Alebrije Mexican Street Food
Chef Edgar Victoria has many vivid memories of his childhood in Mexico City, like his amazement watching a taquero make carnitas tacos in a bright copper pot, the fat dripping down his arm as he went ...
Memo's Mexican Kitchen
"We appreciate your patience, Katie Murillo said, as the guests at the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration waited between courses. We had just finished our tamales and were anxiously awaiting the mole. "The mole, his grandmother's recipe, is made with 75 spices and Memo has spent the past 3 days making it."
It did not dissapoint. The chicken fell off the bone and was the perfect foil for the dark brown, spicy sweet sauce atop it. It was served with a yellow rice that tasted like no other rice I've ever had. The beef tamales that preceded the mole, were tender and moist. We washed the food down with Sage Margaritas, Palomas and big mugs of Modela Negro. The food, and the entire evening, was clearly a labor of love by Memo and wife, Katie.
"Memo" is Guillermo Murillo. He was born in Yurécuaro, a town located in the region of the Chapala cienega of the state of Michoacan, Mexico. Food inspired Memo from a very early age. He learned to cook from both of his grandmothers, Aurelia and Casimira, who were fabulous cooks.
At the age of 15, Memo immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream. He started as a dishwasher in Peoria, Illinois, then worked his way up to a prep cook and learned the complexities of cooking in a Mexican restaurant. In 2006, Memo moved to Tennessee and worked as a part-time server at El Rey Azteca in Mt Juliet. In 2017, Memo with help of wife Katie, purchased El Rey Azteca and turned it into a fresh, new restaurant now known as, Memo’s Mexican Kitchen.
The menu is inspired by traditional family recipes and current culinary trends. Isabel, Memo’s mother is the inspiration for the food served at Memo’s Mexican Kitchen. Her spicy sauces and delicious dishes are the foundations of the Memo’s Mexican Kitchen.
The Day of the Dead holiday (which was the inspiration for their new logo) is a symbolic and important day for the restaurant. We joined them for their second Annual Dia de Muertos which celebrates life by remembering those who've died. We were seated at a table with a father and son, who had just lost their mother and wife to COVID, and who were the guests of Memo. The couple dined there every Tuesday and got the special, whatever it was. A small shrine, or ofrenda with pictures and objects was set up to the front of the restaurant. In addition to offering and eating foods of our departed loved ones, there's dancing. A dance troop from Plaza Mariachi, consisting of men, women and children took the restaurant by storm as they moved to the beat of drums.
Dinner concluded with thick wedges of Tres Leches cake for dessert. It was sublime. We will be back soon to sample foods from the menu, or the specials of the day. Memo's Mexican Kitchen is located in a strip center in Mt Juliet. Lucky them.
Memo's Mexican Kitchen
1319 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee 37122
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