Author: mbarton20

Stoney River

Stoney River

Stoney River is a steakhouse that also serves seafood, salads, and other specialties. It is located in Saddle Creek, and it is a good place to have a more formal meal that isn’t super pricey. During the day, it is relatively quiet, but it can 

El Mezcal

El Mezcal

El Mezcal is a great place to eat with a group of friends or your teammates after a game. The environment is very friendly, which also means that it is quite noisy, especially during their peak hours. Also, it is very affordable. When I visited, 

The Skybox

The Skybox

Skybox is a casual restaurant, and it has a nice sports bar feel to it. They serve great food ranging from salads to fish tacos to hot dogs and burgers. Their wide range of food ensures that every friend and family member will be satisfied with their meal. They also have several TVs that are playing just about every sports game. If they happen to be showing your favorite team’s game, just ask, and they will turn it on for you. The service is very nice, and you can typically get in and out quickly. I would say it can take a while on game days to get your food as it gets super crowded, and there is sometimes a wait to be seated. The owner, John, is super friendly, and he remembers a face! I happened to go there with a friend on a Friday night and he brought our food out. The next day, my family wanted to go there, and he remembered me! Every time I go there, he makes sure to say hi and make sure that I am a happy customer.

Starters

Macaroni and Cheese Egg Rolls

This appetizer has a crunchy shell, which contrasts nicely with the cheesey macaroni shells on the inside. I was excited to try this starter after spotting it on the menu since it is unique. Overall, I thought they were decent, but they were not as good as I had expected them to be. The egg roll aspect of this appetizer has a strange greasy flavor, and the use of Cavatappi was bold. I would order this again but only when I am in the mood for something different.

Sausage and Cheese Plate

I ordered this just to see what kind of touch Skybox chose to put on this infamous Memphis appetizer. This dish included sausage, pickles, pepperoncinis, and cheese. The sausage was thick cut, and very juicy. The sausage casing was quite tough to chew. The seasoning on the sausage added a little bit of heat, which was honestly too much for me. On top of that, there were two homemade pickle spears, which were once again…too spicy for me. There were monterey jack and cheddar cheese cubes (nothing out of the ordinary). I would recommend this to anyone that likes a little kick, but by no means would I come here just for this appetizer.

Note: I have absolutely no tolerance to any level of spice or heat on food. I am aware of it being an issue. I am working on it.

Soft Pretzel

The soft pretzel is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing from here. I literally come here just to get it. Before you judge me for eating a soft pretzel, I promise you it is not like the ones from the Delta fair or the movie theater. I don’t think I realized how soft pretzels were actually supposed to taste until I tried one here. The bread of these soft pretzels is really thick but super soft and topped with salt. It is best when served hot. You should definitely come and try this…it will change the game.

Veggie Nachos

So these nachos are normally served with chicken, steak, or chili. Also, they have lettuce, pico, sour cream, queso, cheddar, and jalapeños. When I order these, I always ask for “the nachos with no meat and no sour cream or jalapeños”. No, I am not a vegetarian, not even close to one. My favorite food is literally bacon. For some reason, I prefer these nachos without meat. I also hate pico, but on this dish, it is a necessary. You can say that these nachos are out of my comfort zone, yet they are so so good. I think the queso really makes this appetizer. Although it is an appetizer, I normally share it with my friend and order a soft pretzel on the side. There’s truly nothing better than nachos and a soft pretzel!

Stone Pizzas

Margherita

I have to start off by saying that I am a true margherita pizza , and this just did not cut it. For starters, the crust reminded me of naan bread with a flowery base, which did not offend me. This pizza did indeed have pizza sauce, which automatically deems it as inaunthentic. The mozzarella cheese was shredded cheese instead of freshly sliced. There was barely any basil, and it did not look fresh. It reminded me of the Margherita pizza from Newks. I am a fan of a thin crust margherita with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil, so this wasn’t for me.

Sandwiches

Classic BLT

The BLT is as it states, a classic. This sandwich is served on Texas toast with applewood smoked bacon, fresh romaine, and Roma tomatoes. Although it seems as if this is a pretty straightforward sandwich, there are many ways in which it can go wrong (the bacon can be fake, old lettuce, bad tomatoes). Thankfully, this BLT did not have any of those bad qualities. It had a nice combination of flavors, but I wouldn’t say that I would ever crave this BLT.

Entrées

Chicken Tenders

Now these chicken tenders produce a mixture of emotions. I, personally, am not a huge chicken tender fanatic. When they brought them to our table, I was surprised at how they did not look like they had come from a frozen bag of Tyson chicken tenders. They were actually hand breaded, and it was real white meat. The breading was super crispy, so if you like a lightly breaded tender, this isn’t for you.

Sides

Fries

Okay. These fries are one of my favorite things from Skybox. They are Belgian fries with a Batonnet cut, so if you like a thicker cut fry, these are the ones for you. The breading is definitely different than your average breading, which leads me to believe they are homemade. The seasoning really characterizes these fries and sets them apart from others. They are quite salty — fair warning.

Sweet Potato Fries

These sweet potatoes were pretty average NGL. They were thick, crinkle cut, and topped with cinnamon. They are a nice substitute to fries if you are feeling sweet rather than salty. Personally, I am not a fan of cinnamon, so they weren’t for me.

Onion Rings

When you order onion rings, you honestly have no idea what you’re getting. They can be thin or thick. Light or heavy breading. Savory or sweet. These ones were thick with heavy breading. I would say that there was a 2-1 bread to onion ratio. I honestly like almost every onion ring I eat, so I was fine with them. They kind of remind me of the ones from Huey’s if you know what those are like.

BTW: When I did this review, I don’t think they had brunch yet, but they have it now. Perfect for a group who wants breakfast and lunch!