#2 Charlie Vergos Rendezvous - Memphis, TN

When I learned that the company I worked for would be sending me to Memphis, TN for two weeks of training one thought popped into my mind before any other -- BARBEQUE!

I'm not kidding. Ask my old boss.

The first thing I did is go to the internet and look up the location of my hotel (the Marriott) which proved to be downtown. This gave me a reference for my next stop -- Roadfood.com!

I printed out all of the restaurants that J&M recommended that were within walking distance of the Marriott (I wouldn't have a car) and started to dream of 'Que. The trip was still four months away.

Finally we headed to Memphis and the first night I hit Charlie Vergos Rendezvous along with 5 of my new friends.

Jane and Micheal were right as usual -- it was some of the best ribs I had ever had.

I wasn't as impressed with the service as they were though.

I wrote this review as soon as I came back for my Barbeque and Grilling site The Weekend Grillers.

The first thing you notice when approaching Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous is, like all good BBQ restaurants, the aroma of charcoal-cooking meat that wafts to meet you. The next thing is the large number of people waiting in the alley to be seated. Yes, you enter the restaurant from an alley. How can you not love a barbeque joint that has its front door in an alley?

I had flown down to Memphis for a week of management training in a former job. Truthfully, I didn't give one whit about the training but knew that I had to eat the famous Memphis barbecue as often as possible.

The first day I told some of my classmates that I was going to eat barbeque that night and they were welcome to join me. Five of my new friends did.

The restaurant is in the basement of the building. Legend has it that the restaurant was started in 1948 when Charles Vergos discovered a coal chute in the basement of his diner. The chute acted as a vent, enabling him to set up a grill. After he perfected his BBQ the diner closed up and almost sixty years later the barbeque is still smoking. The alley and restaurant were packed on this Tuesday night so we enjoyed beers and that wonderful bbq smell in the bar upstairs for about 45 minutes until we were seated.

The decor can best be described as cluttered, with historical political and entertainment relics spread throughout the rooms. The guests were a mixture of obviously locals and obviously tourists. Most of the waiters looked like they had been around since the restaurant opened.

I would like to tell you that we tried everything on the menu like you should if you are reviewing a restaurant. But I can't. We all had the ribs. How could we not? Five half slabs and one full slab. Me, of course.

I was not surprised when the ribs arrived without sauce as I know this restaurant is famous for its dry ribs, but I did wonder how I would like them. I'm definitely a barbeque sauce guy. I love bbq sauce so much that I don't just save it for actual bbq, I slather it on most every meat.

I needn't have worried. The pork ribs were delicious. Smokey sweet with a hint of pepper. The thick rub turns to a sauce as soon as you start to chew and release the juices of the meat. A cold beer helps this, too. The full slab of ribs was the size of a skateboard and cooked perfectly.

The side of vinegary cole slaw was good but barely more than a spoonful. Minisule side dishes, I would discover, are apparently a Memphis tradition. The star is the BBQ and side dishes afterthoughts.

The only bad part of the night was the attitude of our waiter. He started off surly and I assumed that it was just local flavor (like the waiters at Mike Linnings in my hometown of Louisville) or an act (as at Ed Debevic's in Chicago). But no, unfortunately, he was just plain rude. And he got worse as the meal went on. This was surprising to me since every review I had read prior to visiting had praised the wait staff. It was a sad sour note to an otherwise wonderful meal.

The service notwithstanding, the ribs carried the night into BBQ heaven and I rate Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous...

As Good as I've Ever Had

This review can be found along with many more on the Restaurants Page of The Weekend Grillers.

I must try the BBQ Nachos next time I go.

There will be a next time -- trust me!

Mark

Charlie Vergos Rendezvous website - http://www.hogsfly.com/


Rendezvous is featured on the Roadfood.com Website