Janae asked me to go with her to Memphis Mary's in order to do reconnaissance. I'm not clear on why we needed to do reconnaissance, but I take pictures in restaurants all the time so I wasn't too concerned with the details. We told the waitstaff I write a food and travel blog. Misdirection through honesty is a specialty of mine.The food: surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting much from a lesbian diner known primarily for its happy hour and contemporary dance mix. But it's solid.
We started with the spinach-artichoke dip that comes, unusually, with chips. The chips were outstanding: paper thin, crisp, warm, and lightly salty. The dip itself was well-balanced between creamy and astringent. The portions aren't large, but I only noticed because I wished I had some more dip after it was gone.
I specially requested grilled rather than fried shrimp for my po' boy. While the waitress was reluctant, she got it done. And it was a fine po'boy, this version firmly in the tradition of unfussy food. The bread was soft, not too crusty and grilled, which was a nice touch. Rather than the remoulade most places would serve with a po'boy, Mary's just uses a generous smear of tangy mayo. 
The fries were what really had me. Wow! Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, not too oily, lightly salted...and browner, more crisp than others. I liked the size of them, too: thick, but not steak-size. Perfect proportions!
