6 days in Memphis

[Hater5000]

Hi All,

I'll be in Memphis for 6 nights and am looking for lunch and dinner options. I'll be staying at the Peabody on Union Ave, and would most likely I'll be looking for places within walking distance. So far, Gus's and the Rendevous seem like places I have to try, but I'm looking for other recommendations.

I can probably do one night at a fairly pricey place, so if there is an awesome upscale place, I'm interested also.

Thanks

[Hater5000]

Hey all,

Thanks for all the great recommendations, though unfortunately, I couldn't get to as many as I liked. I did have ribs at three places: Rendevous, Blues City, and Pig BBQ on Beale. Honestly, I have to say that all three were just OK. The ribs at Rendevous were just a tad dry for my taste. Those at Blues City fell off the bone a little too easily. My ideal rib leaves teeth marks in the meat when you bite it. Actually, the ribs at Pig BBQ were very good in terms of texture and moisture, but the flavor was just OK. I could have used a little bit more smoke.

However, the highlights of my trip were great. The catfish at Blues City, the crawfish poor boy at Flying Fish, Gus's, the 5-spiced duck at South of Beale, and the gumbo at King's Palace Cafe.

Thanks again for all the recommendations

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Blues City Cafe
138 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

The Flying Fish
105 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103

[sierraskyesmom]

Upscale: I have to recommend either Restaurant Iris (Chef Kelley was recently given some big award by Food & Wine) or Erling Jensen's. You can google both of them & check out their menus online. You won't regret Gus's, btw!

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Restaurant Iris
2146 Monroe Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

Erling Jensen The Restaurant
1044 S. Yates Rd, Memphis, TN 38119

[bulldogx2]

Rendezvous is not my favorite but I agree with Ross B that it would probably be odd to stay at the Peabody for nearly a week and not walk over there to try it - make your own opinion of the place. They're open for lunch on Fridays, and you get a free bowl of red beans and rice which is actually pretty good.

In addition to others suggested below, I'd suggest South of Beale, a little south of the Peabody on Main St. It calls itself a "gastropub", which is kind of a silly term but it's basically a comfortable bar with good food.

Though you'd have to catch a cab, Cozy Corner recently announced that they're staying open until 9 during the week. It used to close at 5, so it was tough to make it to dinner. That's one of my 2 or 3 favorite barbecue places.

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Cozy Corner Restaurant
745 N Parkway, Memphis, TN 38105

Main St Cafe
106 Main St, Berea, KY 40403

[bulldogx2]

I have no idea why Chowhound automatically inserted a link to the Main St Cafe in Berea, KY in my prior post, by the way ....

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Main St Cafe
106 Main St, Berea, KY 40403

[hootch]

The news on Cozy Corner is something I can use. It's hard for me to get down there during the day most of the time.

The CC is my favorite place for ribs in Memphis.

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Cozy Corner Restaurant
745 N Parkway, Memphis, TN 38105

[chrischat1]

Flying Fish is accross the street from the Peabody, and it is good. If you like a lot of different kinds of beer, the Flying Saucer is great- just down the street. The food is not great, but hundreds of beers make it ok! Rendevous does have its dectracors for bbq snobs - but it is a blast and a must see. I have always enjoyed the food at Blues City Cafe on Beale St. Hueys is a local burger joint that has very good bar food. On Beale, you can also get a great greasy burger at Dyers - google it. There is a good video on Serious Eats. But as you have heard - Gus's is fantastic. If you are up late, a soul burger at Ernasttine and Hazels is awesome. Have fun.

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Blues City Cafe
138 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

The Flying Fish
105 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103

[southernbelle]

If you want some good advice from a Memphian, DON"T go to the Rendezvous. It's nothing but a tourist trap.

[Davwud]

Mrs. Sippi is a born and raised Memphian. It's the first place she'd direct people.

DT

[Ross B]

I think it would be silly to be staying at the Peabody for SIX days and not make the short walk across the street to the Rendezvous. I wrote this in another thread about the Rendezvous...

jamiecarrol, while I agree with some of what you say, you might be a little harsh. Some folks LOVE the Rendezvous, some hate it, and some are lukewarm on it.

I think everyone should try it at least once and decide for themselves.

I don't consider it a tourist trap. Why? Because while it does attract plenty of tourists it still has a very loyal local following.

In my opinion the ribs are very inconsistent. I've had some bad racks there. However, I've also had some great racks there.

You really can't compare the ribs at the Rendezvous with Central or BBQ Shop. Totally different products. As you know, the Rendezvous cooks over direct heat and the ribs cook in about an hour and a half. Most Memphis joints smoke for 4-6 hours. It's not the same, but it's definitely still BBQ in my book.

[hootch]

Spindini would be a few blocks walk but I think it's worth the effort.

http://www.spindinimemphis.com/home.html

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Spindini
383 South Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103

[Piranha]

Circa, McEwen's and Felicia Suzanne's are good bets for rather upscale places within walking distance from the Peabody. I've had some great lunches at McEwen's recently.

The most interesting food in the city is in Cooper Young, but you'd need to drive there.

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Felicia Suzanne's Restaurant
80 Monroe Ave Ste L1, Memphis, TN 38103

[Littleman]

McEwen's on Monroe @ 122 Monroe Ave., Memphis, TN. 901 - 527 - 7085.

http://www.mcewensonmonroe.com/

Charlie Vergos Rendezvous @ 52 S. 2nd St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 523 - 2746.

http://www.hogsfly.com/

Huey's @ 77 S. 2nd St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 527 - 2700.

http://hueyburger.com/

Texas De Brazil @ 150 Peabody Place, Memphis, TN. 901 - 526 - 7600.

http://www.texasdebrazil.com/

Felicia Suzzanne's @ 80 Monroe Ave., Memphis, TN. 901 - 523 - 0877.

http://www.feliciasuzanne.com/

B B King's Blues Club and Restaurant @ 143 Beale St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 524 - 5464.

http://www.bbkingclubs.com/

Butcher Shop Steak House @ 101 S. Front St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 521 - 0856.

http://www.thebutchershop.com/

Automatic Slim's Restaurant @ 83 S. 2nd St.., Memphis, TN. 901 - 525 - 7948.

http://www.automaticslimsmemphis.com/

Dyer's Burgers @ 205 Beale St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 527 - 3937.

http://www.dyersonbeale.com/

The Majestic Grill @ 145 S. Main St., Memphs, TN. 901 - 522 - 8555.

http://www.majesticgrille.com/

Circa @ 119 S. Main St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 522 - 1488.

http://www.circamemphis.com/

Flying Fish @ 105 S. 2nd St., Memphis, TN. 901 - 522 - 8228.

http://flyingfishinthe.net/

Peabody Place.............

Hooters 523-9464

Prime Time Sports Bar 543-8800

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery 522-1912

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory 526-5050

South Philly 527-0007

Texas de Brazil 526-7600

http://www.belz.com/peabodyplace/peab...

ALL WITHIN A SHORT 5/10 MINUTE WALK FROM THE PEABODY.

BON APPETIT.

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Dyer's Burgers
205 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103

Texas De Brazil
150 Peabody Pl Ste 103, Memphis, TN 38103

Automatic Slim's Restaurant
83 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103

South Philly
250 Peabody Pl, Memphis, TN 38103

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream
150 Peabody Pl, Memphis, TN 38103

Peabody Place
150 Peabody Pl, Memphis, TN 38103

The Flying Fish
105 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103

Butcher Shop Steak House
101 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103

[Davwud]

FWIW, Tyler Florence was on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the weekend up here and lauded the virtues of the Rendezvous pulled pork sandwich.
Get the Rendezvous special plate for an app.

DT