Tonica — Restaurant in Memphis

Our friend told us to try this place because they really like it. We went Sunday for brunch. We sat at the bar because the other option was the back room at a table, but it wasn’t as nice as the front room. Plus we thought we would get more attentive service at the bar. It took a long time for the bartender to get to us at first, she didn’t introduce herself just asked us what we wanted to drink. We didn’t know what to try, so we asked her recommendation. She didn’t really give us much, just recommended the brunch drinks on the menu. My husband was like, “I like bourbon drinks, and I don’t really see anything on there that I would want.” She finally recommended one off the dinner menu. I ordered the espresso infused gin and tonic off the brunch menu. Got the drinks. We traded because espresso infused gin, should not be put with tonic, in my humble opinion. The whiskey drink was DELICIOUS! Again we asked for recommendations on brunch options, she gave several, so we ordered them. I got Shrimp and Grits, we got the Pork Empanadas and then also a Chorizo Hash. It took a while for the food to come, and as soon as it did….I have a smell for over cooked shrimp…literally when shrimp is over cooked it has an ammonia-y smell, and instantly that’s what I smelled on my dish. It ruins the whole thing. I have actually decided I am not going to order shrimp anymore at all because of this experience. BUT I wasn’t going to say anything, and just eat it. My husband bit into the empanadas and they were cold. It took her a long time to check on us, so once she finally did we told her she had to take them back to get them recooked. As soon as that happened she came back and, I found a hair in the shrimp and grits. 😫 I do not like to complain! And had the dish not been over cooked I wouldn’t have, but we were just batting 1000. I didn’t get the shrimp and grits remade, because I didn’t like it. We ate the hash, it was good. The empanadas came back hot, and they were great! When she gave us the check she had only taken off the shrimp and grits. I didn’t say anything, but I have worked at very high end restaurants and it is usually the norm to comp or discount food that comes out cold. It was fine though, we paid the tab and tipped 20% but we...

Our first every visit was the last Friday night in January. Our server Matt was super nice and incredibly helpful. I have a number of dietary restrictions and food allergy issues. He verified everything with the Chef and gave us great recommendations to ensure I had a safe experience. The food was fantastic! We loved that they had creative Mocktails as well as Cocktails. The Butternut Squash Soup was our favorite of the evening. The Potatoes were a close second. They were kind enough to put the sauces on the side to accommodate my allergies. The Cauliflower was lovely and had a nice amount of spiciness. The Mushrooms had a delicious brothy sauce. The Paella was a very generous amount. We really loved the addition of Micro Greens throughout the dishes. They added a freshness, a hint of color, and were just so darn cute. The Flan with fruit was refreshing. The Basque Cheesecake was delightfully fluffy and we really enjoyed the 2 different sauce accompaniments. The Fig sauce was an unexpected treat. We enjoyed dinner so much that we decided to try them for Brunch on Sunday. The Spinach Mushroom Crepe was the best Crepe we've ever eaten! It had the delicious addition of Pine Nuts too!!! The Banana Crepe was good as well, but that Spinach Crepe was hard to compete with. The Banana Crepe wasn't as sweet as we were expecting, but that was actually a positive. The grits were a larger grit and perfectly cooked. The biscuits were a good size and a bit drier than your standard southern biscuit. Of course we got the Potatoes again too, cause how could we not? All of that was accompanied by Mimosas and a delicious Sangria. After having had both dinner and brunch there, we are happy to say we have found a...

I really liked this restaurant. The idea of a meal made totally up of tapas is a great idea. For our group we ordered a bunch to share. This included Croquetas De Jamon Serrano, Octopus, Patatas Bravas, Pimientos Albondigas De. Corero, Gambas Garbanzos, Grilled Bread and several others. Favorites were the octopus (has a very nice spice kick), pork tenderloin, lamb meatballs, gazpacho and garbanzos. The drinks were okay, but not great, including the sangria and a strange drink called an Everything The Light Touches which was not what was expected. Expected something close to an old fashioned and it is actually more of a desert drink with lots of cream and little bourbon flavor at all. What was good from a drink standpoint was the wine list. We had the Herencia Altes Garnatxa Negra, and it was excellent, especially for the price. From our group experience, skip the drinks, get a bottle of Spanish wine and you will be much happier and spend less. This is not your typical everybody get an entree restaurant, which makes it a great change of pace. Really liked it. One added complement for our server Chablis. One member of our party is allergic to garlic. Chablis made it a point to get the information on every item that either did not contain garlic or that garlic was in the sauce and could be served on the side. This made it a great experience for our no garlic...