Overton Square is located in mid-town Memphis and, in the past couple of years, has BLOWN UP. I was down there for New Years Eve about four or five years ago and it was d-e-a-d
dead. No more. It's where the Memphis locals go for barhopping (as opposed to the touristy barhopping on Beale Street) and it's just a really fun place.
Babalu opened an Overton Square location a few months ago. As soon as they were open for business, people were lining up for hours to eat there. Literally, hours. I've been wanting to try for a while but also wanted to wait for the hype to die down a little bit. I went last week and even at 8:00 on a Thursday evening, it was packed enough that there was a 20-minute wait for a table for two. On a Thursday!
Luckily, there were a couple open bar stools and we snagged those real quick.
I didn't sample much of the food. It's mostly tapas style with shared plates and everything looked absolutely delicious. But we were there for more of a snack and a drink. We settled on the guacamole, decided to throw in the extra dollar for bacon and jalapeños.
They make the guac right at your table. Or, in our case, right at the bar. The guy explained each of the ingredients, effortlessly hulled out the avocados, tossed and smashed everything together and - voilà! - guacamole perfection.
(I didn't think to take a pic until we'd scarfed down half. Oops! And isn't it kinda funny how something that doesn't look all that great can taste so amazing?)
It was de.lish. The bacon gave it a hint of smoky flavor and the jalapeños were a good idea as it was still super mild -- not sure how mild it would've been without them. It was also a huge - HUGE! - helping of guac. It could've easily fed four.
I want to go back and try more of the Babalu menu but not just because I liked the guacamole. It was the ambience, mayne. I Love Lucy episodes were projected and played silently on a wall. We saw two birthdays being celebrated -- bottles of Patron were brought out with sparklers in them. The vibe was not-too-young but still hip. Yet not so hip you felt awkward if you're a suburban mom of three who drives an SUV.
The staff was friendly. We inquired of the bartender about live music in the Square and another waiter who was close by offered suggestions as well. Much later, when we were actually leaving the Square, that particular waiter was standing outside. He recognized us, asked where we went, and how we enjoyed it. Very friendly guys.
Babalu! I'll be back!
By the way, after we left, we headed next door to
Lafayette's Music Room. We paid the $5 cover to hear the band (never did find out their name!) and snagged a table. This was my first visit to Lafayette's and, from what I understand, they're still very new so I'll just say this: the band was good. The people watching was on point. But the service was AWFUL. My friend ordered a Miller Lite, the waiter even came back to double check our order, then still brought out a Bud Light. One mistake is understandable but the waiter was also slow (again, I get it, they were slammed) and, frankly, kind of rude. It was disappointing to have such terrible service and what seemed like it could be a pretty cool place. I might give it another shot but I just keep thinking if the service was that bad on a Thursday, what's it going to be like on a Saturday night?
