Memphis BBQ Tour Part One

One day last month while 'doing coffee' at Starbucks after Jazzercise class, a new BBQ tasting group was formed. The usuals-Randy, Diane, Courtney, Regina and I were discussing how there are so many great BBQ spots in Memphis that none of us have ever tried. Courtney had just seen Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and mentioned their top 4 for Memphis BBQ. We hadn't been to any!! So Nooners-BBQuties was founded. Well, not so sure about that name, but basically most of these spots require a day visit versus one after the sun goes down. 

Our first visit was Interstate Bar-B-Que. Started in 1978(9) by Jim Neely, first as a grocery store, then a restaurant, Interstate is one of the originals. Interstate now has two locations, but we visited the original at 2265 at South Third Str

eet. It is a very l

arge restaurant and was pretty crowded. Here are goes our opinions:

Visited on August 4, 2008.

Randy's comments: He would have preferred

if the BBQ was crisper and likes brown meat better.  He would also prefer a hotter, less sweet sauce and there was too much sauce on the BBQ for him. He had a sandwich which he give 3.5 out of 5 and spaghetti which he gave 4.5 out of 5.

Diane's comments: She too likes a crisper BBQ and gave both the sandwich and the spaghetti a 3 out of 5.

Courtney's comments: She would order the spaghetti again but unlike Randy would like more sauce than was on the sandwich. She liked the sweetness of the sauce. She gives the sandwich a 3.5 out of 5 and a 5 for the spaghetti.

Regina's comments: She liked the sweet sauce as well, it carried over nicely on the beans, and said the spaghetti was excellent.

Kembree's comments: I thought the sandwich was good, but the 

bun totally fell apart and made it tricky to eat, I agreed with Courtney and needed more sauce. I liked the flavor of the sauce and loved the spaghetti which I brought home to Tony, only to get the response of, "Why didn't you bring me ribs?

Our second visit was to Marlowe's. Marlowe's was one of the locations of DDD. Regina had eaten there several times, but nevereven knew it was famous for BBQ. Marlowe's is off Elvis Presley down the street from Graceland. We went right in the middle of Elvis Death week, I actually came after volunteering at the Elvis Expo.  We had some extra judges on this go round, Brett, Tony and Regina's son Drew. Drew ate the lasagna and was on his Ipod, so I don't think he had much say so on the BBQ. 

Visited on August 14, 2008

Regina's comments: She thought we set the bar high going to Interstate first, Marlowe's was greasy and lacked flavor. The slaw was too juicy, and the bean had too much pepper seasoning, and the sauce was too plain, but the service was much better than Interstate.

Diane's comments: They thought the BBQ was too greasy and would give it a 1 out of 5. The meat could have been served in the cafeteria. The sauce wasn't great and the restaurant in general was dirty. The waitress was nice and the fried green tomatoes were good.                           Randy's comments: Great venue for Elvis 

 Fans, not BBQ!! The meat

 was not much better than a pork 

roast with some plain sauce on it. The slaw was ok and the beans weren't much better than Bush's canned brand.  The friend green tomatoes and sausage and cheese plate were the stellar menu items. The BBQ was a 1 out of 5. Randy says watch your receipts bc the tip could be included. 

Brett's comments: He had never been on Elvis Presley or seen Graceland. He thought the ribs were good and ate all of them. 

Courtney's comments: The service was better and friendlier than Interstate. The pork was good but lacked a smokey flavor and needed to be chopped thinner. Some of the pieces were too big to eat on a sandwich. She loved the sauce's sweet flavor with a kick of pepper. She gives the BBQ a 2.5 out of 5. 

Tony's comments: The ribs were not good, they were boiled and fell off the bone,

not because they were smoked bc they cheated and boiled them first. The sauce was boring and generic. There was no smokey flavor. He gives it a 2.5 out of 5.

Kembree's comments: My sandwich was ok. Nothing that I would drive across town for.  It was a very thick cut of meat and hard to eat. It was just boring and just totally plain in flavor. The sauce tasted like Kraft BBQ sauce out of the bottle. Don't see how they are famous for BBQ, its just too plain like a restaurant that is not known for it. The Elvi were fun too see, so the environment was cool.