Come Taste! And See!: Lunch at Alcenias Memphis TN.

Emily, Rebecca and I had brunch at Alcenia's a year ago. We were so impressed. It was our first Chicken and Waffles experience. Soooo good. This place is the place to go for Soul Food. BJ Chester-Tamayo is in the business of tending to customer's hungry stomachs with a heavy dose of Love. B.J. Comes out say hello to each customer with a hug and a kiss on the head. Loving on customers is the main motivation here. Ms. Tamayo suffered the loss of her only son in 1996. Alcenia's was opened in 1997 as a tribute to her mother who was a tremendous family cook, and also as a way to begin healing from the tragic death of her son.

If you are ever in Memphis you definitely should enjoy a meal here. Actually it's worth a special trip.

My choice today was Fried White Meat Chicken, Black Eyed Peas, Green Beans and Hot Water Cornbread. The coating on the chicken is super savory and crunchy. They cook your meat to order which leaves a few extra minutes to soak in the atmosphere. Every thing is served piping hot so you need to be a little patient. The side dishes are very well seasoned and the hot water cornbread is something I had never tasted til I visited Memphis. It's made with self rising cornmeal and boiling water (no eggs) fried in a skillet. Yum!

Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives was here

Bright colors and quirky designs abound here. I forgot to take a pic of the Ghetto aid....that's what it's called. It's a mix of three flavors of Koolaid and tons of sugar. Wow!