Friday, November 30, 2007

It's Memphis Time

I'm finally in Memphis. Arrived yesterday afternoon from Minneapolis, and I'm glad to be out of Minnesota! Checked into my hotel downtown and did a little bit more work. I'm right across from Autozone Ball Park, which is where the race will finish. If I can stumble over the finish line, I'll be able to crawl back to my room!

Dinner last night was half a block down at Rendezvous. I dunno - I still prefer Corky's, but Memphis Ribs is better than no ribs at all. The place is like in a basement off a deserted alley, but inside, it's bustling. I was seated in the front section, and there's one side room and one back room, both of which open to more rooms, which open to more rooms, and on and on. There's a few old guys whose only job seems to be escorting people deep into the back of this maze. This one guy would reappear from the back every few minutes, and I'm not kidding, he'd yell the exact same thing every single time to the hostess up front:

"Howmanyyougot Baby?" ... pause ...
"Awl-right, burr-ring 'em on!"

Then he'd turn around and disappear with another pack of people following him.

I had a small order of ribs and a side of red beans and rice for carbs. Forgot to take a picture of it before I started, but this is it half-way through.

This morning I worked some more from my room until about lunch time, then took the rest of the day off. I wandered down to Beale Street where I saw BB King play years ago. The whole place was pretty much deserted today, and I ended up at Cafe 61 for lunch. It was great! I had a Jimbolaya and for extra carbs - the Crawfish Mac 'n Cheese.

After lunch, I headed out to the Expo. I ran into this Memphis Trolley thing almost immediately, but decided I probably should walk off the lunch a little bit. It was about 4 blocks away.

The weather was just a touch chilly but bearable. There was no line at all at the Expo. Got my bib, chip, and goody bag in about 45 seconds. The long sleeved cotton t-shirt is, well, cotton.

It wasn't a big expo, and mostly the same merchandise as other expos. However, I did run into a couple of familiar faces hanging on the wall at one of the booths!

Dinner tonight, I think, will be back on Beale Street, hopefully more alive this time. Kings Palace Cafe looked pretty good for gumbo and blackened chicken pasta! That should keep me tied over until race time tomorrow, no?

6 comments:

Anne said...

Pork ribs? Crawfish mac 'n' cheese? Jamabalaya? Yours has to be the most unconventional pre-race food I've read about in years. Let's hope the rice and beans propel you forward, and the other ingrediants don't bite you in the butt. Good luck, Rich!!

peter said...

Good luck, Rich!

That looks like some good eatin' you're doing down there (I didn't say healthy eating). I went to a game a couple of years back at the Autozone. It's a cool minor league park, it should be fun to end a race there.

Rae said...

Corky's is my fave too (that and some neighborhood joints I ate at growing up) but you can't trade the atmosphere at Rendezvous!! I'm going to have to plan a trip back "home" soon, you made me want my Memphis!!

Michelle said...

wow! i am famous! thanks for the pic :)

Ryan V. said...

Corky's over Rendezvous? You're crazy, man.

Did you have a Top's bbq sandwich? I love how they put the slaw right on the bun.

David said...

Hey I know those two babes! Bondi me up!

You certainly loaded up with the home cookin' of Memphis. Did you go to the race in a wheelbarrow or pick-up truck?