Sauces - Mojito Bar Extraordinaire

Location: 95 S Main St. Memphis, TN 38103
Phone Number: (901)473-9573
Cover Charge: N/A
Food: Seafood, Salads, Sandwiches, Sauces - Menu
Entertainment: Music, WiFi
Crowd: Varied, Casually Fancy
Service: Wonderful
Cleanliness: Very Clean
Drink Specials: $7.75-$8.75 Mojitos
Smoker Friendly: No
Review: For those who don't know, a mojito is mixed drink made from rum, sugar, lime, mint, and carbonated water, and Sauces pretty much specializes in making the perfect one. They have a selection of about 10 different types of mojitos ranging from the standard "10 Cane" to a "Spiced Peach" or a "Pomegranate" mojito and they all sound and look delicious.

I originally heard about Sauces from my girlfriend. She had a girls-night here and immediately insisted afterwards that she and I take a night to visit it. Prior to Sauces, my only experience with mojitos were of the pre-mixed "place in the freezer and stir" variety. I was pretty excited to give the real ones a try. The bar/restaurant is located on the Main strip and is tucked neatly in a corner of a building. They have a small delightful outside patio lit-up by white lights that could be pretty cozy and romantic during the warmer months. Inside I found a bar with a very unique theme. Contemporarily-decorative lights hang from the ceiling and give the room a soft feel while featured local artwork hangs from the deep red-bricked walls. I quickly got the impression that Sauces appreciates all forms of modern art.

The room felt relatively tight and small, maybe a little crammed. Candle-lit tables lined the walls and were situated pretty close together, and I wasn't sure where we were going to sit or if we'd even have enough privacy. The hostess then led us to the back of the room, down a set of stairs, and into a whole new room with larger tables spread further apart. We didn't sit at the bar, but I need to describe it because it really was fascinating. The first thing that caught my eye was the variety of colors. Sharp but soft greens, blues, reds, and yellows dressed the bar, the bottles, and the walls. The backdrop was a white opaque wall, but behind it was a red light that gave the appearance of tasteful graffiti. They put a lot of good work into making the entire bar eye-catching.

Another thing that caught my eye was the artwork. My girlfriend informed me that the paintings on the walls came from local artists. She pointed out the small tags hanging from the corners and told me that they were also for sale. I think that's a pretty cool way to help support the local art scene. Most, if not all of the paintings were beautiful and gave their own little 'flavor' to the room. Having a drink at Sauces is almost a two-in-one because you're not only drinking, but you're also at an art gallery.

We were then seated in the back of the room at a nice table and had a good view of the room. I had a peek at the online menu earlier in the day, so I knew what I wanted. I ordered the "10 Cane Mojito" and my girlfriend asked for the "Mango Mojito." We also ordered entrees: crab cakes for me, mahi-mahi for the girlfriend. The drinks took a while to come out, in fact, the food came out before the drinks. But that's to be expected when the food takes a speedy five minutes to come out. The food was absolutely amazing. My crab cakes were drizzled with one of their signature sauces that gave it a nice spicy kick. The mashed potatoes and veggies came as a side and were delicious. I'm not here to review the food, I just want to point out that if the food tastes that good, the same can be expected of the appetizers, which most people order when out for drinks.

The drinks finally came out and were almost a work of art themselves. No pre-frozen mixed mojitos here - they make them the authentic way, mint leaves and all. Just looking at the picture makes me want another one. Served in a tall glass with ice, mine was very fresh and flavorful. I sampled my girlfriend's mango mojito and it had a nice hint of mango flavoring to it, but it didn't take away from or overpower the "mojito" minty-lime taste. The drinks didn't taste strong at all, but after I had a few sips I could tell that they didn't short-change me on the alcohol. These were very well-mixed drinks. I didn't get to experience it since we were sitting downstairs, but I can imagine the process of making a well-mixed mojito is fun and entertaining to watch, since there are so many steps involved.

The night was very fun and relaxing. Soft modern music was playing in the background, and though the room was filled with people, there was not a lot of loud background noise. Our waitress was very friendly and non-intrusive. I can guarantee that I'll give Sauces another visit, but sadly I don't have a weekly hankerin' for mojitos, so I highly doubt I will be there frequently. However, it is an awesome specialty bar that literally portrays the contemporary art-culture of Memphis.

Anything Else: They have a full bar if mojitos aren't your thing. Open at 11 mon-fri, noon on sat and sun, brunch on Sunday and live music from 4-7.
Website: http://www.saucesmemphis.com/