{Go there}: South of Beale.

South of Beale is a local gastropub in the South Main district of downtown Memphis (it is... south of Beale Street. Get it?). We've gone there a few times before, including a few brunches (blogged about it here) but hadn't been since they changed their menu (as they do seasonally) and since they were featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

South of Beale is known for being a bar with great food in a world of bars that just have food. So the other night when we wanted to celebrate being off for Thanskgiving break, Jake and I decided to try out their duck fried rice, which was featured on the show.

There weren't too many people in SOB that night but usually when we go it is pretty crowded so it does good business. There is a small parking lot to the side of the building or you can park on the street. Parking is a lot less of a problem than the main area of downtown.

When we went they were on happy hour (4-7) so draft beer was $3. They also have other drink specials too. They are big Grizz fans at SOB, which we loved.

We started off with the cajun chips and house dip. The dip itself was fine (spinach and something else, maybe sour cream?) but the chips were worth it. They were hand cut, soft but crispy, and quite delicious.

For dinner Jake had the duck fried rice and broccoli, both sides on the SOB menu. I got the gouda mac and cheese (a side on the menu) and the strawberry vinaigrette spinach salad with fried goat cheese. Everything was beyond amazing. The duck fried rice was worth its legendary status. The mac and cheese was divine. The best part? The fried goat cheese. Loved it.

Sides on SOB's menu are $5 so you can easily get two sides (which are huge) for dinner, making it a $10 meal, which I consider to be really reasonable for a night out.

It is also worth noting that SOB has gluten free designations on their menu. My cousin is on a gluten free diet due to allergies and lives down the street from SOB and the owners have worked very hard to get tasty GF options on the menu, which I think is really great.

So next time you want to grab a drink in a hip atmosphere but eat some food that isn't "bar food" (you know what I mean... wings? fried everything?), definitely check out South of Beale.

In loving downtown,