GenoBamBeno
Active Expediter
According to my GPS, I was standing in front of "Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous Charcoal BBQ" in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, but it was nowhere to be seen. A local businessman walked by and knowingly said, "Charlie's is "round back" down the alley." He disappeared into the noon-hour crowd before I could thank him.
I walked "round back" and looked down an inner-city alley. My heart sank a little, even though I could see the Rendevous sign. Cautiously, I ventured down to their rear-door entrance only to read the hours on the menu board, "Open 4:30." Now I was really bummed. The Rendevous is legendary; it has been named the best BBQ restaurant in the country by numerous national magazines and television shows. It has been on my "To-do list" of BBQ joints for over a year and now that I was here, I was four hours too early. Being an expediter, I had one hour. That was it.
As if on cue, the restaurant door opened and two businessmen walked out. Not only that, they held the door open for me, so I walked in only to look down a flight of stairs to the basement. Are you kidding me? It's not only down an alley, but it's in a basement as well? I thought to myself, How good can this joint be?
At that moment, the aroma of charcoal-grilled ribs surrounded me and I descended into heaven. In a surreal experience, my waiter, Geno, (my name too) walked me through the nearly-empty restaurant. On any given Saturday, they will serve over 3,600 patrons who have waited in line for two hours. He explained that while Charlie's is not officially open until dinner, they do serve lunch for the locals two days a week—and today was one of those days. (Okay then...when in Rome.)
My review? Eleven. Twelve, even. I ordered a full-slab of charcoal-grilled pork ribs that were coated (not rubbed) with their secret spices and cooked in a blast furnace to create a seasoned-crunchy crust that sealed in the succulent fall-off-the-bone meat. The first bite passed all expectations. I tried a few of their exclusive sauces, but ended up devouring the majority of the ribs dry...as God intended.
So the next time your travels take you across the Mississippi River on I-40, take a detour through downtown Memphis. If you're looking for the meaning of life, I might have just found it. It's "round back," down a dumpster-filled alley of all places.
Geno Renaker
Load One
I walked "round back" and looked down an inner-city alley. My heart sank a little, even though I could see the Rendevous sign. Cautiously, I ventured down to their rear-door entrance only to read the hours on the menu board, "Open 4:30." Now I was really bummed. The Rendevous is legendary; it has been named the best BBQ restaurant in the country by numerous national magazines and television shows. It has been on my "To-do list" of BBQ joints for over a year and now that I was here, I was four hours too early. Being an expediter, I had one hour. That was it.
As if on cue, the restaurant door opened and two businessmen walked out. Not only that, they held the door open for me, so I walked in only to look down a flight of stairs to the basement. Are you kidding me? It's not only down an alley, but it's in a basement as well? I thought to myself, How good can this joint be?
At that moment, the aroma of charcoal-grilled ribs surrounded me and I descended into heaven. In a surreal experience, my waiter, Geno, (my name too) walked me through the nearly-empty restaurant. On any given Saturday, they will serve over 3,600 patrons who have waited in line for two hours. He explained that while Charlie's is not officially open until dinner, they do serve lunch for the locals two days a week—and today was one of those days. (Okay then...when in Rome.)
My review? Eleven. Twelve, even. I ordered a full-slab of charcoal-grilled pork ribs that were coated (not rubbed) with their secret spices and cooked in a blast furnace to create a seasoned-crunchy crust that sealed in the succulent fall-off-the-bone meat. The first bite passed all expectations. I tried a few of their exclusive sauces, but ended up devouring the majority of the ribs dry...as God intended.
So the next time your travels take you across the Mississippi River on I-40, take a detour through downtown Memphis. If you're looking for the meaning of life, I might have just found it. It's "round back," down a dumpster-filled alley of all places.
Geno Renaker
Load One
