Molly Fontaine Lounge
- by Macrae Schaffler, Wednesday, September 5th, 2007
Above, an upstairs lounge area. Below, the Fontaine sliders. Photos by Macrae Schaffler.
If you have been to one of Karen Carrier’s restaurants before, you will not be surprised when you step through the door of Molly Fontaine Lounge. The old Victorian home, once Carrier’s personal residence, feels a lot like Cielo, the restaurant that used to occupy it
Unassuming from the outside, although located in the heart of Victorian Village, the space is a far cry from anything Memphis has seen in a bar or restaurant thus far. One’s first impression on entering the restaurant is that this place is destined for cool. Beautiful sketches and photographs, many by noted Memphis artists like Jack Robinson and Dorothy Sturm, clutter the walls. The furniture is vintage modern, from the faux-mink covered lounge chairs to the white Barcelona chairs on the upstairs landing. The colors are all romantic shades; the upstairs rooms are blue and fuschia with accents of black and white. There are no tables flanked by chairs as one would expect, but as the name states, this is not a restaurant - it’s a lounge.
We chose to sit upstairs on both of our visits to Molly Fontaine. There is a large bar downstairs along with plenty of comfortable chairs and side/coffee/cocktail tables, but the smaller upstairs bar and charming sitting rooms appealed to our naughty side - we felt a little like we were in on a secret by hiding out upstairs. On our first visit, we took our seats at the tiny upstairs bar. We found the wine list to be very affordable. My glass of Campanile Pinot Grigio was only $6. The bar also offers a few signature cocktails, one of which is a blueberry mojito that I highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of either blueberries or mojitos.