347- Interim

( I know, you're thinking- she just posted a restaurant review last night...but I was being lazy last night and just recycled a review from a couple of months ago but don't worry, it was like powdered milk, it doesn't go bad quickly. This is fresh, enjoy)

    When someone asked me what kind of pizza I wanted for lunch, I looked at them, perplexed. One does not just randomly get free pizza. No, one gets free pizza when someone wants something or you beg sufficently. I had not begged because I was in the middle of trying to check in 445 people in the middle of a snowstorm.
     

       Which of course meant someone wanted something...like no one goes to lunch but gets to eat pizza and be distracted from the fact that they are working 10 hours today....and sorry if your legs feel like they're about to snap and you're composing odes to the office chair sitting empty in the back, you have five minutes to enjoy your pziza and oh by the way, its freaking snowing in Memphis!


        After that fun time, having bundled up and regarding the slick street in front of us, we contemplated keeping our dinner reservation for a restaurant downtown. Then, a car skidded across two lanes and back. No one ever say Caroline and I ignore clear signs.
        
         Driving back to our little suburbia community, we discussed various choices for dinner before I used the sheer wickedness that is Urbanspoon to find a restaurant called Interim.    It had mac n cheese on the menu. We might as well name ourselves the Mackin on Cheese Girls the way we HAVE to order it when we see it on the menu.

Plus the place we wanted to try wasn't open yet.

        So, we drove in the (still snowing) dusk to arrive at the corner restaurant tucked in bustling shopping area which I have never really noticed before. Still in our frumpy uniforms, we had been given a good review from a usual diner who claimed it was a great place to take business clients. Um...Grove Grill redux?


        Thankfully not. From the waitress who seated us with a enthusiastic, genuine smile and the waitress who was super friendly but not overly familiar, we were soon settled into two a two top and discussing our random topics of work, men, friends, and work.  However, Interim does not have a cocktail list....which is always awkward as Caroline and I try to scramble to try something new without having any kind of idea what the bar is capable of making...

           Waitress was (get this) happy to help! I explained I was looking for something sweet while Caroline claimed she was looking for something fruity. She offered chocolate for me and coconut for Caroline. We were taken aback for a second because actually...yes, that's exactly what we wanted. (Mind Reading Waitresses?)

         Sure, martinis were $10 a pop but they were strong and artfully mixed. Not my favorite though and I certainly wouldn't recommend Interim for its drinks, I happily sipped my chocolate martini (much creamier than the last one I had) and placed my order.

           Since this was a rather expensive contemporary restaurant, Caroline and I agreed to both get an appetizer apiece (and split the Mac-N-Cheese one). She got the shrimp n grits while I choose Salmon Cakes. I might as well have chosen Best Thing on the Menu because god they were delicious. The macncheese paled in compassion which is unusual since it was still actually decently done. Just not as good as Salmon Cakes. Think Crab Cakes but with Salmon...mercury poisoning never tasted better.

        And then ESP Waitress offered us desserts. She did it perfectly, scoop up dirty plates, tease us with the wonders of the what the dessert menu could possibly hold and then have us simmer for a full thirty seconds before we gave in. We were tempted by the Pumpkin Vanilla Creme Brulee but with the snow and the cold, we were seduced by the word Warm next to Chocolate Cake. Really...how fair is that to the poor Brulee?

        As nice as it was to sit in a beautiful modern establishment, we were seated on the edge so my back was to the place the entire time...I couldn't turn around and look without looking like a badly dressed creeper. Besides the parts I could see were beautiful, including the silverware arrangement, flowers, napkins, and wall design.

          Hell, even the food was artfully presented- for once I fancied myself a gourmet. And then I ate it all and thought...that's why the portions in those cooking shows are always so small...I always thought Top Chefs were just pricks who wanted to keep you ordering more stuff until you finally couldn't hear your stomach growling anymore. (Seriously, I think it just might take more calories to eat those little platters than the calories actually in the food.)

          As we left, I asked to speak to the manager. Now, Caroline mentioned how funny it was to watch the service person turn white as they went off to find their boss- because it is always, usually bad when someone wants the manager...but if nothing else, I know I appreciate when someone takes the time to speak to my supervisor about my efforts and successes as opposed to my failures. I wanted to take the time to give something besides money back to a person who did their job well, made us feel welcome, and didnt mind us asking a trillion questions about insider tips. Even if your manager wears his tie tucked into his shirt. Do people really do that?

        I wouldn't recommend Interim to many people because it was more a romantic, steady mature setting then just dinner or drinks scene. However, I would recommend it to anyone who wanted excellent service and relaxing atmosphere.

    But seriously, does Memphis require Shrimp n Grits and Mac N Cheese on the menu at independent venues? Because my pants do not appreciate it.