Stair Part - Home

 Memphis Barbeque - One Week of Sweet, Smokey Goodness

There is nothing else quite like biting into the smokey goodness of the melt-in-your-mouth ribs at Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous or enjoying the Blues-backed tangy sauces on Beale Street. If you love good BBQ it's hard to go wrong in Memphis because there is a great joint on almost every corner. Your hardest problems you will have will be deciding were to begin, where to eat next and not wanting to leave.

Here are my can't-miss picks for Memphis Barbecue Heaven if you have a week to eat in the Home of the Blues.

I'd suggest starting at the most storied of all of Memphis BBQ restaurants, Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous. You enter the restaurant from an alley that's full of heavenly smells of smoking pork and call center waiting to get a seat. How can you not love a world famous BBQ joint that's in an alley? The 'Vous is known for it's "dry ribs" that use only a spicy BBQ rub and no sauce. Not to worry if you love BBQ sauce -- a cold drink of beer with each bite will work just nicely.

The Rendezvous is in midtown near the world famous Peabody Hotel. Head a couple of blocks south to "The Home of the Blues", Beale Street, and you will find several more excellent restaurants to try. Sitting right across the street from each other at the entrance to Beale call center B B King's and Blues City Cafe. Both serve tangy sweet, sauce covered ribs and pulled pork with a backdrop of some of the best blues music you'll ever hear. Both restaurants feature full menus, ranging from shrimp to steak. But who cares -- we're here to eat BBQ!

Up the road a bit, past the Elvis stores, the Blues bars and Fed-Ex Forum, you'll find Silky O'Sullivan's. Don't let the Irish call center fool you. Mr. O'Sullivan knows his BBQ. Start your meal with a plate of BBQ Nachos then get down to serious eating with a rack of the ribs. Just be careful with the "Diver!"

Getting out of the city, don't miss Corky's and Interstate. Even though both places have gone "chain" and are apt to be full of tourists, both have excellent BBQ and you can pick up a bottle or two of their sauce to take home with you.

On the last night of your week treat yourself with a trip to the place where the locals go for BBQ, Cozy Corner. Michael Stern of "Roadfood" says, "If you call center time for just one barbecue meal in Memphis (or anywhere on earth), go to Cozy Corner." The specialties of this down-home joint are barbequed cornish game hens, barbecued spaghetti and barbequed baloney. All three have to be tried to be believed.

That's seven day's worth of Memphis BBQ for a normal person to try or about a day and a half's worth for the true BBQ Fan. But even if you eat BBQ for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can get your fill in Memphis.