Memphis

The Family Tunstall spent the past weekend in Memphis and environs visiting friends. We got to stay on Mud Island with Kelly Shoop and see the city through the eyes of someone who lives there. Brooke and I both agree that it is most fun to see a city with friends who live there (or who have lived there).

We ate like crazy people -- so, here's the rundown:

The BBQ Shop -- we had BBQ spaghetti (sounds gross, but is really good) and ribs (mine were a mixture of wet and dry). For me, the ribs are better at Rendezvous, but you cannot beat the ambiance of the BBQ Shop, and as I said, the BBQ spaghetti was worth it.

Arcade -- featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, which was waiting for us when we got home. This is the classic old diner -- we had a wonderful breakfast starting with beignets (nothing like those you get at Cafe Du Monde) and then blueberry pancakes, eggs, and buttery grits. In the Carolinas, we have found that the restaurants do not butter up the grits for you -- they are served plain and you add the amount of butter/hot sauce you like. I hate plain grits, but the buttery ones at Arcade were GOOD.

Huey's -- Burgers. Very good burgers. And, Kelly was only hit in the back with a half-dozen toothpicks as the kids behind us tried to put them into the ceiling (it's the thing to do at Huey's.)

Donald's Donuts -- On Union Avenue on the other side of the highway. Glorious donuts that avoid the puffy commercialism of Dunkin' Donuts. The best variety, by far, were the Buttermilk Donuts. It sounds like these would be heavy (kind of like the sour cream donuts at DD), but, they were surprisingly light and full-flavored with a really cool, kinky shape.

And, then we hiked out to the "environs". Our friends Mary Beth and Jay (and little Joshua), who lived in Chicago when we did, now live in the biggest city in Tennessee between Memphis and Nashville -- Jackson. They have a cool house on five acres of land 1 1/2 hours from Memphis and 2 hours from Nashville. We ate a lot there too . . .

Corky's Barbecue -- This time I opted for the pulled pork -- it was really good in that Tennessee smoky style, served with a sweeter tomato-based sauce on the side. Although I can say that after the BBQ Shop and Corky's, I could not bring myself to have barbecue the next day. I like Carolina BBQ -- East, West, it doesn't matter. I also had the fully-loaded baked potato. It's hard to screw up a fully-loaded baked potato, but, I can say it was really good and HUGE.

Casey Jones' Buffet -- We are not buffet people, but, MB and Jay both told us this buffet was different. And, it was surprisingly good -- and consistently good across the many dishes. There was a decent salad bar and option of various fruits in light syrups, Johnny cakes made right there in the buffet area, and I loved the mashed potatoes and pot roast. The beef in the pot roast was tender and not gristly, and the sauce was perfectly salted. The other "star" attraction at the buffet is fried chicken -- I do not like fried chicken -- but, my husband ate just the skin off a couple of pieces!

So, a very filling weekend in Tennessee. Seeing the history and character of many of Memphis' neighborhoods made us wish that Charlotte had a little more of that to offer. Charlotte is a pretty city in a pretty part of the country, but it is mostly brand-spanking new. Thanks to Kelly and Jay and Mary Beth for their hospitality!

Y'all come to Charlotte and we'll show you a good time!