Catherine & Mary's — Restaurant in Memphis

We were walk-ins at 5:30. When we approached the hostess to inquire as to the possibility of dining we were ask if we could be done by 7:15 as they had a 7:30 reservation for the table at which we would be seated. There were 3 tables occupied at the time. We promised we would. That was the first mistake. If the business is not wanted, don't force the establishment to serve you. I will say we were treated to service by a server that was both helpful and attentive. I cannot say enough about the excellent service. It was the BEST part of the experience.

The first course was the Salumi Board which was listed as local charcuterie (duck pate, prosciutto, mortadella, and sausage), pickled vegetables (celery) with breadsticks. It was missing the usual accompaniments of cheese, fruit and toast of some kind, any of which would have been a welcome addition.

It was suggested that we order several dishes as items were served “family style”. We had the Radicchio, which was overdressed in a Caesar dressing although the flavor was good, The Brussels, a dish of shaved Brussel sprouts dressed with cheese and pepper and listed as containing honey under “burnt ends”, which were crispy leaves. We did enjoy this dish.

The Fall Squash was a dish of dressed spiralized butternut squash with acorn squash planks. While listed with white cheddar and oats, they were not detected. We did enjoy this dish. The Crispy Polenta (cubes of fried polenta) was dressed with grated pecorino. If the listed fermented honey had been present, it would have been a welcome addition. The last “Plate” we ordered was the Sunday Meatballs. These we flavorful, but dry. They were represented as being a "secret recipe". That may have been because no one has ask for it. The tomato sauce was good.

The only pasta ordered was the Gnudi. The pasta and broth were good as were the carrots. The remainder of the root vegetables, not so much.

For entrees ordered were the Lasagna was represented to be Beef Genovese, Maw Maw’s Gravy and Parmesan Fonduta. The beef was hard to find, and the dish was cooked to the point of dryness. Virtually all that could be tasted was the pasta. It could have been sauced with some of Maw Maw's Gravy. There was little flavor to the block of noodle. This was accompanied with a portion of arugula dressed with a bland oil and salt, not in that order. The side was inedible.

The Chicken entrée was no better. The roasted half chicken had overcooked white meat and undercooked dark meat. The skin was just right. The sauce served with the chicken was distracting and overly acidic. The consistency and flavor to the polenta served with the entrée was the highlight of the dish but the accoutrements served on the polenta were distracting from the side.

We enjoyed two visits to Catherine and Mary, our first...

I’m titling this one of the worst anniversary experiences we’ve probably ever had in 22 years. I will keep it short. To start the valet is not covered between the restaurant and where you drop off. It was raining and we got soaked going into the restaurant. Also, the signage is small for the restaurant and valet, we had to call to find both. Next, my wife is gluten free( gluten intolerance that makes her super sick) she stated this on the reservation and to the server when she asked for a gluten free menu. This did not happen, the wrong food, that looked similar to what she ordered( we thought) and was told by the expo was her food was delivered. We did not find out until she was 3/4 the way complete with the meal. The server and manager were great and super apologetic but this is bad. My wife has not touched gluten in 6+ years, she is now in the restroom and will be there the remainder of the night. This is not a good look for a super expensive restaurant. I have to say my food was excellent, the reason I paid for it. Best pasta, I have probably ever had. Anyways food is good despite the circumstance. Last, the valet, we give the ticket to the server to get the car. After 10 minutes or so we go to the stand to get it. The valet standing there says I’m on my way to get it. We wait another 20 mins and still no one has come back. At this point we are worried. We finally see the other valet who tells us that the guy has lost our fob and is looking for it. The guy who lost the fob finally comes back and admits this to us. Don’t forget it is still pouring down rain. I go with no umbrella to retrace his footsteps. Needless to say in the half mile between the lot they park the cars and the restaurant we do not find it. Long story short, we have friends on the way to bring us another key, and I happen to find it using the flashlight I have after an hour and a half search. The owner of the valet service was spoken with and was planning to buy a new fob, but just know if you valet here that they park your car in a gravel parking lot that is unattended a half mile from the restaurant. The car is dirty and again a half mile from the restaurant. To end I will probably order pasta Togo sometime, but will probably never be back. Also, the atmosphere was kind of boring, definitely not a...

We had a great meal at Catherine and Mary’s on our last night of a four night stay in Memphis. It’s fine dining for sure, in a large open space with a sort of deconstructed ceiling and columns which create a cool open atmosphere.

Everyone was dressed much nicer than us. We just come from a full day of touring around town and were too hungry to go back to hotel to change. We walked in and said “Hi we don’t have a reservation, are under dressed for this place, and we’re starving.” They quickly responded “We don’t have a dress code and are happy to see you.” They seated us right away on a night that was already super crowded…made us feel quite welcome.

We started with the impressive Pickle Plate which included watermelon, celery, pickles, onions, pickles, apricots, pickle, cauliflower and green beans. Everything was pickled! I really enjoyed the pickled pickles, and the pickled watermelon were very unique! My wife’s favorite was the pickled cauliflower which was prepared with yellow curry.

We also shared a brussels sprouts side) They had good, perfectly cooked texture with some lovely crispy fried bits as well. As served, this was definitely saltier than it needed to be. We have the cheese sauce served on the side to accommodate a non-dairy eater in our party, and when the brussels were mixed with the cheese sauce, it definitely helped temper the salt a bit.

I had Francobelli Pasta (postage stamp shaped and sized ravioli) stuffed with all kinds of fresh vegetables and served with leeks and other items. This was very fresh tasting and the plate size was plenty for me as a main couple with the the other dishes we had ordered. The lemon flavor was the most prominent in the dish

This was a lovely last meal in Memphis and a great and comfortable fine-dining spot...