Nothing Fancy, Just Homemade Mortimer's delivers basic, reasonably priced fare in a neighborhood setting. by CAROL BOKER We walked in the door and immediately sensed a scene from Cheers, the place where "everybody knows your name." Patrons sat at the oversized, U-shaped bar. A few feet away, a stuffed moose head, sporting a pipe between his teeth, greeted us at a cozy seating area by the fireplace. The atmosphere felt comfortable and rustic at Mortimer's. The dark wood reminded us of a warm, "manly"-type establishment. Even though Mortimer's has graced 590 North Perkins (just off Sam Cooper) since 1981, none of the four of us had ever eaten there. We found the large crowd at lunch to be an encouraging sign. One of the waitresses seated us at a wooden table and chairs in the large dining area and handed us menus. A smaller room nearby, decorated in paintings of famous golfers, held the overflow of diners on this particular Wednesday. We discovered later that the father of Mortimer's owner, Sara Stewart, started the FedEx St. Jude Golf classic. He also owned the Knickerbocker, a famous restaurant on Poplar that served customers until 1987. Mortimer's menu reflects some of the Knickerbocker's recipes. We found ourselves chatting loudly due to the buzz of conversation all around us and the lack of soundproofing from the wooden walls and brick flooring. It took a while to get service, but once we ordered from the friendly, apologetic waitress, the food came quickly. I chose an oyster po'boy sandwich, while one companion settled on fresh fruit with chicken salad and another on a Southern vegetable plate. The final member of our "girls'-day-out" luncheon chose a chicken dish, Lacey's Special, but when she learned it came with a brown, rather than chicken, gravy, she opted for the pot roast. My po'boy came with tender oysters just lightly fried on a crusty warmed roll. The accompanying fries were excellent. One friend's veggie plate held fried okra, sliced tomatoes, and Italian spinach tossed with fresh garlic. She savored the potatoes with skins most of all, which were mashed just to the texture of potato salad. The pot roast, with beef gravy, carrots, and chunks of potatoes, was tender and perfectly spiced. Mashed potatoes and slightly mushy sweet corn accompanied it. The chicken salad plate, the special of the day, came with fresh fruit. Mixed with small chunks of celery, the chicken salad had great texture and a peppery flavor. We shared the custard-based French coconut pie and the Granny Smith caramel apple pie. Both desserts came warm and oozed with homemade flavors. Our lunches ranged in price from $4.95 for the veggie plate to $7.95 for the special chicken salad. On a recent evening visit, the bar at Mortimer's was crowded when we entered the restaurant for dinner. We asked for a nonsmoking table but, by the end of the evening, realized it was hard to avoid the cigarette smoke since the place is not that large. Mortimer's dining area was about three-fourths full for a weekday evening. The casually dressed wait staff again seemed bubbly and pleasant as they seated us and took drink orders. The restaurant has a small wine list with some decent offerings, many by the glass. The dinner menu consists of seafood, chicken, steaks, and a few specialties. Entrée prices range from $6.95 for red beans and rice to $15.95 for an 8-ounce filet. In addition, there are sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as a children's menu. One companion began his meal with a bowl of rich clam chowder loaded with clams, potato, and bacon. The creamy chowder presented a hint of tartness, which was a pleasant surprise. For his entrée, he chose the shrimp scampi. The shrimp, served over a bed of rice pilaf, were overcooked, making them a little chewy, but they had a delicious garlic flavor. The pilaf absorbed the tasty wine and garlic sauce. I selected the trout amandine, broiled rainbow trout basted with a lemon-butter sauce and topped with paprika, black pepper, and toasted slivered almonds. It was cooked properly, preserving the mild taste of this delicate-flavored fish. Another of our party decided on the Peel-um Shrimp, a half-pound of perfectly cooked, medium-size crustaceans served with a mild dipping sauce. It came with a side of vinegar-based cole slaw, with a slight bite, and a small bowl of red beans and rice filled with a mild sausage. Chopped onion topped the latter dish. The 12-ounce sirloin strip, less than an inch thick, was served more well done than the requested medium, but it was still tender, although not overly flavorful. It came with a baked potato and a crisp salad. My friend thoroughly enjoyed the fresh salad, a surprise because it's something she rarely eats. Homemade desserts of Kahlúa ice cream pie and French coconut pie served as fitting endings to the meal. Dining at Mortimer's offers good eats in an informal setting. With such a warm neighborhood feeling, even Norm and Cliff might show up. You can e-mail Carol Boker at letters@memphisflyer.com. Dining Notes Stompin' and Tossin' On Friday (4-11 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.-11 p.m.), Marquette Park, at the corner of Mt. Moriah and Park, turns into Little Italy. The 11th annual Memphis Italian Festival, an event established by the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Men's Club, brings together the best of Italian food, music, games, crafts, pizza tossing, and grape stomping. Grape stomping? Yes, at three different times on Saturday, local celebs will offer their best Lucy Ricardo imitation, stomping a total of about 60 pounds of grapes provided by a local producer. Although the grape juice won't result in a product worth drinking (for health reasons), everyone will have a stompin' good time. In addition, Garibaldi's Pizza will be teaching wannabe pizza makers the fine art of properly tossing their dough. Cooking teams will vie for prizes in spaghetti gravy, homemade wine, and "anything Italian" competitions; chefs from local Italian restaurants will demonstrate their skills; and lots of Italian foods -- such as toasted raviolis, lasagna, Italian spinach, spaghetti -- will be available for tasting. For more information, check out www.italianfest.8m.com. Wilderness Cook-Off As part of the annual Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival, June 2nd-4th at Agricenter International, interested parties can enter the Wilderness Cook-Offs, located next to the Toyota Biking & Camping Village. An Open Chili Cook-Off ($25 registration per team) and a Mid-South Duck Gumbo Cook-Off ($50 registration per team) will take place both June 3rd-4th. Prizes are awarded to first-, second-, and third-place winners, and first-place teams will advance to higher competition. Call 761-1739, preferably before June 3rd, to sign up. Can't Get Enough? For those barbecue lovers who haven't had enough ribs and shoulder lately, there's a new Web site to help them order some of the Memphis sauces and rubs that they love. Bruce Bolthouse, general manager of Talbot Heirs on Second Street, just started a company called Sauce of the Month. Interested parties can order sauces and rubs through his Web site www.sauceofthemonth.com. Locals represented include Dancing Pigs, Gridley's, Hog Wild, Neely's, Pig-n-Whistle, Willingham's, and Rendezvous. Items can be purchased in single bottles for $8.95, 6-packs for $39, or 12-packs for $89.95.