Rate-A-Restaurant, #95 in a series

Restaurant: Memphis

Location: 6541 Hollywood Blvd. (Hollywood)

Type of restaurant: Southern



We stipulated: It was the last day of our vacation -- and we were Evan-free! Maria and I decided to catch a movie ("Thank You For Smoking") and try a new place for dinner. Memphis was on Open Table (Maria's obsessed with collecting points), and I was curious about the old Victorian mansion it was located in. Plus, for some reason some Southern food sounded really appealing that day.

They stipulated: Some luck in finding the place. The Victorian is actually set far back from Hollywood Blvd., so you'll miss it if you're not careful. I had actually never even noticed the place, even though I'm sure I've passed by it a hundred times. ALSO: I've never seen a restaurant as strict with seating as Memphis. Party of two? Nope, you're not going to be seated at a table with more than two chairs. It doesn't matter if your table blows, and there are plenty are larger tables sitting empty. They're not going to move you.

What we ordered:Mike: Louisana Catfish ($19); Maria: Free Range Fried Chicken ($21). Appetizer: Potato Crusted Calamari ($12)

High point: The free bread was pretty good, especially with the flavored "barbecue butter." The old house (once a school) was also pretty cool -- you did feel for a moment like you were in New Orleans.

Low point: Where to begin? The service was the worst I've had at any Los Angeles restaurant in years. The hostess was snooty when we walked in the door. The waitress also harbored a nasty attitude -- refusing to move us to a bigger table even though our small table was in an awkward spot (smack dab between two rooms -- we felt odd) and kept wobbling. There were plenty of empty tables, but she said we could only move to another 2-person table -- and those were full. A moment later, a couple came in and -- you guessed it -- were seated at one of the bigger, empty tables. Even after we'd ordered -- and even after we had our food -- the waitress also kept asking, unprompted, "What can get you?" (Uh, we didn't say we needed anything! We're fine, thanks.) Oh, and the catfish was too bony.

Overall impression:Supreme disappointment. We wasted our one evening away from Evan at this place -- and plunked down a pretty penny as well. On the bright side, the portions are big enough that we had some chicken left over for the next day. But that was the only bright side.

Chance we will go back: Not a chance.

Pic from Gridskipper. (Check out Rate-A-Restaurant for a full roster of our restaurant reviews.)