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Take heart; there is hope.
Memphis Mae's restaurant in Croton on Hudson is sure to lift the spirits of homesick Southerners. Perhaps the regionally diverse selection of smoked delicacies will lead one to conclude that such diversity can only mean mediocrity - who, after all, can succeed in properly smoking and serving Memphis Style ribs, North Carolina BBQ, Texas brisket, pulled chicken and cooking up sides such as baked macaroni and cheese, steak chili and cornbread? The answer is, quite simply, "Memphis Mae's." They do it all right, and one bite of the smoky delights will transport your soul back home.
Lunch portions are reasonably priced and reasonably sized. The dinner platters at $15.00-$22.00, while capable of inducing sticker shock in folks accustomed to dining in cinder block eateries on country roads, are also able to fill two adults to capacity - in other words, go with a friend and split a meal. Their signature dessert is banana pudding, and yes, they serve iced tea "the right way" (it is likely the only restaurant in the area other than McDonald's that serves sweet tea). The decor is pleasant if not a bit edgy by southern standards, and the staff is kind and courteous.
While this reccomendation is intended to console displaced southerners, it should also serve as an invitation to all of those northerners or westerners out there who just "don't get" the south. One trip to Memphis Mae's, and you'll be plotting your path to warmer climates (where folks might sound a little funny, but the food sure does make you happy). The restaurant also boasts an extensive list of brews that one can typically only find hundreds of miles south of the Mason Dixon line. The owners, one a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and the other a Greek American businessman, have managed to pull off what most would consider impossible - a true taste of the south in the middle of Westchester County.
Memphis Mae's is comfort food at its finest.
