Let’s Go Hog Wild!
Now as I mentioned before we live in Dallas where beef is King, so the BBQ experience stops in comparison the minute we hit Tennessee, for pork rules in those parts! So the first restaurant I want to touch on is Charles Vergos Rendezvous, a spot we had been hearing about for awhile, from television, to friends, and family members. Located in Memphis in a small alley way across from the famous Peabody Hotel it could be easily missed if your eyes were not peeled. Let’s just say Adam and I had quite the adventure with Julie(our GPS) around a circle of 5 or more blocks in downtown. :) However, the minute you do find it and step out of your car, you can not possibly miss the wonderful smells of charcoal and pork wafting through that alley.
Upon entering, that smell only gets stronger and let’s just say your mouth begins to water as you are lead down to the basement where the restaurant is located. We were lucky that we were passing through town around lunch time a few days before Christmas so the restaurant itself was not overly crowded. That is not to say that it was not busy, it was, just no hour long waits that I hear are typical for a Friday or Saturday night.
We did not need to look at the menu to know ribs were in order, seeing as that is what they are known for, as well as my favorite dish at any BBQ place. But, we also thought we would give the pulled pork sandwich a taste to see what it was all about and of course I was drawn to fact that you could order a side of pickles… you will soon learn they are a LOVE of mine! Now what makes Rendezvous differ so greatly in their rib styling is they use a dry rub when slow cooking their ribs over charcoal as opposed to other Tennessee barbeque places we’ve tried, who use a sauce over their dry rub while cooking. Rendezvous does offer two sauces which they place on the table for you to add if you so desire, but you really do not need it.
This is the gloriousness that appears when they bring the ribs platter…the ribs with dry rub, bbq cole slaw, and baked beans. Yes that is only dry rub and there is a lot of it, but it is by all means necessary and awesome! Not only does the dry rub add an insane amount of flavor, these ribs are tender and juicy to boot. That is something I always look for in a good rib, you should not have to work to get that meat off the bone. And the bbq slaw is also great and surprising with its tangy mixture of vinegar and sauce that create a wonderful smoky and crunchy slaw. As I mentioned before adding sauce is really not necessary for flavor because these ribs are pack a punch all by themselves, but the sauce is very tasty nonetheless. We chose the mild, since Adam and I are self proclaimed weanies and really do not enjoy anything spicy unless the spice is for flavor not just for the sake of being HOT!
The pulled pork sandwich was also good, but not really anything I would write home about. As far as pulled pork goes still very tasty, however if I am ever fortunate enough to experience Rendezvous again, I would not waste any room on this, but rather enjoy every morsel of their decadent ribs! I mean I did say that ribs hold a special place in my heart :).
I truly loved the experience we had there and if we had not been traveling through Memphis to get home I would have loved to stay longer. The atmosphere is great and I think it would have to be rocking on a Friday or Saturday night.
We obviously hated the food based on these pictures :). And I was so surprised how much I loved the dry rub they had, especially since I had never experienced ribs in this way. We enjoyed the dry rub so much we even bought some for a friend who already makes wonderful ribs, we thought this could enhance them for him. So if you are ever in the downtown Memphis area I would highly recommend taking the time to stop at Rendezvous. Not only will you fully enjoy your dining experience, you will get to eat some of the most different tasting and enjoyable ribs you have ever had.
Yummmm!!! I love me some ribs!! I will definitely have to go back to Memphis for this find. Wish we couldn’t seen you while you were in our great state! 😉
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