Memphis Downtowner February 2010 : Page 26

NOWSERVING byTerre Gorham • photograph by Shannon Maltby people each order a flight, that’s 12 entree preps for one table. It’s very difficult to pull off, which may be why this concept hasn’t been tried elsewhere!” But not everything flies in threes. The menu is well-grounded with single-entree options, turning any one flight component into a full-blown meal. And wine — more than 100 well-researched labels — is available the old- fashioned way: by the bottle or glass. Lunch touches down from around the Americas — complete with a map of flight patterns. Chesapeake Bay contributes the jumbo lump crab cake sandwich; Jamaica spices it up with Caribbean jerked chicken tossed in garlic cream sauce with peppers, onion, and penne pasta; Telluride lands with wild mushroom ravioli topped with grilled chicken, bacon, and crimini mushroom cream sauce; Brazil ladles out a butternut squash soup; and Austin’s contribution is simple — a 6 oz. petite filet. Memphis? That would be the Flight Burger, topped with fried mozzarella and red onion marmalade. Here, happily, every choice is a direct flight. Patio seating is available year-round — FLIGHT RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Fasten your seatbelt and place your tray table in its downright position because a new concept has taken wing inside the historic Brodnax Jewelry building on South Main. Diners at Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar are apt to see three of everything arrive at the table, from soups and salads to entrees and wine. “The idea of doing flights isn’t new,” says Russ Graham, who owns the restaurant with Tom Powers. “But doing the flight concept for entrees is something we haven’t heard about anywhere else in the country.” The two Ole Miss college friends saw the empty spot where Stella used to reign and decided it was time to launch Graham’s seven-year-old concept. They combined Graham’s restaurant experience with Powers’s financial savvy, and Flight took off. The menu’s trifectas span sky to sea: Feathered Flight (Ashley Farms chicken breast, grilled ostrich, and Muscovy duck breast); Tenderloin Flight (pork tenderloin, filet of veal tenderloin, and Australian lamb chop); Beef 26 MEMPHIS DOWNTOWNER FEBRUARY 2010 Flight (filet of beef, Kobe beef, and ribeye); Fresh Fish Flight (Atlantic grouper filet, Atlantic halibut, and Chilean sea bass); and Seafood Flight (seared sea scallops, Maine lobster, and jumbo shrimp). “Ordering flights enhances your dining experience,” says Graham. “Instead of having just one entree with just one glass of wine, you’re able to try three different entrees, three different wines. You have a lot more flavors to experience.” The 12 cleverly named wine flights — such as Zin a Name, Big Bad Cab, and Tiny Bubbles — were a collaborative effort among owners, waitstaff, and a few glasses of inspiration. The menu guides wine novices to the suggested flight pairing — or diners can fly solo. The challenge in the kitchen stems from simple multiplication. “Every time we fill one order, we’re essentially preparing three entrees — three plates, three different skillets, three different cooking methods — so if four thanks to a heated enclosure — as is compli- mentary valet. And “in-Flight” drinks, if you will, are poured at the semicircle bar with a large-screen television and wireless internet. A sophisticated database earns extra miles for Flight’s concept of customer service. “Our theme is that service is our number one product,” says Graham. “We talk about it every day. At the end of the meal, servers enter notes into our database — anything from the customer’s favorite table to how they like their steak cooked. We think this is neces- sary so we can best take care of our guests.” Beneath the 3,300-square-foot, two-story restaurant is a 3,500-square-foot banquet facility, complete with the storied Diebold Safe & Lock vault, solidly standing the test of time. The versatile banquet space can be configured several ways and includes a full bar, a retractable projector screen, and its own “speakeasy” entrance off Madison. Back up in the cockpit, Graham and Powers are reviewing their Flight plan. “We wouldn’t mind seeing a second location at some point,” says Graham. “But right now, we’re focused on this restaurant and making sure that everything here is perfect.” Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar, 39 S. Main, 521-8005, flightmemphis.com. MEMPHISDOWNTOWNER.COM

Now Serving: Flight Restaurant

Terre Gorham

FLIGHT RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR Fasten your seatbelt and place your tray table in its downright position because a new concept has taken wing inside the historic Brodnax Jewelry building on South Main. Diners at Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar are apt to see three of everything arrive at the table, from soups and salads to entrees and wine. “The idea of doing flights isn’t new,” says Russ Graham, who owns the restaurant with Tom Powers. “But doing the flight concept for entrees is something we haven’t heard about anywhere else in the country.” The two Ole Miss college friends saw the empty spot where Stella used to reign and decided it was time to launch Graham’s seven-year-old concept. They combined Graham’s restaurant experience with Powers’s financial savvy, and Flight took off. The menu’s trifectas span sky to sea: Feathered Flight (Ashley Farms chicken breast, grilled ostrich, and Muscovy duck breast); Tenderloin Flight (pork tenderloin, filet of veal tenderloin, and Australian lamb chop); Beef Flight (filet of beef, Kobe beef, and ribeye); Fresh Fish Flight (Atlantic grouper filet, Atlantic halibut, and Chilean sea bass); and Seafood Flight (seared sea scallops, Maine lobster, and jumbo shrimp). “Ordering flights enhances your dining experience,” says Graham. “Instead of having just one entree with just one glass of wine, you’re able to try three different entrees, three different wines. You have a lot more flavors to experience.” The 12 cleverly named wine flights — such as Zin a Name, Big Bad Cab, and Tiny Bubbles — were a collaborative effort among owners, waitstaff, and a few glasses of inspiration. The menu guides wine novices to the suggested flight pairing — or diners can fly solo. The challenge in the kitchen stems from simple multiplication. “Every time we fill one order, we’re essentially preparing three entrees — three plates, three different skillets, three different cooking methods — so if four people each order a flight, that’s 12 entree preps for one table. It’s very difficult to pull off, which may be why this concept hasn’t been tried elsewhere!” But not everything flies in threes. The menu is well-grounded with single-entree options, turning any one flight component into a full-blown meal. And wine — more than 100 well-researched labels — is available the oldfashioned way: by the bottle or glass. Lunch touches down from around the Americas — complete with a map of flight patterns. Chesapeake Bay contributes the jumbo lump crab cake sandwich; Jamaica spices it up with Caribbean jerked chicken tossed in garlic cream sauce with peppers, onion, and penne pasta; Telluride lands with wild mushroom ravioli topped with grilled chicken, bacon, and crimini mushroom cream sauce; Brazil ladles out a butternut squash soup; and Austin’s contribution is simple — a 6 oz. Petite filet. Memphis? That would be the Flight Burger, topped with fried mozzarella and red onion marmalade. Here, happily, every choice is a direct flight. Patio seating is available year-round — thanks to a heated enclosure — as is complimentary valet. And “in-Flight” drinks, if you will, are poured at the semicircle bar with a large-screen television and wireless internet. A sophisticated database earns extra miles for Flight’s concept of customer service. “Our theme is that service is our number one product,” says Graham. “We talk about it every day. At the end of the meal, servers enter notes into our database — anything from the customer’s favorite table to how they like their steak cooked. We think this is necessary so we can best take care of our guests.” Beneath the 3,300-square-foot, two-story restaurant is a 3,500-square-foot banquet facility, complete with the storied Diebold Safe & Lock vault, solidly standing the test of time. The versatile banquet space can be configured several ways and includes a full bar, a retractable projector screen, and its own “speakeasy” entrance off Madison. Back up in the cockpit, Graham and Powers are reviewing their Flight plan. “We wouldn’t mind seeing a second location at some point,” says Graham. “But right now, we’re focused on this restaurant and making sure that everything here is perfect.” Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar, 39 S. Main, 521-8005, flightmemphis.com.

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