Memphis at the Santora in Downtown Santa Ana

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Being a Native Orange County-ian, patient this is a restaurant I shamefully admit I’d never been to until last night.  Memphis is located in a very hip old section of downtown Santa Ana. The Artist District to be precise.  They have been serving up a tantalizing choice of “soul food” since 1995.  Where have I been?  I’ve missed out on this little gem for over 16 years?  Shame on me.

Memphis’ Executive Chef and co-owner, Diego Velasco welcomed our group with his latest Fall Menu item, a Crawfish Boil.  The Crawfish Boil included 1.5lbs of fresh crawfish, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes, cornbread muffins, and salad.  All served on traditional New Orleans butcher paper with lots of napkins.  It was a spicy delectable night breaking both bread and Crawfish with a group of local Orange County foodies.  The conversation turned to where these new friends loved to eat in the OC, other than Memphis.  I pulled out the iPhone and made a list, couldn’t type fast enough.  Stayed tuned, I’ll post that titillating list next week.  For now, let’s turn out attention back to Memphis at the Santora.

Would you like to enjoy experiencing a Louisiana style spread?  Chef Diego is offering his guests, in a new private area (think chefs table concept), these southern tastes and culture.  Get your group of 8-20 friends together and make a reservation. The meal runs $30 per person with one week advanced reservations required. Chef Diego has to order those special Crawfish and have them flown in from Louisiana. Good things really do come to those who wait.

The private room, with an open air patio, provides an intimate and warm atmosphere for group dining.  Come to think of it, this Crawfish Boil would be an ideal holiday gathering for a local business. Consider booking this private room today, the new Crawfish Boil is going to sell out for the holidays.

To wet your whistle, here are a few more captures from the evening:

I delighted in everything offered, including the warm beignets to finish the night. WARM BEIGNETS.  I’ll take mine with extra powdered sugar.  After tweeting about the foodie experience at Memphis, I had friends shout out to try the goat cheese salad, gumbo and crab cakes next time.

I can’t wait, hope to see your there.

Memphis at the Santora

201 North Broadway
Artists Village
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Phone 714-564-1064

Brunch Sat & Sun 10am – 3pm

Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-3pm

Dinner Tue – Thu 5pm-10pm
Fri & Sat 5pm-10:30pm

Happy Hour Tue-Sat 3pm-7pm

Late Night Menu Thu 10pm-12am
Fri & Sat 10pm-1:00am