Due to the weather earlier in the week, we had to alter our original plans. After looking at all the flights we chose to go to Memphis, Tennessee. The flights on American looked iffy so we chose to go on Southwest and fly to Little Rock and drive to Memphis which is about a two hour drive. We did look later and we would’ve made it but better safe then sorry. It was really an easy drive.
After checking into the hotel we set out to find one of the barbecue joints I had heard about. Interstate Bar-B-Que is not exactly in the best part of town but well worth the adventure. We opted for the sampler platter which gave us a taste of the variety of barbecue that they offer including a small bowl of BBQ spaghetti. I will definitely have to try this at home. Instead of an Italian red sauce, the noodles are mixed with a down home barbecue sauce. The pork ribs were tasty and the pulled pork excellent. The beef ribs had a little gristle but still delicious. The sausage looked to be homemade and I almost had to fight Dennis to get a bite of it. Since we had shared the platter we still had room to try a 
dessert. The server was a little hard to understand but recommended the Sock-It-To-Me cake. The mini loaf pound cake was served warm and had a hint of cinnamon. After packing up our leftovers we drove to Graceland to see it at night. I'm not sure who was more excited about the next day, me or Dennis.We arrived at Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, before all the crowds. We toured the house, grounds, car museum, and of course the airplanes. Well worth the time and money. I did find out later that had I shown my school id I might have gotten my ticket for free. It’s not advertised with the other discount options but I did read on the website under the education section that educators can receive a tour ticket by showing their school id. I guess I should have researched a little more. We had worked up an appetite and were off to the second barbecue place, Rendezvous. Along the way we passed Sun Studio so we stopped in for another photo op. If you don't know, Sun Studio is where Elvis recorded his first song for a whopping $4.00 and a king was born. A number of other musicians also began their careers at Sun.
Rendezvous is located in an alley in downtown Memphis. Very near the Peabody Hotel and Autozone Park. The 15 minute wait in the upstairs bar area gave me a chance to charge a much needed camera battery. Once our name was
called, we headed downstairs to the basement dining room. It was crowded for a Saturday afternoon, probably because of the baseball game scheduled a few hours later. Our server wasn’t as attentive as the one the night before but the food and atmosphere made up for his inattentiveness. We started with the BBQ nachos with chicken. We requested no jalapeños but as you can tell from the picture they came with them anyway. Actually I’m kind of glad they did. The sauce had a sweet taste and combined with the jalapeños it gave the nachos just the right kick. We split a small order of their charcoal-broiled pork ribs. The ribs were made with a dry rub which I’m not accustomed to. It was a different texture with the dry rub but one I quite enjoyed. Adding a little sauce gave the ribs a slightly different flavor. I’m not sure which I preferred more, the dry ribs or the wet ones, so I kept alternating 
between the two. Dennis ate the beans and I sampled the coleslaw. It had a tangy flavor and was sort of crunchy. I usually don’t eat coleslaw but I couldn’t decide what it was that kept me trying the slaw. Maybe because it is mustard based slaw and not mayonnaise based like the other slaws I’ve seen. After a wonderful lunch we decided to walk around downtown and take in the sights. We headed over to the Peabody Hotel where I knew I could mail my postcard back to the third graders who are now fourth graders. If you ever saw the movie “The Firm”, the Peabody will be familiar to you. Right in the middle of this elegant grand lobby is a fountain with ducks. The 
Peabody decor reminds me of The Palmer House in Chicago which is one of my favorite hotels. It has a grand luxurious feel to it and we really must come back and spend some time there. We continued our walk and of course Dennis had to stop at Autozone Park, the baseball field right in the middle of downtown Memphis. We drove past Beale Street, home to many blues clubs. As we headed out of town we made a quick stop in the drive thru lane at Interstate Bar-B-Que to pick up another Sock-It-To-Me cake to take home. Dennis couldn’t help but realize how close we were to Tunica, Mississippi where a few casinos were located. The billboards along the highway were calling his name. He didn’t hit it big but we did have a couple of hours of fun. We drove back to Little Rock along the back roads and small towns. What do back roads, small towns, and a holiday weekend all have in common? Lots of state troopers and police officers watching the roads. As we rounded the curve into Marvell, Arkansas the flashing lights atop the local police car began flashing. Dennis wasn’t sure if it was for him or someone else, since he really didn’t know what he would have done wrong. As we pulled off to the side so did the flashing lights. They were for us. The officer was kind enough not it issue Dennis a speeding ticket for going 57 in a 45 zone but instead issued him a city ordinance violation citation for hazardous driving. I’m not sure which is worse, a speeding ticket or a hazardous driving ticket. The officer did state the city ordinance violation would not go on his record. Another first for the 50 states adventure. Hmm…I wonder if the officer would allow me to take his picture for the blog. I think I’ll keep my mouth shut for now.
We had a great weekend and Memphis is a city I’d recommend to anyone. To quote Elvis, “Thank you, Thank you very much.”
Leg 7 -
2 days
2 flights
430.5 miles driven
1 hazardous driving citation
= 1 state visited
33 states to go!
WOW! sounds like alot of BBQ fun! I think what you are doing is just so awesome! You guys should have a reality TV show! "50 States for 50 Years with Lisa and Dennis DeFrank"!!
ReplyDelete(sorry Dennis got the citation.. that's no bueno!)
~Cookie