Puttin' the Heat to the Meat!

The final stop on our BBQ eating frenzy took place at A & R BBQ. This happened after we toured Graceland –pretty much an Elvis amusement park. And, we paid extra to get to see inside the private plane and automobile museum…I mean we were only going to Graceland this once, we decided to live it up! I’m pretty sure the highlight of the tour was the Jungle Room, which Elvis had outfitted with green shag carpeting from ceiling to floor – even the walls. I also can’t forget to mention the custom waterfall that was in there along with the amazing 70s furniture – fur, lions heads, carved wood. Need I say more?

On to food!

A & R BBQ Memphis, TN

Attendees: Me and Brad (duh - but, I wanted to keep consisted with the other reviews)

Food Ordered: Beef shoulder sandwich, BBQ turkey sandwich, seasoned fries, BBQ spaghetti, fried pickles!

Review:

• My turkey sandwich was awesome – smoky turkey and tasty, thick sauce – it was better than the one I had at Neely’s. The meat was chopped which kind of makes for a hard-to-eat sandwich (pieces kept falling out) so eat it with a knife and fork.
• Brad’s sandwich was like XL size – I think he ordered the jumbo platter or something. I didn’t taste much of it – but Brad seemed to like it.
• Seasoned fries and fried pickles were good. I mean, I love pickles, and anything tastes better fried, right?! Plus, it’s not something you see every day. It’s too bad we didn’t have enough time to make it to the place that had fried twinkies…
• Don’t go expecting anything fancy from the atmosphere. It’s a true roadside BBQ joint –and it was fab.

Overall, we had an amazing time on our trip and ate like it was nobody’s business. My biggest disappointment (in terms of meals) sadly had to be the Papa John’s we ordered one lazy night. I happen to love PJ’s (esp the breadsticks, hello?!) and we don’t have them in Chicago. But, have they changed the secret recipe, or is the recipe different down south? Whatever these breadsticks were, they were not the same dense, chewy, bready breadsticks I remember from the Porter Hall study lounge. Even the pizza tasted different. It was a sad night…

Good thing we ate enough other delicious, local meals. Hope you all get a chance to check Memphis out some day.

Other places to try include:

• Umai – French and Japanese food (trust me it might sound like a weird combo, but I was quickly on team Umai!)
• Young Avenue Deli - we didn’t eat here – just good beers and a good vibe
• Bardog - cool bar, bar (beer is served in mugs) and location of my first-ever Fireball shot; Brad's sister knows the owners and it was good to talk to some locals to find out where to go and what to do
• Flying Saucer - had so many beers they have a newsletter to describe. If you drink 200 beers you get your name on a plate on the wall - we did not attempt this...yet...
  
  Where to eat next??!?