The Grove Grill

Our original plan was to go to Napa Cafe -a restaurant close to us where we had never been, but the young woman at the stand when we walked in just looked at us. When I said we wanted a table for 2, she said they weren't seating any more people for lunch that day. Oh. I was surprised since it was noon and they serve lunch until 2, but OK. When I asked when would be a good time to come back she said, "5," but we wanted lunch. When I explained that, she suggested we try again the next day. I was left to ask why the next day would be different or if it was just as likely we'd be turned away then, too. At any rate, we decided to cut our losses and move on. If it's that hard to get seated there for lunch on a weekday, they obviously don't need us; and we prefer a restaurant that's a bit more welcoming.

We ended up at The Grove Grill. another restaurant close-by in the Laurelwood Shopping Center.

It was our first time there, and it looked like a popular spot for business lunches and lady lunches. I imagine it'd be a nice place at night for a quiet dinner date. These photos were taken from our table, trying not to get other diners in the pictures:

The menu offered a nice variety. The Husband wanted to see what their hamburger was like, and I had the club sandwich. We each had iced tea:

The club wasn't a traditional club sandwich but was chicken breast with avocado, bacon and tomato. Delicious! The staff was pleasant, welcoming, and helpful. Our total was about $33 before tip, which is a bit steep for us for lunch, but it was a nice treat. It was our Valentine's Day Observed, as it's hard for us to manage eating out on Sundays.

Yelp has a 4 out of 5 star rating with 45 reviews. Trip Advisor has a 3.5 out of 5 star rating with 50 reviews. Eat Local Memphis has a positive review and great photos of the food. The Memphis Flyer has articles and reviews. Some reviews describe it as "relaxed fine dining" and that sounds apt.

We walked to to the end of the shopping center to have dessert at Frost, a fabulous bakery where we got The Daughter's wedding cake.

The Husband got a sugar cookie, and I had a lemon bar, and we each had coffee. Really good coffee:

I can't seem to branch out. The lemon bars are too hard to resist.

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