Day 4 BBB08 (posted 21NOV08)

Going home from a trip always sucks. Waking up with a bit of a hangover doesn't help. It's Sunday in Memphis, Beale Street is calm and quiet, probably smells like last nights beer, well, because the stains on the ground are last night's beer. Anyway, up at at em', time to check out. But first, breakfast. We rode the trolley from the Marriott down to the Majestic Grille(http://www.majesticgrille.com/). What a pleasant restaurant. During the warmer months, there is an outside cafe located along the trolley line. Service was very good, food very good, prices reasonable - did I mention they served Sunday morning medicine (Bloody Marys & Mimosas?). I recommend this establishment for your non BBQ dining pleasure.

Dropped Denny and Michelle off at the airport and it was off to Bradley & Suzanne's for a day of pool and beer - evening of Colts and whoever it was they lost to. We had chicken wings, foregoing the opportunity for my 4th rack of ribs. Except for the Dolts losing - we had a great time.

So - that pretty much cooks this trip. I was supposed to stop by Loretto KY and Maker's Mark to get my two bottles from my Ambassador Cask - but - I screwed up the time change and they were closing before I got there, Ahhhh - but - the opportunity for anotehr trip and another blog post.

I wish you well, Cabo and Maker's Mark posts are just waiting fo the right combination of beer and BBQ - until then - cheers!

Day Three (entry 18NOV08)

So, I wake up in a hotel and can't figure out where I am. Eeeuuuwww, forgot to brush teeth last night. Stale beer, smell of smoke...what's that between my teeth...ahh BBQ. Now I know, I must be in Memphis. It's Saturday morning and time to go to Graceland (http://www.elvis.com/).

Go get the Jeep and Denny & Michelle, Kathy and I are off to Graceland. If you are not an Elvis fan ( I wasn't), let me tell you this - it is worth the trip. Kinda pricey since the new owners took over, and still a tourist trap, but it is just something you gotta do. I mean really, this guy did do the Blues and sold more records than most record companies. Actually, when you dig around, he does have music for just about any type of fan - 'cept for the long hair classic fans.

The tour comes with an MP3 player, so you get a guided tour on your own (for the most part). The house is/was left just about how it looked the day he died. The information and displays are like a huge flash back to a different time and different place. I recommend the tour that includes the house and grounds and the car museum. You usually get the two planes and other museums (?) included. I liked the planes because I am into aviation. The other museums are pretty hokey unless you are a die-hard Elvis fan.

Gracelend is located south of central Memphis, 20min drive from the Marriott and/or Beale Street. the drive is easy and highway. I was slightly handicapped (hungover) and still made it there. Parking is at the visitor center across the street and shuttle busses take you over to the home of the King of Rock and Roll. We did not do this next stop on this trip, but once done with Graceland- I really recommend Sun Records (http://www.sunstudio.com/index.aspx?bhcp=1). It's a real throw back studio, left pretty much intact. I think it was like $10 and very much worth the effort. Sun Records was the epi-center of where the Memphis part of Rock and Roll started (Elvss, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lewis). Quite the fun flashback.

Next up, back to Beale Street for luncheon. OK, that sounds a bit hoidy toidy for Beale....how about lunch at Alfred's? (http://www.alfredsonbeale.com/) Alfred's Bar & Grill on Beale was really kool. We ate on the patio (upstairs). From here the music from the bandstand about a half block away was blowing clear. The food and beer was good and - upon closer inspection of the toilets, I found the downstairs looked to be a happening place at night. (We discovered this true later - though were to late and buzzed to get into the joint.) I had to be a good boy at Alfred's, though they had my favorite beer (cold in a glass at a fair price an large selection to choose from). After 2 beers, I drove southeast of Memphis to pick up Berkley (Bradley) and head back to town for the evenings festivities.

For Saturday night we were joined by Suzanne, President of the Fox Chapter of the Outlaws Club #47240. Our target was Silky O'Sullivans (http://www.silkyosullivans.com/). Kathy and I had had ribs at Silky's a few years back and it was some of the best we had ever had. Dry rubbed, juicy, etc. So, that being said, let me tell it to you straight. Silky's is a great place to party, dueling pianos, great drinks, fair prices. Come here for bar food because, they've dropped off my list for ribs. My rack was a dry rubbed boiled rib, greasy (odd for having been boiled) and then grilled for a bit with a dry rub. THIS WAS NOT THE SAME. We still had a great time, drank just enough and maybe a little more. I think we were there for about 4 hours (whoo hoo).

As the night wound down, Suzanne and Bradley had to head home (SE Memphis) and we decided - always a good choice - to hit more bars and drink more. Did I mention I really like this town.

So, the night was late, couple more beers and Kathy and I had to crash and burn, one of us was falling off the bar stool and we had 10min to make the last trolley. Denny and Michelle held up the tradition and pressed on, we managed to catch the last train out of town (well, Trolley to the Marriott anyway). I was able to maintain my dental hygene this time and off to la la land. Next up, day four, the Colts and the long drive home - oopps - time change.

BBB 08, Day Two, Rack Two (15NOV08)

Denny, Michelle and Bradley in tow (maybe it was Kathy and I in tow) and off to the Famous Rendevous, Charles Vergo's Rendevous restaurant (http://www.hogsfly.com/) in an alley across the street from the historic Peabody Hotel, a Memphis landmark with it's famous Duck Walk (a real hoot). We arrived into the alley leading to Rendevous around 730pm, a bit late. The wait was 2 MSDT (Monty Shields Drinking Time), beer in this case.

There is a large hall upstairs where they serve groups and have parties. It is open, airy - wasn't heated when we were there and smells of smoked meat and beer (oh dern). The restaurant is in the basement on the right and left of the stairwell. When we were finally taken to our table, it was crowded, it was noisy, chaotic, smelled great and what fun. There was so much to take in, old photos, memorabilia, waiters and servers hustling about - so much eye candy. And the smell - close to Heaven.

Our waiter, Robert Sr. (Junior works there too) had been serving slabs here for 45 or 46 years.
Here is Kathy and Michelle (yes, eyes open) with Senior. (http://www.hogsfly.com/Staff.php)
A couple of random notes before I get to the rack. First, Bradley was really watching this group next to us, 12 guys at 3 tables shoved together. The apparently had had almost everything on the menu and a load of beer. I had noticed them getting ready to go, saw cash dropping on the table like bets in a 7-card stud game. What I didn't catch on to was this...when these guys got up to leave, Senior thanked them and then he and 3 servers descended on the tables. Bradley clocked them. In just over 3 minutes, the tables were cleared, cleaned, separated, new table clothes and within 3-4 more minutes were full with new clientele. IMPRESSIVE!

Bradley asked for french fries. "Say what? Didn't you read the sign boy? This ain't McDonald's? This is a rib joint." Kathy asked for Coors Light...in seeming disgust, Senior yells to the bar "Need one of them Silver Bullets over here!" Be prepared to be treated joint style - very friendly joint style. It's a tourist trap, a very famous and busy tourist trip, and I wouldn't miss it...in fact...I will be back. Now, on to the food.

We had a meat and cheese tray to start with, Rack of Ribs and Slaw. Nothing fancy about any of this, it ain't McDonald's you know. I have no complaints about any of the food. I won't brag on it nor cut it down. The ribs had a fantastic taste, served dry with the famous rub. We got there late on a Friday night, so I will give them a break on the fact that the ribs were over done. The slaw and meat tray were OK (no like I came there to eat them anyway). I will go back, again and again for this reason. I felt comfortable, I was awed by the service and the history of it all. The taste was good, the smells were good and all my senses were very happy. 'Nuf said.


Dinner done - the night was a pup. So, it's 10pm, you're in Memphis...what's a boy (and girl) to do? DUH - Beale Street. Beer, Blues, BBQ - 1 down and 2 to go. For those who have not been, I am no expert, but after 5 or 6 runs down/up this street, if you want to party and have a good time, Blues, Rock, R&B, soul, dancin' and jammin', drinking and talking - THIS IS DA PLACE.



The happenin' part of Beale is about 5-6 blocks long. When I have been there on Friday and Saturday nights, they close it off on both ends of the party - no traffic. You just walk down the middle of the street and have at it. Now, at this point, I do have a bit of a memory loss issue, but it seems like on Friday they sell a bracelet for $xx (memloss) and it is good for the cover charge at most of the joints. It does not seem (memloss) that this was offered Saturday night.




Anyway, top of the Beale (west end) sits BB Kings (http://memphis.bbkingclubs.com/). Needless to say, we needed no bracelet, paid one cover ($5) each and in we went. We had a table on the first floor (there are two) on the other side of the stage. I have been seated here before and like it. Close to the head (turlet), gets good waiter service, easy access to the dance floor when duty calls. The band here is always excellent. Not always old Blues, often R&B - but always good. The artists really rock, they play good tunes and are all excellent in what they play. Oddly enough, this Friday night had BB King's niece playing, a fine singing young lady who had just sang for a Batesville Casket meeting and Kathy had arranged the whole thing - small planet.


Needless to say, we danced, drank adult beverages, met a nice man from Chicago and his lady from Phoenix. Drank some shots and said good bye.


From Beale it was a 3 block walk to the trolley, $1 and 6 stops and we were dropped off right at the front/back door of our hotel. Now if I could just remember my room number.


Update on Graceland, Alfred's, Silky O'Sullivans and instructions on how to pass out on a trolley in the next edition.

So, we were thinking up excuses to have beer and BBQ and found one. Nephew and wife in Memphis, friends from Dallas with free tickets, a restaurant in southern Illinois. The stars had aligned and the Beer, Blues and BBQ Tour of 2008 became a reality.

So right after Labor Day, we hit the road to Marion Illinois. The original plan was to go to the 17th Street Bar & Grill in Murphysboro, IL (http://www.17thstreetbarbecue.com/), but the rain and my bad estimate of forward motion meant we would be getting there pretty late on the first night of our adventure. Well, lo and behold, there was a back up plan - the 17th Street had also opened up a location in Marion Illinois about 4 years ago and was conveniently located next to the hotel where Kathy had a free room - Beer, BBQ and hotel across the parking lot - doesn't get better than that - at least by much.

I had picked up a book called Peace, Love and Barbeque (http://www.peaceloveandbarbecue.com/) by Mike Mills, the owner and creator of this chain of BBQ restaurants, real live smoked food. The Marion edition was new, open, smelled wonderfully smoked and had a bar that was up there with the best stocked I had seen in a restaurant. The waitress was surly and nice (BBQ joint requirement). She was helpful and Kathy ended up with a sampler platter. The beer for me was Schafly (http://www.schlafly.com/beers.shtml#regulars) and we were off on a taste adventure. Sour cream potato salad - what a wonderful invention.

BBQ came to us from my brother-in-law Mike who spent years perfecting his craft. His pulled pork, ribs and brisket are to die for - best around these parts and served in their restaurant, The Pines (http://thepinesonline.com/) and at their various catering adventures. I have always tried to learn from Mike and that led me to the book above and now we're all caught up.

The 17th Street pulled pork was very good, the ribs were close to as good as Mike's, served dry with a squeeze of sauce - the brisket was the best I've had (sorry Mike). An hour and a clean platter later (and maybe a few beers, too), well fed and in need of a bigger belt, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for day two of our road trip.



Day two - off to Memphis, land of the Delta Blues. We stayed at the Memphis Marriott (I really like this discount thing Kathy has going). Nice hotel (convention hotel) at the top of the Trolley Car line. Trolley drops us off 2 blocks from Beale Street - another great invention (trolley & Beale St). We meet Denny and Michelle at the hotel (she's on the discount program too) and then Bradley drives in to join us and we head for Beale Street.



First stop - a better bar, the Flying Saucer. Yes a great invention and YES - a great bar. They have this program, you drink 200 different beers and you get a platter on the wall with your name on it and anything smart (or stupid) you care to share. And get this - you can only count 2 beers per day. Lot of beer you say - the place had over 50 different beers ON TAP and a 4 page menu of the bottled beer - I HAD FOUND THE RIGHT PLACE.



Here is Bradley and I enjoying a cold one - with the platters and part of the bar in the background. (http://www.beerknurd.com/) And get this, they are willing to franchise - so I have the choice - move to Memphis or bring one to Greensburg...hmmmm.

Well - enough for this post. Time for a beer and Colts vs New England. Next post, the famous Rendevouz and rack two of three in 3 days.