, shrimp and grits were just ok with swampy tasting greens, trout with cauliflower purée and too many almonds wasnt salted at all. The dessert bread pudding was quite good and even evoked memories of eating pralines in New Orleans as a girl. Overall, the meal was ok, but seriously overpriced for what it was. I had two glasses of solid (not inventive) wine with my meal. For the service and quality of food my meal was probably worth half what I paid, if that (not including the parking). I am happy to pay any amount of money for amazing food, but I also hate leaving a restaurant feeling taken and that is how I feel.

A

A Private User

On our very first visit to Iris, shortly after it had opened for business a few months ago, my girlfriend and I were blown away. Every dish was great, and some - like the trio of oysters, the scallops, and the Brussels sprouts with bacon - were incredible. Whats more, the service was spot on, and the wine that was recommended to us was perfect. We truly thought that it was the single best meal we had ever had in Memphis. Unfortunately, our subsequent visits there have been very disappointing. The next time we went back (for dinner) we thought that perhaps they were just having an off day. The service was fine, but our dishes were pretty bland - even the repeat ones. However, when we went back a few weeks later for a birthday get together, the service was absolutely awful and not one person in our party thought their dishes were any good. The final straw for us was our most recent visit (brunch). Lets just say, we had the same server, and the food was HORRIBLE! I couldnt believe we were eating at the same restaurant we had raved about so much just a few months ago. Usually it takes a new restaurant a few weeks to find its groove and be able to hit all the right notes. In Iris case, it took just a few months to go from an exciting newcomer to the Memphis restaurant scene to a complete disappointment in our books.