Walking in Memphis

Historian David Cohn once wrote, “The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody Hotel… If you stand near its fountain in the middle of the lobby… ultimately you will see everybody who is anybody in the Delta…” (http://www.peabodymemphis.com/) The fountain in the middle of the lobby is also the playground of the world famous Peabody Ducks, who live in grand style in their rooftop Royal Duck Palace and arrive and depart the hotel lobby via a red carpet to the tune of John Phillip Sousa’s “King Cotton March.” A trip to Memphis isn’t complete without a drink in the lobby bar while watching the ducks perform their march.

On my latest trip, however, in addition to seeing the ducks again, I was determined to find out why so many people rave about Memphis barbecue. I had been told by many that the Rendezvous (http://www.hogsfly.com/), located in a downtown alley across the street from the Peabody, was the place to go. The dry ribs (ribs smoked in a dry rub) there apparently epitomize Memphis barbecue. In addition to the dry ribs, however, closing on Sunday and Monday nights is also a tradition, which were the nights I was there. So on to plan B, Beale Street.

I had been assured that I could find wonderful barbecue on Beale Street, two blocks south of the Peabody, so after my drink in the lobby, I happily headed that direction, looking for “Pig,” which advertises itself as “Pork With an Attitude!” (http://www.pigonbeale.com/) Along the way, I got a beer from one of the many beer windows on Beale, through which the bars sell drinks to passers-by ambling down the closed-off street. I also checked out a number of souvenir shops, where I purchased Elvis postcards for the family at Tater Red’s (http://www.taterreds.com/copyright.html) and a BB King CD for me, chosen specially by the proprietor of Memphis Music(http://www.bealestreet.com/clubsshops/memphismusic.htm).

At Pig, I ordered the pork dinner, because Memphis, like the rest of the southeastern United States, is famous for its pork, as opposed to Texas’s brisket, barbecue. The dinner came with beans, coleslaw and a piece of white bread. The coleslaw was excellent—very light dressing with more of a horseradish base than straight mayonnaise. The beans and pork were a disappointment, however. The beans tasted like they had a vegetable soup base, and had no fire to them. The barbecue sauce was skimpy and the pork was. . .well, pork. After dinner, I saw a beer patio, just a shack, really, that advertised “Big Ass Beer.” So I stopped for one of those and chatted with the bartender about the redevelopment of the Pyramid sports complex, the Mississippi undertow and the West Memphis 3. Then one last Bud Light at BB King’s Blues Club (http://memphis.bbkingclubs.com/) and it was time to head back to the Peabody.

The next night it was raining heavily and the temperatures were plummeting, but that didn’t stop me from heading back to Beale Street to the Blues City Café (http://www.bluescitycafe.com/). I ate in the bar, which was very cozy on a cold and wet night. This time, I had the ribs, as Blues City is known for the best wet ribs (ribs are smoked in sauce) on Beale. The pork was as tender as advertised; it just fell off the bone, but again, the barbecure sauce was skimpy and it was pork, and I now know I’m not an aficionado of pork barbecue. The coleslaw was passable—not nearly as good as Pig’s—but the beans were truly fantastic, full of smoky, maple flavor. In addition, instead of a slice of white bread, I got a thick slab of Texas toast. According to the menu, however, “You ain’t been to the Blues City Café unless you’ve had fried pie alamode!” I was only to happy to oblige. It came in its own cast iron skillet, with the butter in the bottom still sizzling. The crust was light and doughy, almost like a beignet. Outstanding!

On my next trip to Memphis, I’m going to have those dry ribs at the Rendezvous just so I can say I’ve done it, and I’ll focus on the music a little bit more. In addition to my drink in the lobby of the Peabody with the ducks, however, I’ve also added the fried pie at Blues City Café to my list of things to definitely not miss!

-- The Commish