2009 GLEE CLUB Memphis Meet-Up

I do love the holy trinity of milkshakes, and so sorry about the bad pork sandwich.  Doesn't it make you sad?  It makes me sad.  :)

I just hate it when good pork goes bad. That place definately had promise. (based on looks)

Thanks for the addition TM

When are you planning to come to GA?  I will do my level best to meet up with you since I missed you at the Glee club meeting in Feb.

Saturday, February 14 (continued)

The Saturday evening meal was the theoretical "Main Event" of the weekend.  The group reconvened around 6 pm at Leonard's Pit Barbecue, which was too early in the evening for the complete darkness needed to secure this photo...



...a sign that buffetbuster regards as one of the best Roadfood signs around (IIRC, as stated in a previous thread).

Decorations around Leonard's include an antique car theme - carried over into having an actual antique car in the main dining room.



A cool sign....a funky interior design...things do look promising.



The crowd is seated around the table, and mayor al is ready at the helm to snap pictures of unsuspecting Roadfooders taking pictures of their food.

Poverty Pete decided on the buffet, and made the first move.  Really, in this group, if you're going to do buffet, you SHOULD make a bee-line to the head of the class.  You don't want to get caught behind anyone making critical buffet decisions.  Here, PP shows off his wares - I can spot wet ribs, barbecued spaghetti, pulled pork, and who knows what else?



I did the buffet, too, and all I know is that I think I made a big mistake.  Most of the buffet items were weak, at best.  From table conversation, it appears that the handful of folks who chose to order off the menu made out better than those that ordered buffet.  The key to the buffet was snagging items just as they were put out for consumption.  If you weren't on an item within five or so minutes, it just didn't click.  The menu meals all appeared to be well-maintained prior to table delivery.



Two items that I did think were winners (likely do to my timely arrival at the holding tray) were the dry ribs and the catfish.

I also secured the last piece of lemon icebox pie, which was to be my virgin encounter with lemon icebox pie.  However, there was one obstacle....



One of the annual highlights of the Glee Club meet-up is the exchanging of door prizes.  Despite the absence of the perpetual can of burgoo, the usual mayhem ensued.  While this was obviously not something voted on by the masses, I would like to award my personal Rookie of the Year Award (based solely on these gifts) to nocarolina!



Bob embraced the idea with true youthful enthusiasm.  I walked away with a great collection of jellies, honeys, sauces and such put together by the Mayor, but I was truly jealous of wanderingjew's win of Bob's gift.



Maurie and Flaurie would have gone well on my shelf with my Thomas Jefferson bobblehead doll and other assorted miscellanea from years gone by.

The group began to disperse, with a small group planning to head off to Beale Street, some making plans for breakfast and yet others saying their farewells.  Realizing that I wouldn't see ayersian (both of 'em) at breakfast the following morning - and that they had cool plans to catch a drive-in movie - and thereby not head towards Beale, we managed to secure a few minutes catching up like the long-lost, never-met friends that we always were.  Quality bonding time in the parking lot of a Roadfood event is another semi-longstanding tradition.  Sure, we didn't have Bushie hacking off bits of sausage, but the wide-ranging conversation was surely fruitful.

Running a touch later than I'd planned, I did eventually make it back to my hotel and then out to Beale to see some of Memphis' notorious well-lit neon.





Memphis really does look cool all lit up!







I am not sure if the joke here is "Best meal on Beale" or "Put some South in your mouth" - but, either way, I am too much a gentleman to make it!



With Memphis being the home of Graceland - maybe the tackiest of all tacky tourist attractions, it would only make sense to have some wonderful tacky tourist photos.



Exhausted from a long, long day, I made my way back to the hotel, bid farewell to friends, and began to pack for the next day's journey...

But I thought Dale never ate Mexican?  And I'm glad to see that i95 finally realized his dream of becoming a spokesmodel.

So did CTD challenge you to a duel of wits, Princess Bride style, for some of his lemon icebox pie?

Nancypalooza


But I thought Dale never ate Mexican?  And I'm glad to see that i95 finally realized his dream of becoming a spokesmodel.

So did CTD challenge you to a duel of wits, Princess Bride style, for some of his lemon icebox pie?

 
Wow
 
The Travelin Man has this knack for snapping some really unflattering photos of me that look absolutely nothing like me!
 
The photo of me talking to Sundancer and the one of me in the group photo at Leonard's actually looks like me!

Nancypalooza

So did CTD challenge you to a duel of wits, Princess Bride style, for some of his lemon icebox pie?

I would never make that classic blunder.  Nor would I enter into a land war in Asia.

wanderingjew

 
The Travelin Man has this knack for snapping some really unflattering photos of me that look absolutely nothing like me!
 

The camera never lies, my man.

Dale,
Trust me on this one...The Photo D O E S  look like you (probably because it IS you !!)

TTM- Nice to see the fun thru your eyes. Keep up the good (if rather delayed) work!

I'm curious as hell about that advertising sign on Beale Street.  Was it a promo for the soon-to-be-released " i95 - The Motion Picture"? ( Look for it at an IMAX theater near you. )

mayor al


Dale,
Trust me on this one...The Photo D O E S  look like you (probably because it IS you !!)

]
 
Actually, this photo looks like me- this is what I see when I look in the mirror!


 
And herre's another...
 

 
This is what I see when I look in the mirror!

TTM-
Those are some of the best photos I have seen on Roadfood in quite a while.  Absolutely gorgeous pics!  My two favorites are definitely CTD REALLY excited about his pie (as well he should be) and Senior WanderingJew!

What is up with that one advertisement?  Whatever that guy in the orange shirt is selling, I'm not buying!

BTW, I wholeheartedly agree about nocarolina's gift.  He hit a home run on his first try.  So where in your place do you have Maurie and Flaurie, WJ?

First time with Lemon Ice Box pie?

TTM, many thanks, sir, for the kind words, and I happily accept the award. As Ralph Kramden said in a classic Honeymooners episode, "I am HUMBLE!..."   "Youthful" enthusiasm?? There hasn't been anything youthful about me since the mighty megalosaurus roamed the earth ( obscure TV reference. ) 

wanderingjew


And herre's another...
 

 
This is what I see when I look in the mirror!

Dale, not to tell you your business or anything, but if you see Steve and Cliff when you look in the mirror, you might want to have the 'boundaries conversation' with them.

Nancypalooza


Dale, not to tell you your business or anything, but if you see Steve and Cliff when you look in the mirror, you might want to have the 'boundaries conversation' with them.

 
Nancy,
 
I knew I was setting myself up for this
I type very quickly, especially when I'm at work and have WORK to do!
Sometime I omit words, spell incorrectly not because I don't know how to spell, but because my fingers think faster than my brain. In addition, as you can tell from my trip reports- I don't do spell check

;)  Just picking on you dude.   Also, you might not want to use that picture on match.com.

I'm thinking this thread has enough photos of WJ.

Nancypalooza


;)  Just picking on you dude.   Also, you might not want to use that picture on match.com.

 
and why not??

I mean, unless you're looking for girls who are into surly-looking threesomes.  I'm not here to judge.

Nancypalooza


I mean, unless you're looking for girls who are into surly-looking threesomes.  I'm not here to judge.

True...
It does look like Travelin Man is ready to "rough someone up"

.......Who's the fairest of them all??

AHI MPLS


.......Who's the fairest of them all??

Too easy....

The Travelin Man

AHI MPLS


.......Who's the fairest of them all??

Too easy....

Hey, who is that stud in the Yankees shirt???
 
Ok, I'm getting a little to carried away. I took another look at Travelin Man's photos and come to think of it- everyone looks kinda warped, the food looks good though (even the stuff that didn't taste so good)
 
I'll try to add some additional photos tonight.

That's the photo from my nightstand!!!!!!

SWOON....

I will say TTM has a way with PhotoShop.  Beale has something for all, but I am not sure where a sombrero is found.  But, you all were having fun.  

Backup...looking at that picture were you in Schwab's?  Then that would explain it.  Did you get any love potions while you were there?

 

 
I've got my quotes ready. TTM: "Aaaaaaaayyyyyyy!"     WJ:"You talkin' to ME???" BB:"I'm ready to BOLT!"

susanll


I will say TTM has a way with PhotoShop.  Beale has something for all, but I am not sure where a sombrero is found.  But, you all were having fun.  

Backup...looking at that picture were you in Schwab's?  Then that would explain it.  Did you get any love potions while you were there?

Susanll, yes, we were at Schwab's. I've been there on previous visits to Memphis and I never get tired of the place. I could probably spend hours there if I wanted, in fact on my first visit to Memphis back in 1999, I think I did.

Saturday February 14
Supplemental

On our way to Memphis from Greenville, Poverty Pete  and I stopped at The Blue and White



 in Tunica Mississippi  knowing that most of the crew would be there for breakfast....Considering I had a bowl of Raisin Bran at the hotel, this would technically be breakfast #2

When we arrived, everyone else was already there....Platters of food arrived, and with the exception of



the incredibly ordinary biscuits and gravy I didn't get any photos of the other meals although I don't remember anyone being particularly impressed with theirs.

After leaving Tunica, we arrived in Memphis  Cozy Corner's parking lot in under an hour..



My sentiments on the Cozy Corner matches everyone elses. This is a "must visit" place every time I'm in Memphis

Perusing the menu




I can certain say that just about everything and anything that moves, oinks or clucks is bbq'd



even the corn and spaghetti!

They even have a wall of fame!




I read somewhere that "wrestling legend" Jerry The King Lawler gets his "Q" here too

Here's the gang anxiously waiting for their bbq to arrive..




(clockwise poverty pete, al the mayor, carolina bob, cousin johnny, buffetbuster and janet)

Finally, Cousin Johnny's meal arrives...


and it takes up an entire table!

Besides enjoying the ribs we also had




rib tips





succulently smoked cornish game hen just swimming in bbq sauce

The unique regional specialty



bbq spaghetti- good but Neely's and Interstate's are even better!

and an amazingly savory



BBQ Bologna Sandwich. This isn't your wimpy supermarket bologna, this is a thick manly, hefty hunka meat with an
assertive oinky flavor.

Our next stop




Paynes BBQ was sadly my idea...I previously visited in 2005, however I previously visited the  Lamar Ave location. This location  on Elvis Presley Blvd was the complete polar opposite of my first visit. When I first visited, the bbq pork sandwich was even better than the
bbq pork sandwich at Neeley's which I had on that same trip. This time, the pork was full of fat...
What a bummer!

However.....



the bbq beans were still fan-freakin-tastic!

After our disappointing "snack" at Paynes, the boys dropped me off at my hotel in Midtown....more photos later...

Sunday, February 15

I had an interesting dilemma.  While most folks were able to add a day or two to the front of the trip, I could only secure some extra time off on the back end of the weekend.  I was extended a very nice invitation to travel back to the Louisville area with mayor al, Janet, Demi and Duff!  After a slow departure from the hotel and an even slower rental car return at the airport, I was on my way in the Mayor's roadster.

We navigated north along interstates cluttered with trees snapped off from the recent ice storm.  Many small towns had signs thanking the National Guard and the electrical workers sent from elsewhere.  As a resident of a disaster-prone area, it was eerie to see this collection of destruction - and realize just how little national news attention it had received.  We crossed both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers at Cairo, IL and continued into Kentucky and on towards Paducah.

Without joining the group for breakfast, I was admittedly a touch hungry by the time we pulled into Paducah and made our way towards Doe's Eat Place in downtown.  I think Al was concerned that I was somehow suffering for a lack of red meat since I was unable to attend the festivities in Greenville on Friday.  Fortunately, Paducah was (kind of) on the way towards Al's homestead in southern Indiana.



You've already seen the cutie server - and the steaks, too.  Here's a couple of shots - along with my take on Doe's of Paducah.



I've been working on this style of photo, so there are probably a few more of these coming down the pike.  This, obviously, is the House Wine of the South, sweet tea.





Honestly, I thought the gumbo was fabulous.  But, as good as the steak was, I thought it was better at Doe's in Little Rock - one of the non-family owned locations.  In ranking steakhouses, I am pretty much at a dead heat on Doe's in Little Rock and Peter Luger.  The quality of the steaks was comparable, but the presentation was a little better at Little Rock.  I ordered the same meal, but at LR, the filet side of the porterhouse is served on the bone, but the strip side is served cut off the bone and sliced.  I really do like that better.  As with Luger's, they do this all the time - so, they are quite adept at removing the meat from the bone.  Me?  I struggle with it.  So, for part of the meal, I felt like I was (re)butchering the steak.

Understand, this is truly nitpicking.  Both are fine examples of a great hunk of red meat - and I would be happy to dine at either establishment again.  As Al mentioned previously, the decor and location of the Paducah location surely is a great improvement over Little Rock (as well as Greenville), but I did enjoy the charm of the somewhat more rustic feel of the Little Rock establishment.  Again - nitpicking.



I thought that the meal for the three of us (especially when you consider what we packed to take home) was downright affordable.

After our meal, we poked around the riverside area for a little while.  I really enjoyed this.



The sea wall tells a pictorial history of the town of Paducah.  It leads from pre-Lewis and Clark through modern times.  Some of the cooler panels...





I easily learned more than I ever wanted to know about Paducah - least of all that it was a boom town in the 1950s for atomic development.

I also had Al snap one picture for me...



This made me laugh because whenever we refer to one of the weak teams that our basketball teams might play, we usually call them "Sister Mary's School for the Blind and One-Legged" or "<Insert small town name here> School of Beauticiary."  I figure this is the closest thing I am ever going to find to that sign!

We then hopped back in the Family Truckster and polished off the last leg up to Louisville.

More to come...

susanll


I will say TTM has a way with PhotoShop.  Beale has something for all, but I am not sure where a sombrero is found.  But, you all were having fun.  

The "fun" photos didn't come from PhotoShop.  One of my flickr contacts had some photos on her page that she had mashed up using this site.  I will admit to finding it some kind of addictive.

buffetbuster


TTM-
Those are some of the best photos I have seen on Roadfood in quite a while.  Absolutely gorgeous pics!  My two favorites are definitely CTD REALLY excited about his pie (as well he should be) and Senior WanderingJew!

Those were two of my favorites, as well.  I do appreciate the kind words on my photos.  I guess I am the only one who knows what a truly horrible photographer I am.  This is not false humility - I just know that it takes 500-600 photos to come up with about 100 usable ones!  Then, I need to do the post-processing, too.  Many of the photos need some lighting added back in and/or tweaks to the color palette.  At the very least, a good crop can do wonders - but, I find that many of my photos suffer from what real photographers know all too well - all pictures should not be main subject in center of photo with little variation. 

Anyway, I know you guys give me a hard time about how long it takes me to get my reports done, but it is important to me to show my best work - and to do that requires some time on the back end to do editing.  I think there are much better picture takers than me on this site - and you are one of them - you can take a decent looking picture - AND get it uploaded much faster than I can.  In my mind, that means you need less editing and tweaking!  The Mayor is also very good at this - as are others - too many to name.

I currently have 81 photos (and one of those is the goofy i95 shot) posted to a flickr set from this trip.  I ended up taking around 400 total, so maybe I did a little better than my average!  I will keep adding photos to that set as this trip continues through Louisville, Evansville, and Shelbyville before I head home.