Roadfood_ Revised Edition - Jane Stern [89]
The Rendezvous
52 S. Second St.
901–523–2746
Memphis, TN
D | $$
Famous as they are as an icon of Memphis barbecue, the Rendezvous’s ribs are not actually barbecued. They are charcoal broiled rather than slow smoked and instead of being bathed in sauce, which is the more traditional Memphis way, they are dry. Dry, but not drab. Indeed, these are some of the most flavorful ribs you will eat anywhere. Instead of sauce, the meaty bones arrive at the table encased in a crusty blanket of spice in which they have been cooked. The spice accentuates the sweetness of the pork and also seems to contain and concentrate its succulence. These ribs are ultra-lean yet moist, unbelievably tender, and flavorful beyond description.
Unique ribs put the Rendezvous on the map, but the kitchen’s more traditionally Memphian pork shoulder is worth eating, too, as is the charcoal-cooked chicken. To go with the beer you must drink before (as well as during) any meal, there are plates of sausage and cheese as hors d’oeuvres. Sound like a lot of food? Eating large is part of the Rendezvous experience; of all the restaurants in town, we nominate this one as the worst to visit on a diet.
The Rendezvous reminds us of a cross between an old southern speakeasy and a beer hall in The Student Prince. It is a rollicking, semi-subterranean place decorated with antique bric-a-brac and thousands of business cards left behind by decades of happy customers.
Ridgewood Barbecue
900 Elizabethton Hwy. (old Hwy. 19 E)
423–538–7543
Bluff City, TN
LD | $$
Ridgewood Barbecue has defined excellence for decades. Pork is hickory cooked in a pit adjacent to the restaurant, sliced into fairly thin pieces, then reheated on a grill when ordered. It is sauced with a tangy, dark-red, slightly smoky brew (available by the pint and quart near the cash register) and served as a platter, under a heap of terrific dark-gold French fries, or in a giant sandwich that spills out all sides of the bun.
We love the platter presentation, because it allows one to fork up a French fry and a few flaps of sauced meat all at the same time, making for what we believe to be one of the world’s perfect mouthfuls. Prior to the arrival of the platter, you will be served a bowl of coleslaw—cool, crisp, sweet—surrounded by saltine crackers. We also recommend ordering a crock of beans. They are soft, laced with meat, and have a fetching smoky flavor.
A word of warning: if you arrive at a normal mealtime, expect to wait. Despite its fairly remote location, this place attracts barbecue lovers from far away, some of whom come to take vast party platters home; but there are almost never enough seats. We like to arrive at about 4:00 P.M., when chances are good we will get one of the really choice booths adjacent to the open kitchen in the old dining room. From here, the view is magnificent. You see the cooks heating meat on the grill, making sandwiches and platters, and immersing potatoes into the bubbling-hot deep-fryers. Once a meal is plated and ready to be sent to the table, it is set on a holding counter just inches from your booth, separated only by a short glass partition. If you arrive hungry and are waiting for your food to be delivered, this sight—and its accompanying aromas—is tantalizing beyond description.
Rotier’s
2412 Elliston Pl.
615–327–9892
Nashville, TN
LD | $
A Rotier’s hamburger, served on French bread, is monumental. Piled with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mustard (and preferably crowned with a slab of bright orange cheese, too), the rugged-textured meat patty is held inside its two bread halves with a long toothpick. It is a beautiful sight, and once the toothpick is removed, the diner faces a significant challenge keeping the sandwich intact as it is lifted from plate to mouth. To go with this hamburger are fresh, crisp French fries…and a choice from a list of several dozen beers.
Although everyone in town knows Rotier’s as the hamburger place, it also happens to be one of Nashville