January 30, 2019

The Second Line

After Memphis hip hop artist and activist Marco Pavé’s spectacular birthday bash which started with a line up of performances and artist features at Studio on the Square and ended at The Second Line, I knew I had to get back to this New Orleans’ inspired eatery. As is often the case, I was at my “office” one day (Muddy’s Bake Shop and Grind House) and worked up quite the appetite. Writing will do that. Thinking about what was nearby and delicious, The Second Line came to mind. I made the quick drive over to this Kelly English establishment and grabbed a seat at the bar.

One thing I love about restaurants (besides restaurants that do not close between lunch and dinner service), is a good lunch special, and The Second Line has one of the best. For only $10 you can get one of the crowd favorite sandwiches and a side. For $10! I am all about lunch on a budget! The only downside is that there is just one vegetarian friendly lunch special option.

Since I absolutely love bbq shrimp, I had to skip the lunch special and go straight for what I wanted. Yall know why I’m here!

While I waited on my entree, I grabbed a drink. After all I was sitting at the bar. And, I did feel pretty great about the amount of writing I had gotten done earlier that day. I took the bartender’s suggestion and ordered a drink that she helped create – “thelma & louise” – Absolut (which I substituted for Grey Goose), pear, rosemary simple, lemon, and cranberry.

This beautiful cocktail was light, refreshing, and let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t have any other obligations that day. As I savored my beverage, I could smell the bbq shrimp before it arrived. Decadent, flavorful, and accompanied by the most perfect dippable bread ever (seriously big ups to the baker!), the bbq shrimp was exactly what I needed.

Of course, such a delicious meal meant I had to return ASAP. Dinner on a weekend became lunch on a weekday where I had the shrimp po ‘boy and fries. I appreciate The Second Line’s attention to potatoes (I also am a fan of their potato salad). The fries are hand cut, blanched, and fried to a crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside perfection.