About

Mollie Fontaine Lounge

The Mollie Fontaine Lounge, formerly The Mollie Fontaine Taylor House is a handsome example of the late Victorian idea that if one kind of decoration is good, two or three kinds will be better. Funky, Extraordinary, Eclectic, Soulful, Artsy, Avant-garde atmosphere ; like your crazy aunts place, with a fondness for Alice-in Wonderland incongruities.

Mollie Fontaine Lounge is open from 5pm “‘Til the spirits go to sleep”. There’s a full bar downstairs and upstairs serving specialty libations with sounds coming from the piano downstairs to the DJ’s upstairs - The small plate menu serves up scrumptious international dishes from Chef Karen Carrier, such as ~Avocado Tempura, Crispy Duck Spring Rolls, Hickory smoked Sliders w/ Benton’s Bacon and Gruyere, Shrimp a la Plancha and Steamed Mussels in a Red Curry Coconut Broth to name a few.

The Mollie Fontaine Lounge is like a microcosm of Memphis. white and black; gay, straight and everything in between; young and not so young; loners and groups of friends—and no one bats an eyelash about it or shows any discomfort.

In a time in our country where we are seemingly being divided, it is great to be in a place and space where everyone is embraced. This is something that I’m sure even the late Mollie Fontaine Taylor would be happy to know is happening in the legacy of her beautiful home.

This is Mollie Fontaine's. She's the new awesome friend you just haven't yet met……

It was a chance encounter in the restroom of a trendy New York City Bar. A struggling art student mentioned her love of cooking and lack of money. The other woman was a caterer in need of workers. The two exchanged names and Chef Karen Carrier never returned to graduate school. Instead she has enjoyed a varied career in food and has never regretted her decision to swap palette for palate.

Like all good southerners, she eventually returned home to Memphis in 1987 to start a family and plant the seeds for a restaurant empire.

KAREN CARRIER

Carrier launched Another Roadside Attraction Catering, the stunning revival of downtown Memphis with Automatic Slims Tonga Club (which she sold in 2008), The Beauty Shop Restautant, Do Sushi, Noodle Doodle do, The Mollie Fontaine Lounge and her newest venture – Bar-DKDC Social Club.

Critics have applied descriptors like daring, exuberant, eclectic, and risk-taking to her restaurant ventures – words that apply equally well to the fanciful fusion food, the funky decor and chef-owner Karen Carrier. Her ambitious cooking combines big Southern and International flavors – it’s what Food & Wine described as “in your face” cooking: imaginative, well-prepared, and full of surprises.