Judd Grisanti is just a few short weeks away from opening a restaurant that moves him to tears almost every time he talks about it.

In early September, Ronnie Grisanti’s will open at Regalia. It’s been home to Mikasa, Circa by John Bragg, Southward and most recently, Heritage Tavern & Kitchen. As the three-month remodel nears the end, it’s a new place.

2. Grisanti Son Opening Restaurant Inspired by Father - Monday, August 13, 2018

Judd Grisanti is just a few short weeks away from opening a restaurant that moves him to tears almost every time he talks about it.

In early September, Ronnie Grisanti’s will open at Regalia. It’s been home to Mikasa, Circa by John Bragg, Southward and most recently, Heritage Tavern & Kitchen. As the three-month remodel nears the end, it’s a new place.

3. Broke and Broken: Democrats Lose More Ground in State Legislature - Thursday, November 17, 2016

Tennessee House Democrats will have to start calling themselves the “Fighting 25,” down from the “Fighting 26,” after dropping a district in the battle to regain relevance statewide.

4. Nine to be Inducted Into Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame - Tuesday, July 28, 2015

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Former Associated Press executive Kent Flanagan is among nine people being inducted posthumously into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame Aug. 11 in Murfreesboro.

Flanagan spent more than 40 years in journalism, including 21 years as Tennessee chief of bureau for the AP. He died in February after a long illness.

5. Tennessee’s ‘Fighting 26’ Democrats Work to Stay Relevant - Thursday, July 16, 2015

Sometimes Tennessee Democrats must feel like a tree that falls in the forest: Does anyone hear them?

When Democratic legislative leaders called for a special session this summer on Insure Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam’s market-based plan to use federal dollars to catch 280,000 working people in a health care coverage gap, they found themselves alone.

6. Sharky's Closes Following Chapter 11 - Saturday, July 5, 2014

Sharky’s Gulf Grill, an upscale seafood establishment in East Memphis, has closed its doors.

Sharky's Gulf Grill LLC, which opened in 2009 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April, closed the restaurant in the 6,300-square-foot building at 6201 Poplar Ave. in East Memphis, which is prime commercial real estate space.

7. Sekisui, Circa to Relocate Spaces - Thursday, January 10, 2013

Two East Memphis restaurants soon will have new addresses. 

Sekisui is moving from its original location in the Shops of Humphreys Center, 50 Humphreys Blvd., into Circa by John Bragg’s space in Regalia Shopping Center at 6150 Poplar Ave., suite 122. Circa plans to relocate west to Chickasaw Crossing, 2855 Poplar, in the space where Ronnie Grisanti’s restaurant operated for years.

8. Restaurants Make Market Entrée at Crescent Center - Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Poplar/240 corridor soon will add a pair of national restaurant tenants to its already booming portfolio of dining options.

The Land Use Control Board unanimously approved in April a planned development to add two upscale freestanding restaurants to the Crescent Center office building site at Poplar Avenue and Ridgeway Road.

9. An Elusive Search for Perfect ‘French 75’ - Monday, July 25, 2011

Devotees of cocktails will argue the origins and ingredients of their favorite libations with the fervor of constitutional lawyers parsing the punctuation of the Bill of Rights. Certainly those who regard a correctly made Old-Fashioned or Floridita as a major component of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness will agree that going to the barricades to defend the purity and integrity of a cocktail merits the same iconic consideration as the image of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising Old Glory on the heights of Iwo Jima.

10. Role of Restaurant Critic: Helpful Public Servant or ‘Ignoramus with iPhone’? - Monday, June 20, 2011

Your new restaurant has been open for a few weeks. The kitchen and front-of-house staffs are working in sweet sync. Patrons react favorably to food, service and atmosphere. There’s a sense of anticipation in the dining room, and you’re taking reservations a month out. You seem to be heading toward a great success story.

11. Restaurant Uproot - Monday, June 6, 2011

If a prime time television show moves to a different day and time, there’s undoubtedly a risk factor involved.

But if the show’s good enough, it’s going to attract you, said Scott Gentleman, general manager of Jim’s Place East, who hopes that theory also holds true for a popular restaurant.

12. A Brief History of City’s Wine by the Glass Boom - Monday, April 18, 2011

First, some history:

Once upon a time, wine by the glass meant a pleasant fairly anonymous quaff that cost $4.50 or $5 and nobody had to think about a thing. The wine-by-the-glass concept was designed to provide serviceable products for diners who didn’t want to spring for a whole bottle, and other than that practical concern, it didn’t much matter what was in the glass.

13. High-Style Dining - Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Southern country club meets Manhattan chic. Not exactly an everyday mix, but when designer Amy Howard set to work on the interior of John Bragg’s newly relocated restaurant, Circa, she wasn’t aiming for ordinary.

14. 21 Chefs Tasting to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy - Monday, January 31, 2011

Chef John Bragg of Circa Restaurant will host 21 Chefs: The Great Chefs’ Tasting Feb. 13 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave.

15. As Calendar Turns to New Year, Recipe for Success Unchanged - Monday, January 3, 2011

It takes a particular poverty of the imagination to quote the opening of “A Tale of Two Cities” every time one writes a story summing up a year, and yet 2010 truly does seem as if it were “the best of times and the worst of times” in the local restaurant business.

16. When One Door Closes, Another Opens for Vaughn - Monday, December 27, 2010

“By Jan. 2, there will no vestige of Grace,” said Ben Vaughn.

When Vaughn announced two weeks ago that Grace, his restaurant in Cooper-Young, was closing, it seemed like a throwback to the bad economy days of 2009, especially combined with other recent closings.

17. Three Popular Restaurants Undergo Notable Changes - Monday, November 1, 2010

In 2008 and 2009, restaurant news tended to be depressing because it usually involved restaurants that were closing, sometimes old favorites.

Today’s news, however, deals with moves and additions.

18. Circa Slated for Regalia Space - Friday, October 1, 2010

Circa by John Bragg restaurant plans to open its East Memphis location at Regalia shopping center, Boyle Investment Co. recently announced.

19. Although Important, Chef’s Name Comes Second to Food - Monday, August 9, 2010

Every restaurant has a cook or chef in the kitchen, but how many diners know the name of the person cooking their lunch or dinner? How many give a hoot?

With book deals, food magazines, television shows and restaurants with PR staffs, the past decade has seen the rise (and frequently the fleeting fame) of the celebrity chef. Not that there’s anything wrong with the recognition and rewarding of genius, though sometimes, let’s admit, we just want a quiet, satisfying meal without the sense of hushed worship.

20. Shelton Clothiers Opens Women’s Store - Friday, March 19, 2010

Thomas and Christine Shelton will open CHRISTINE by Shelton Clothiers this spring at 119 S. Main St. between the Center for Southern Folklore and Circa by John Bragg.

21. Events - Thursday, March 18, 2010

Trace Hallowell, founder of Tactical Magic, will speak on the topic of “Strategic Branding at the In-Synk Strategic Huddle” today from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Independent Bank, 6209 Poplar Ave. Tickets are $39 for Strategic Huddle members and $49 for nonmembers. To register, visit in-synkbrandinghuddle.eventbrite.com.

22. Events - Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Center City Development Corp. Board of Directors will meet today at 9 a.m. in the CCC conference room, 114 N. Main St.

23. Events - Friday, February 5, 2010

The Memphis Zoo will host a Valentine’s Dinner today at 6:30 p.m. at Teton Trek’s Great Lodge. Cost is $125 per person and $1,000 for a private table of six. Chef John Bragg of Circa will prepare the meal. For reservations, call 333-6572.

24. Main Street’s ‘Big Hole’ Reaches Symbolic Milestone - Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Today’s topping off ceremony for what once was a giant hole at 100 S. Main St. represents a milestone. By next summer, the property will be the site of a parking garage and 92 apartment units.

25. Events - Friday, September 25, 2009

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will host screenings of John Michael McCarthy’s film “Cigarette Girl” today and Saturday at 1 p.m. at the museum, 1934 Poplar Ave. Cost is $5 for members and $7 for nonmembers.

26. Circa by John Bragg Honored by Food & Wine - Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Circa by John Bragg has been included in Food & Wine Magazine’s online listing of America’s “Best Places to Eat.”

27. Events - Thursday, August 27, 2009

The American Advertising Federation of Memphis will host a luncheon today at 11:45 a.m. at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. Michael Gass, author of “Fuel Lines, Fueling Agency Business” will discuss the concept of fueling business through social media. Cost is free to members, $25 for nonmembers and $10 for students. To register, visit www.aafmemphis.org.

28. Events - Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Memphis Area Women Business Owners will hold a wine and cheese mixer today from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Napa Café, 5101 Sanderlin Ave., Suite 122. For reservations, e-mail Tess Bear at nawbotreas@yahoo.com, Nita Black nitab@memphisoriginals.com or Alandas Dobbins at alandas@nsightmemphis.com.

29. Events - Monday, March 9, 2009

The Engineers’ Club of Memphis Inc. will hold its weekly meeting and lunch today at 11:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. Will Moore of Atkins Capital Management LLC will present “Positive Things in Memphis.” Cost is $14. No reservations are required.

30. ‘The 3 Course Feast’ To Benefit UCP - Friday, January 2, 2009

John Bragg, chef of Circa, and United Cerebral Palsy of the Mid-South will partner for the traditional charity food event, “The 3 Course Feast,” at the end of January.

31. Avery Joins Southwest As Information Systems Director - Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Jim Avery has joined Southwest Tennessee Community College as executive director of information systems.

32. Events - Friday, June 20, 2008

The Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence will host “Telling Your Story: Communications for Nonprofits” today from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Assisi Foundation of Memphis Inc., 515 Erin Drive. For registration and cost information, visit www.npexcellence.org, call 684-6605 or e-mail adeberry@npexcellence.org.

33. River Oaks to Replace Cockeyed Camel at Junction - Tuesday, January 24, 2006

John Bragg's restaurant may still be under construction, but the neighborhood he's chosen is definitely established.

River Oaks by John Bragg is scheduled to open in February in a 2,800-square-foot space that used to house the Cockeyed Camel at Poplar Avenue and Interstate 240. It shares parking space with Park Place Hotel and will be able to seat 99 diners.

34. Archived Article: Newsmakers - Wednesday, April 14, 2004
The Daily News has hired Don Fancher as the Advertising Sales Director

Baptist-DeSoto Names New Administrator

Randy King was named administrator and chief executive officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto. He was previously vice president ...