Memphis BBQ - Report

I visited Memphis over the 4th of July holiday and tried the ribs and pork sandwiches at both the Rendezvous in downtown and Payne's near Graceland. The ribs at the Rendezvous were beyond dry and I could only taste the heavy spice rub which included LOTS of garlic, onion, and oregano. The sandwich was unremarkable - instead, order a large side of baked beans. Payne's ribs were huge and moist and worth the trip. The sandwich (get the jumbo) was right on the mark. A hidden gem for wet ribs is the Superior restaurant on Beale St a few doors down from The Pig on Beale. The ribs go through several cooking styles and in the end, you get a rib that is so moist that you can suck the meat off the bone! They also have the best happy hour prices for Big Ass Beer!

I completely agree about Paynes. Undeniably the best Pulled Pork bbq sandwich I've ever had. I never tried their ribs, but their bbq beans were amazing too.

I had mixed feelings about the Rendezvous. I was there in 1999 and it really wasn't that memorable

Everyone has different tastes. Our family loved the ribs at the Rendezvous. It seemed great to eat some well flavored ribs without them swimming in all that sweet sauce! We had a terrific waiter and it was a fun evening with lots of good food as far as we were concerned.

quote:

Originally posted by Greymo

Everyone has different tastes. Our family loved the ribs at the Rendezvous. It seemed great to eat some well flavored ribs without them swimming in all that sweet sauce! We had a terrific waiter and it was a fun evening with lots of good food as far as we were concerned.

I don't think it is taste. I've found the Roundevous to be, simply, inconsistent.

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

Originally posted by Greymo

I've found the Roundevous to be, simply, inconsistent.

I found the Rendezvous to be, simply, overrated. I ate there twice, and I thought it s*cked.

I didn't realize that Memphis had so many Italian joints, they have an Italian festival as well. I wish I would have checked some of them out last time I was down.

http://www.memphisitalianfestival.com/

To me, Memphis is Elvis, Sun Records, and the Rendezvous. Not necessarily in that order.

Where did Elvis eat when he was in the building?

quote:

Originally posted by John A

Where did Elvis eat when he was in the building?

Probably where ever he wished

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

rendevous in memphis
over rated
over priced
under serviced
a real tourist trap
try corky's
neeleys interstat
lots better than rendevous

Rendevous.... ate there probably 8 times. All but once it was pretty good. The one time I don't think the ribs were completely done. I ate there a week later and it was good again. The baked beans are really good and I like the slaw. My FAVORITE is the sausage and cheese plate however.

Exit #271 on I-40 near West Memphis, Arkansas..... The Roadhouse BBQ.... don't miss it. Tell DeArrius that RoadFood.com sent you.
Sign your name while you are there.

CORRECTION: It's ROADSIDE BBQ..... not house. My bad.

quote:

Originally posted by John A

Where did Elvis eat when he was in the building?

He stayed at Graceland, Took Dope and ate Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches!

You spell Rendevous....TOURIST TRAP! Might rank as the worst and most overpriced in all of Memphis.
Go to Neeleys for the real deal.

I used to travel to Memphis fairly regularly on business in the 90's and usually stayed at the Peabody Hotel which is right across the street from the Redezvous and I would eat there often. I thought their ribs were pretty good..different with the dry rub, not as good as Williams' Smokehouse in Houston which may be the premier ribs in the country, but still pretty good. I brought back a couple of slabs with me on the plane once and couldn't eat them all. I made the mistake of letting the dog have them and she choked on a bone sometime in the night and died. That's been 15 years ago and my wife still hasn't forgiven me. However, during my tenure in Memphis I did find a BBQ restaurant that I thought was among the best in the country, Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue on 3rd St. Their pork sandwich with its cole slaw topping and tasty BBQ sauce is fabulous and their ribs are good also.

We've eaten at Rendevous, thought it was pretty good, but last time we were down there, we went to Central BBQ on the recommendation of a local friend, and it blew Rendevous away. Same style, dry rub, but the ribs were really tender and incredibly flavorful. My husband and I split a full rack and had mac & cheese (also very tasty) and good spicy beans and sweet tea to go with. I think they may even have a sausage and cheese plate, but I was so focused on the ribs, I could be wrong.

I am relocating to this area. I will try Neelys and Central soon.
Thanks for the tip.
Cheezburger

Tried interstate BBQ today. It was ok but not to my liking. As someone said earlier it's all in the matter of personal taste. They were more moist and better price than Rendevous but I like to put my own sauce (spicy). Interstate was served with it already on and it was a bit sweet.
Next up will be Central BBQ..... it is fun exploring.
cb

Get to Payne's for a sandwich and A&R for a plate. Cozy Corner for anything including barbecued Cornish hen. Memphis has much to offer.

Has anyone ever tried "Leonard's" on Main St.(downtown)? A few pals and I have lunch there together every so often. You can order a BBq sandwich or order the BBq buffet. Lots of locals have lunch there (from businessmen/women, students, families) and it's fairly inexpensive, less than 10 dollars for the buffet (which has a nice selection of meat and side dishes like greens, beans and rice, macaroni and cheese, whiskey pudding, butter roll, etc. and a salad bar).

http://www.leonardsbbqdowntown.com/

I think maybe it's a matter of taste and the region in which you first grew to love ribs...

I am a Memphian and grew up on Memphis BBQ of all kinds. We have almost as many BBQ restaurants in town as we have churches (both can pretty much be found on every corner), but no matter how many places I try, Rendezvous' ribs are still my favorite. By FAR!

Yes, their pulled pork is just so-so, but as for their ribs...well, before you judge the Rendezvous' ribs as mediocre or worse, think about this: maybe it's Memphis-style ribs in general you don't like. (And if you tried other ribs in town that you thought were much better, realize this--not all ribs in Memphis are cooked in the Memphis style.)

Just a thought...

quote:

Originally posted by arbolton

I think maybe it's a matter of taste and the region in which you first grew to love ribs...

Excellent post! I was born in Mphs but left at 4 and didn't return until after college, in '67. You're very much on target; in fact, a Leonard's was built on the lot we had lived on, Park and Watson, after our house was moved away.

But I digress. Memphis, or West TN, is still my benchmark. Not because it's necessarily the "best," though I think it is, but simply because it's what I first tasted.

And is Loeb's still in business?

Just returned from Memphis and would like to add a couple of places I really enjoyed. One is Tom's BBQ and Deli on Getwell, not far from the airport. Good food and he even gave us free samples. The other is Germantown Commissary. Don't remember the address but this is a don't miss. Very tender pulled pork and not drowning in sauce. Try the meal that comes with slaw, deviled egg and beans. Probably the best BBQ I've ever eaten.

Took a BBQ trip several years ago and made sure we hit Memphis on the way to Kansas City.....Could have gone via a Southern route and maybe hit Texas, but chose to go up to Memphis and then on to Kansas City... Big mistake. Caught incredible flack from those Memphis people when I posted and said we had better "Q" in Florida! Now, Kansas City..That was a different animal. Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Ave in Kansas City, MO..The best I have ever had. Truly amazing.

We went to the Rendezvous in Memphis and were astounded at the volume of business that guy does..Even on a Thursday night. The ribs were so dry I just could not understand what all the fuss was about. But, I just enjoyed watching all the money this guy was making (the place seats over 500!) and his amazing ventilation system that rose up from the basement through the sidewalk at the front entrance and on up to the top of this 3-4 story building. The smoke coming from this place was all over the entire block!

The guy took convection ovens, removed the bottoms and converted them to charcoal fired cookers. Then he puts them in the basement. He does absolutely nothing to the ribs, but throw on some dry seasonings. If my memory serves me right, what he did was take 30 lb boxes of frozen slabs of ribs and throw them into these ovens on the top shelves to slowly defrost, break apart and start cooking. Then the guys would move them around till finished. Talk about an easy operation!

But, how do you rate these ribs? They are not BBQ ribs..They are charcoal ribs. I don't think anyone else in the country makes them like this. The sides were ok.

We also went to Interstate and I'd rate that a C compared to either Arthur Bryant's, Bob Gibson's (Decatur, Alabama), Sweatman's (Holly Hill, SC) and Tom Jenkin's (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.) True BBQ joint, but I did not like their sauce; I should have asked for the ribs dry. The baked beans were terrific. Never got to Cozy Corner (was supposed to be very good) or Corky's.