Category Archives: Food

Rendezvous, Memphis

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Alright, I have something very important to tell you. I need everyone to pay attention, very close attention. I’ve thought and thought about how to write this post and I still don’t think it’s perfected but I need to spread the word. Do I have your attention?! Ok – lets begin!
Down an alley in the middle of Memphis, you will find a restaurant that goes by the name of Rendezvous. This place is like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, if it came in food style that is. Let’s face the facts – Memphis is known for music and food. I would think BBQ would be on the top of everyone’s food list… Am I right? Am I right?! Well – it was on top of ours. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows us.
One thing that I’ve learned about the South is that Texas is primarily beef BBQ. Everyone else, from Memphis to the Carolina’s is primarily pork. So pork BBQ is what we were expecting. One of my friends from home had lived in Memphis for a couple years so she had recommended Rendezvous. We are forever thankful.
As I said, Rendezvous is found down an alley. Yes, an alley. After walking in, you will see the main part of the restaurant can be found downstairs. Upstairs, is waiting area with TV’s all set to the NCAA semifinal game and people lounging around. There’s a bar available to keep you company.
We were seated at our table downstairs and the atmosphere is very eclectic. There’s one of everything on the walls, hanging from the ceilings. The waiters are dressed in white button down shirts with black bow ties. Very suave. Loved it! The menu sits under a glass cover on the table tops. No chopped brisket sandwiches here!
The appetizers really caught my attention. Not the typical appetizers. Cheese and sausage, ham and cheese, salami, Charcoal Broiled Lamb Riblets. All meats. All appropriate.
Sy ordered pork shoulder and a short order of ribs.
I ordered a pork shoulder sandwich with a side of coleslaw.
Rendezvous is known for their ribs, so we were told. Both the ribs and the pork shoulder were seasoned with a dry rub. Sy enjoyed the ribs but stated that they were not as good as some others he had in the past. The world changed though when he took a bite of the pork shoulder and I will agree –
it was the best BBQ I’ve had. Period.
The meat was moist. Oh – so juicy and tender it was like it melted in your mouth. Really, if you just put the meat on a sandwich it was good on its own but then the Rendezvous BBQ sauce was thrown on top the world just got a little better. Icing on the cake, cherry on top, it all applies. I’m completely serious when I say it was the best BBQ I’ve had. Sy agrees. If Sy agrees, you know you are in good company.
The BBQ sauce was even available for purchase. Just an FYI, we are running low!

The Peabody, Memphis – March 2012

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Prior to this past weekend, I had only been to Memphis once and that was my pit stop at Graceland. I have a good friend from home who has taken part in reenactments all of his life and he was taking part in the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. It’s a great excuse to see a friend and take a little weekend getaway trip. What’s a couple hundred miles, right? That’s right, I’m a great friend. So last Friday, Sy and I rented a car and began our trip. We drove a few hours and decided to stop and stay in Little Rock (home of the Clinton’s), wake up early and take off for Memphis (where we’d be staying Saturday night) and then travel to the battle site which was about two hours east.
We had decided since we don’t really treat ourselves to relaxing trips all that often that this was going to be it – even if it just happened to be on a weekend. With that being said, we were staying at The Peabody in Memphis. With our helpful AAA discount, the rate of the room was just a little more than the surrounding hotels but what the heck. It’s our getaway but in the end, it was the best decision and completely worth it.
The Peabody is a hotel that sits about two blocks from Beale Street and has been around for over 100 years. Besides having Presidents, celebrities and quite frankly people who are a big deal stay here (I mean, we were staying here which was the biggest deal yet), they are famous for their ducks. Yes – I said ducks. Quack Quack. The story goes something like this, the original owner went on a hunting trip to Arkansas and when he and his friends returned (and after a few too many Jack Daniels) they had decided to put ducks in the fountain of the hotel (since they couldn’t use decoy ducks). Now, it has become a tradition and the ducks live in their mansion on the roof of the hotel and are brought down the elevator daily at 11am and 5pm. The red carpet is rolled out and they run to the fountain in the middle of the hotel lobby. No – I am not even kidding.
It draws a lot of attention. Much more attention than I thought it would. It’s seriously a big deal.

This is the Duck Master presenting the young lady next to him a certificate for being Honorary Duck Master for the day!

The Peabody is gorgeous. I fell in love. Our room was cute. I especially loved the doors to the rooms. I know, kind of odd. The room was a little small but I mean how much room does one really need? The bed, so comfortable and I really didn’t get to sleep enough since Sy wanted to wake up early and get a head start on our long trip back to Texas. They do leave two rubber ducks on the desk (which you can purchase for $8). No thanks. The atmosphere and architecture within the hotel is where it’s at.
Seriously, the one of the most comfortable beds!
The lobby. It’s like the kitchen of any home, right – where everyone gathers. Check it out – it’s beautiful.
The lobby also holds the “hotel bar”. There are tables and big comfy chairs where you can hang out and relax and listen to the pianist play the piano (I later learned the piano also plays itself, unless it was a ghost…). In the morning there is tea and coffee available. In the evening they set out an arrangement of desserts which you can purchase for $6.50. We ended up ordering dessert in the lobby Saturday night after dinner. Tiramisu was what we wanted and it was delicious!
Obviously, it was shaped as a little tea cup with a chocolate stick on top. The tea cup was completely made of chocolate. The filling was a soft cream with the wafers in the middle. Yum!
The mezzanine. Here we found a piano which was custom made for Francis Scott Key who wrote the Star Spangle Banner. This level also leads to the ballrooms which we looked inside (cleaning up from a wedding I presumed) and it was magnificent. The ceilings and stage inside. Now I wish I got a picture, I guess you’ll just have to reference the website.
The staff were gracious and extremely nice. Honestly, it was one of the best hotel experiences I’ve ever had. It’s too bad I can’t really afford to stay more than one night. It’s no wonder The Peabody is known to be one of the prime hotels of the South. If you don’t believe me, stay there and find out for yourself!

On the Road & Kentucky

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And here we were for the second stretch of the trip – Philadelphia to Louisville.
Pennsylvania was great, nice countryside, rolling hills and small mountains. We even went thru some fun tunnels where honking the horn and hearing the echo was pretty entertaining. Maryland – we were there for about 10 miles. I remember passing by one town around this area and there was just this giant church with a steeple in the distance and it seemed to just own the town. It’s odd the things you remember. We did go thru West Virginia, but honestly, I would rather forget. The road was winding and very, very hilly. Up and down and right and left, it seemed to take forever. When we hit the Kentucky state line, it was raining, pouring. Who am I kidding here?! Pouring. My photo’s were out of the picture when it came to the lush, green rolling hills and the large horse farms. It was BEAUTIFUL. Now, if only Mother Nature could cooperate with me if I have a chance to go back and explore. (Please!) But all in all, we made it to Kentucky and Sy was so happy to see his dad and stepmom!
I think the first thing his stepmom ever said to me was how pretty I was. Whatever, I’ll take it! haha I was officially in the South. First this was, I learned how to pronounce Louisville the way it is meant to be pronounced. Lou-vull, not Louie-ville. Remember this. Important facts I’m teaching you.
What does one do when they are in Louisville, but go to Churchill Downs of course! Have you not heard of the Kentucky Derby?!
We swung by the University of Louisville campus.
We walked around downtown and saw some pretty interesting buildings and architecture.
These got me and I completely forgot about them until just now. Animal heads on the buildings.
And there’s some pretty great statues around to keep you company as well.
Where does Louisville hail it’s name?
King Louis XVI.
They continue down by the waterfront…
Doesn’t he look like Peter Pan?!
Mr. Clark was one of the highest ranking military officials during the Revolutionary War. He is known as the “Conqueror of the Old Northwest”.
We most definitely checked out the Louisville Slugger factory but I’m going to have to tell you about that in an entirely different post.
Finally – food you ask. We were taken to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. If you are looking for extreme Southern cooking, crazy hats and odd lawn art – you are in the right place. It’s definitely a unique attraction.
I’m going to say Lynn’s was my initiation to the South. I had never had grits, I didn’t really know what they were to be honest. Fried green tomatoes were just something that I knew from a great movie. I think you get the point. If you are looking for prime southern comfort – you’ve found a destination.