Chef’s Straight Out the Pot: Downtown Memphis’ “Real Deal” Eatery

A new restaurant is headed to downtown Memphis . Chef’s Straight Out the Pot will soon open at 260 Poplar Ave .

While owner and Chef Reuben Criswell is targeting a May 2024 grand opening, this date remains tentative. He originally planned to open on Valentine’s Day but has encountered delays due to ongoing issues with the city and his landlord.

Chef Criswell is no stranger to the culinary scene. Beyond this upcoming restaurant, he’s served as a traveling chef for Hyatt, was the inaugural chef at a now-shuttered Holiday Inn Express, operated a solo restaurant, managed a family eatery, and catered banquets.

The menu at Chef’s will showcase a variety of Cajun-inspired dishes. Diners can expect classics like red beans and rice, jambalaya, freshly baked catfish, and breaded shrimp. “Everything’s gonna be fresh,” Criswell promises. Additionally, he plans to introduce a “soulful buffet” during the eatery’s second week in business.

While Cajun cuisine takes center stage, Chef Criswell will also offer Philly cheesesteaks and prime rib sandwiches. When asked about the difference between the two, he quips, “It’s just as much difference in those two sandwiches as a man and a woman, idiot. A Philly cheesesteak has… meat, cheese, and onions; a prime rib sandwich has lettuce and tomato. One has white cheese, one has yellow… I’m doing a real prime rib that’s been smoked on the grill for about three hours… Mine is the real deal.”

Chef Criswell’s dedication to authenticity ensures that when Chef’s Straight Out the Pot finally does open its doors, downtown diners will be treated to nothing less than “the real deal.”

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