 
Central BBQ 2249 Central Avenue (901-272-9377) A relative newcomer in Midtown called Central BBQ is winning over enthusiasts who rave about the generous helpings of meat slow-cooked in a gas-fired, rotisserie-style pit. Unlike other Memphis barbecue restaurants, Central also offers a viable alternative for vegetarian diners — a generous slice of portobello mushroom, marinated in balsamic vinegar and smoked til it’s nearly black, then served on a bun with slaw, melted Gouda, and barbecue sauce that’s available in mild, mustard, and vinegar varieties. This barbecue is messy: Make like the regulars and turn your baseball cap backwards so the bill doesn’t interfere with your ability to shovel in mouthfuls of mushroom sandwich, created with care by professional barbecue contest champs Craig Blondis and Roger Sapp. Payne’s BBQ 1762 Lamar Avenue (901-272-1523) In a town that boasts myriad barbecue joints, no menu item is more ubiquitous than the humble chopped shoulder sandwich. And yet, no one serves it up better than Flora Payne, proprietress of the modestly appointed Payne’s BBQ. Place your order at the counter, then watch carefully as the heavy iron door, which blocks the heat emanating off the barbecue pit from the rest of the restaurant, is quickly flung open and a chunk of pork shoulder retrieved from within. Before you can count to ten, Payne will have wielded her cleaver over the meat until tender and gristly pieces of charred pork are diced into tiny flavorful cubes. Topped with iridescent coleslaw and slapped between two pieces of hamburger bun, every bite of this sandwich, a perfect combination of sweet and spicy, toothsome and tangy, threatens sensory overload. Incredibly inexpensive (with a soft drink and bag of chips, lunch costs just under $5) and served up speedier than most fast food, Payne’s chopped shoulder sandwich makes for a quick on-the-run bite, although you’re welcome to find a seat in the spacious restaurant, formerly a garage. Wherever you eat it, be sure to give thanks for the late Emily Payne, the restaurant’s founder. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous Restaurant 52 S. Second Street (901-523-2746) Housed in a cellar off an alleyway in downtown Memphis, Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous has been serving barbecue since 1948. The subterranean restaurant boasts the patina that only a half-century can deliver: thousands of black-and-white photographs, Civil War artifacts, and Memphis cotton mementos dot the walls, while the wait staff, in coat and bow tie, sweep dirty plates and empty beer bottles off the table with Houdini-esque flicks of the wrist. But the atmosphere is just a small part of the Rendezvous’ universal appeal; the menu, a compendium of barbecued meats, is what keeps ’em coming back for more. Once seated, don’t pause at the chopped chicken, the lamb riblets, or the beef brisket: go directly to the world-famous charcoal-broiled pork ribs, an earthy, minimalist treat that’s available for $16.95 per full rack. When your plate arrives, lean in and breathe deep before digging in. You’ll inhale a heady combination of Greek-American spices, including garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder — but not a single whiff of tangy tomato sauce. “People call them ‘dry’ because of the lack of sauce, but I never liked that description, because it doesn’t sound very tasty,” says John Vergos, who strives to keep his father’s tradition intact. “I tell people that they’re not wet or dry — they’re juicy Rendezvous ribs, the same thing we’ve been making for the last sixty years!” Cozy Corner 745 N. Parkway (901-527- 9158) While many of the hungry patrons who crowd the Cozy Corner at lunchtime crave pork ribs, the house favorite is, hands down, the barbecued Cornish game hen. Patience is a virtue at this restaurant, which was founded by Desiree Robinson and her late husband, Ray, in 1977. Stand in line, place your order, and pay, then find a seat; one of the Robinson family will beckon you back to the counter when your plate is ready. “We easily go through a hundred and fifty birds a week,” proclaims pit master Richard Forrest, who has worked at the Cozy Corner for half his life, graduating to the restaurant’s indoor Chicago-style cooker sometime in the last decade. “I use an all-purpose rub and slow smoke ’em — by texture, not time — over charcoal til they get golden brown.” Lip-smackingly moist and rich, the Cornish game hens are served whole with dollops of sugary baked beans and mustard-based coleslaw on the side, and a few slices of Wonder bread to sop up the extra sauce. Although they sell more than two hundred pounds of barbecue a day, the Cozy Corner staff never tire of it. “Everywhere we go, if they’ve got barbecue on the menu, we eat it,” says Robinson, who, during her time off, enjoys the fare at other local institutions such as Neely’s. “Of course,” she continues, her eyes twinkling, “although I like other people’s, ours is the best in the world to me.” |
|||||||
