sjs1959's Profile
Barbecue Road Trip
It's a love it or hate it situation with Payne's, it depends upon the day you're there. I like the meat but thought the sauce was syrupy sweet. Yet, I have friends and family who say it is the Holy Land of pulled pork. for my mind, you're better off going to Bar-B-Q Shop for shoulder, and Central for ribs, and just skip the Rendezvous.
If you have never tried BBQ spaghetti and think you might like it, by all means go to Interstate; they invented it.
Headed to Memphis.Help.
You're talking about Dyer's which supposedly has the same vat of lard since 1912. It's OK, not bad, nothing to write home about. You'd be better off taking the trolley to Earnestine & Hazel's and having a Soul Burger. it's at Main and Calhoun (GE Patterson) near Central Station.
Mississippi I-55 Eats?
Julep is right off 55 at Northside Drive in Jackson, you'll like it!
http://www.juleprestaurant.com/
I love to eat there when I come down from Memphis...
Memphis-Sauces
I ate there Saturday night before the Kate Campbell show at the Center for Southern Folklore. the she-crab soup was so-so, but the burger was solid. Their grouper is outstanding, by the way, prices are reasonable.
I prefer Majestic Grille, but Sauces is a fine second option if Majestic is booked.
Sunday Nights in Memphis
Are you walking or dirving? If you're driving, Central BBQ at 2249 Central has the best ribs in town, IMO, especially if you prefer dry. If you're walking and you're downtown, your best bet is the Rum Boogie Cafe at Beale and Third.
Saturday brunch in Dallas
Every year I come to Dallas for the North Texas Irish Festival, and I hit Cafe Brazil 3-4 times each visit. I would love for them to come to Memphis, but they haven't even gone to Fort Worth yet!
Gumbo in Jackson, MS
Que Sera rocks it's the best cajun/seafood place in Jackson, IMO.
Top 5 Memphis places to eat!
1. Formosa - the best Chinese restaurant in the South, IMO, try the hot & sour soup, the String Bean Chicken too.
2. Central BBQ - though you may get a better sandwich at Interstate or Bar-B-Q Shop (sorry, I don't understand the cult of Payne's) they are the best overall BBQ restaurant in America. The BBQ Chicken can be had wet or dry, and the ribs (dry, of course) are unequaled.
3. Taqueria de la Guadelupana - Anywhere I can get a goat burrito and a Mexican Coke (bottled in Mexico using cane sugar, NOT corn syrup) is great, and they have other great dishes as well.
4. Flying Fish - funky, fresh, and the best place to eat fish in the city.
5. A-Tan - not for Chinese, or for the Japanese Steakhouse, but for the sushi. Yes, rave about Bluefin or Sekisui, but the sushi is BETTER at A-Tan, IMO, and it's better-priced. It's great quality at an outstanding value, with a 5-7 happy hour for sushi each day.
YMMV.
Tunica Casinos - Where's Good to Eat?
I don't know about now, but between now and next May, they are rebranding the Grand as Harrah's, and Paula Deen is opening a restaurant there with a buffet. The decor is that is is supposed to look like her house...
I have a Carolina BBQ question...
As a Memphian, I am devoted to our style of BBQ, particularly because of sauce (Central is my clear favorite). I noticed on LAST YEAR'S segments of Feasting on Asphalt that AB was able to go into Carolina Smokehouse and get a shoulder WITHOUT sauce. Is it possible to go into one of the Carolina Que joints and get a sandwich WITHOUT the sauce?
We also have a saying out here that if the meat's good enough, you don't NEED sauce.
Is it possible, and if so, where?
St. Louis to New Orleans in Early September
YES! I stopped there once headed home to Memphis and they do it RIGHT, with sauces of all types, including Memphis-style.
Update on sushi in Memphis?
Well, I like EDO, on Summer avenue, real family atmosphere and great value, and A-Tan, behind the Perkins at Poplar & Highland. I have also heard good things about Kyoto in Olive Branch.
Sekisui is overpriced for what you get, IMO.
Sadly, Sogo in Horn Lake has closed forever and disappeared.
Memphis Eats Around Beale Street
I have had good food and good service at the Majestic, which opened up on Main at Peabody Place in the former Gordon Biersch building.
Eats near the ballpark in Memphis
Old Venice is now in East Memphis, across from Davis-Kidd on Perkins just north of Poplar. I like their pizza.
Tower Room-Memphis
GO to Cafe Toscana, extremely reasonable for high quality dining, casual atmosphere!
Eats near the ballpark in Memphis
As for Oxford, I recommend Ajax Diner on the Square; Downtown Grill is also quite good, I hear, as is City Grocery, and all are on the Square.
