Hometown Slop: Memphis, Tennessee; Modern Day Deliverance continues.

Who hasn't heard of Graceland, the Peabody Hotel or Beale St? You may not have known that they were in Memphis, but you have heard of them. We had hoped to see a lot of sights in Memphis, however our delay in arriving prohibited that.

After leaving the Nashville airport, we headed west on I-40 toward Memphis. It was a 210 mile drive and we were anxious to get there. The first thing that strikes you is the beauty in the rolling hills of Tennessee. The leaves had began to change and it was picturesque. The hills would flow in valleys of cotton fields. Being from Utah, I take the mountains for granted. People we met on this trip would ask us about the mountains back home. I would say that I could be in the mountains in less than ten minutes from leaving my home. The cotton fields and rolling hills were what they took for granted. So maybe the grass, mountains or hills are really greener on the other side.

We arrived at our hotel in Memphis and checked in about 6:30pm. Hungry, and eager to see the town, we got on the trolley to Beale St.

Downtown Memphis at Night

Historic Memphis Trolley

Being the Foodie that I am, I had previously researched some restaurants. The Blues City Cafe has been around so long it's practically an institution. Their slogan is "Put Some South in Your Mouth." It's a run-down looking dive serving BBQ with live music on the weekend. I loved the look of the place and just walking in, you knew the food would be great. We were tired and hungry, but sitting there at the bar waiting for our food and enjoying each other's company, we were happy.

The Boys waiting for food at Blues City Cafe. Happy to be here.

Blues City Cafe, Beale St. Memphis, Tennessee

For an appetizer I ordered the seafood gumbo. I love making gumbo at home and was very excited about this dish. This sure had some fire to it and definitely "Put the South in my Mouth." It is a very spicy, roux based gumbo with shrimp, crawfish and a scoop of rice. It had a thick, gritty texture and was delicious. Thankfully my cup of both water and Dr. pepper were full when I started eating. It became a two chugs of water for every spoonful of gumbo.

Seafood Gumbo; Spicy & Delicious.

For an entree I ordered a rack of ribs served with cole slaw, baked beans, texas toast and steak fries. It was a lot of food. The ribs are hickory smoked and basted in maple barbecue sauce. They are slow cooked to perfection and the meat falls right off the bone. In other words: very delicious! After devouring the gumbo, munching on the fries, beans, and cole slaw, I couldn't make it through half of my ribs. They were heaven but I was done.

James showing off the Best Meal on Beale at Blues City Cafe

Rib Plate Meal. A lot of food.

We walked around Beale St. for a while but unless you are an Alcoholic or looking to become one, there wasn't much for us to do. In addition to that, it was 40 degrees with full humidity and the wind blowing off the mighty Mississippi. We were chilled to the bone and therefore surrendered. The trolley took us back to the hotel and we enjoyed game 6 of the World Series.