Au Fond Farmtable Opens in Cooper Young
Ben Vaughn’s new restaurant Au Fond opened yesterday in Cooper Young (right next door to his other restaurant, Grace).
The first thing I noticed about Au Fond is how huge it is. A few years ago, that block of storefronts housed a winding junk shop that hid the true dimensions of the building. The ceilings are high, and the space is sectioned into three areas: a retail / counter area, a dining room, and a smaller room in the back.
The retail operation isn’t quite up and running yet, but sometime in the next week, Au Fond will have a selection of bread, prepared foods, frozen bread dough, imported goods and cheese for sale. If this refrigerator stuffed with cheese is any indication, Au Fond’s retail area is going to be amazing.
There's one of these in heaven. There's also one at Au Fond in Memphis.
The menu is written on chalkboard-painted doors that hang above the counter. The breakfast and lunch menus are small, but everything on them looks kind of amazing. I settled on the fish and chips, and my partner in crime, Zach, got the smoked turkey sandwich and a charcuterie plate.
Charcuterie plate from Au Fond, Memphis, Tenn.
Clockwise from the bottom, you’re looking at prosciutto, sausage, homemade mustard, caramelized onions, and pork belly (which tastes like a super tender combination of bacon and barbecue). I highly recommend spreading some of the mustard inside one of the little bread pockets and stuffing some of the sausage and onions in it. Yum.
Fish and Chips
My fish and chips was delicious. The fish wasn’t fried exactly, just sort of pan-cooked, and it came resting on a massive pile of shoestring fries.
Smoked turkey sandwich, Au Fond, Memphis, Tenn.
Zach’s sandwich was served open-faced. He tried to close it and eat it sandwich-style, but there was just too much going on for that to work. After a bit of maneuvering (and asking for guidance), he took to cutting it with a knife and fork.
Au Fond is a totally different dining experience than Grace. It’s much more casual and family friendly, and the prices are quite a bit lower. Most of the breakfast and lunch offerings are between $6 and $10.
Go There:
Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (for now)
Memphis, TN, 38104
Looks AMAZING!! Can’t wait to go!
Awesome! I was just assisting in the letterpressing of Au Fond’s business cards…
I’m an Australian visitor due to make a return visit to Memphis in early July. Breakfast at Au Fond is now on my agenda!
The place may look great. I just hope they don’t run out of food after you order drinks and wait in line. Try to go early!!!! Nothing like waiting in line and not being served. There is no excuse. Should have tried to compensate the customer. Maybe apologize or something. Shame on them.