Sunday, January 4, 2010
The night before the announcement was made that the Razorbacks would play in the Liberty Bowl, Jackie booked a room at this wonderful boutique hotel just across the river in Harbor Town, which really means downtown Memphis. We arrived at 2 pm for an early check-in after our second annual 8 mile Hill and Dale run at Meeman-Shelby Park. I was totally frozen when we arrived and I think suffering from minut hypothermia. Luckily in the cozy lobby of this inn, there was a fire so I stood my legs in front of it while Jackie checked in. It was about 28 degrees when we ran the race at 11 am and I was frozen solid still. Once we made it to our cozy room, I took the longest, and I hoped the hottest shower in the world, but it wasn't hot enough. I know on this blog I rarely complain about things but that hot water heater needed to be set a few degrees higher! I kept praying it would go higher but I finally grabbed the complementary robe and prayed the hair dryer would warm me up. Meanwhile back at the ranch, we hadn't had lunch yet which is a rare thing for this diabetic at 2 pm. We quickly called a cab and headed for the fabulous Felicia Suzanne's restaurant just a mile away. Yes, we could have walked but I was still frozen and it wasn't more than 30 degrees at this point.
The next morning we enjoyed the complementary breakfast at Currents, the posh French American restaurant in the hotel. We were quickly seated and welcomed with Happy New Year and offerings of fresh-squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice and coffee. On the menu were choices of their famous pancakes, french toast, eggs and bacon or sausage as well as croissants, Eggs Benedict and fruit and muffins. I ordered the eggs and grits thinking low-fat and Jackie got every diabetic's dream, the french toast. I had half my eggs and grits and just a taste of the fabulous, and I mean fabulous french toast with pure maple syrup and plated with strawberries and blueberries. Amazing. My creamy grits were that but the toast was outstanding. The views of the Mississippi river from the restaurant were beautiful.
Luckily our waitstaff knew to keep that coffee coming and it was good but not as strong as I'd prefer. In the wonderful rooms at the inn, there isn't a coffee maker but coffee is available on each floor, with all the amenities, in the reading room area by the elevator. Our floor was out of regular twice when I visited it that morning but had plenty of decaf. After a night of not sleeping, I needed the regular. The amenities were perfect but I wanted that room cooler and ran the fan all night hoping for some shut eye.
Overall, the River Inn is the best place to stay downtown. It definitely competes with the Madison, the Westin, who had rates as high as $300 that night, and of course, the legendary Peabody. It is situated within a half block of Miss Cordelia's grocery which is like a mini-Whole Foods right there in downtown. Currents is a must for an elegant meal. I hope to have dinner in this restaurant soon. By the way, our room was $169 via Travelocity including breakfast and free parking.
River Inn, 50 Harbor Town Square, Memphis 901-260-3333 www.riverinnmemphis.com
The River Inn
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