The eagerly-awaited opening of Restaurant Iris at its new location at 4550 Poplar Avenue in the Laurelwood Shopping Center took place today, October 3rd.
The restaurant, the epitome of an elegant contemporary restaurant, opened at 11 a.m. for lunch. The restaurant, which is probably more than twice the size of its old location, now occupied by Pantà, is at the old location of The Grove Grill.
Russell Casey is executive chef of the restaurant, which is owned by Kelly English. Casey said in an earlier Memphis Flyer interview, “We’re going to do classic New Orleans cuisine. Think Galatoire’s with my footprint, hand print, whatever you want to call it, all through the menu.”
A menu item closely related to what Casey does is his pan-seared flounder with lima beans, succotash, béarnaise, and jumbo lump crabmeat.
According to marketing director for Iris Group LLC Caleb Sigler, lunch, with a menu that will expand in the coming weeks, will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week. A brunch menu will be featured on Saturdays and Sundays.
Dinner reservations are now available online, restaurantiris.com, for Friday October 7th and Saturday October 8th. Additional dinner reservations will be added in the coming weeks.
And, Sigler says, “Bar menu will be available all day starting October 10th. Bar menu will include a handful of classic Restaurant Iris favorites (ravioli, lobster knuckle sandwich, etc.)
The spacious bar and oyster bar are off the main dining room.
Ann Parker and her team at Parker Design Studio designed the interior. The elegant-looking restaurant features a green-and-white mosaic floor at the entrance into the main dining room with its serpentine booths. Italian glass fixtures resemble colorful balloons because of the light bulbs that are run by an LED lighting system. They feature the full spectrum of colors, which are manipulated at a control panel off the main dining room.
The restaurant also has four private dining rooms that can accommodate both small or large groups.
