4 Days
1 State
1,334 Miles
47 hours 53 minutes driving time
24 Restaurants
14 Bakeries
5 Ice cream stops
4 Drink stops
6 Audio books
Per the usual MO a holiday weekend was used to save vacation days from work; accentuated from now having less vacation time with a newer job.
A trip to Tennessee a year ago provided a thorough exploration of the eastern two-thirds of that state. Since then finishing The Volunteer State has been hovering over me. How do you think I did filling in the map?
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Although not into the organic thing I admire Whole Foods Market’s consistently well merchandised and attractive stores. The one in Nashville is 25th one that I’ve checked out.
The reputation of Whitts Barbecue has led to a growth to 23 locations. I sought out the original SE of Nashville.
Their Chopped Pork was succulent highlighted by the contrast of interspersed bits of tender and burnt ends.
Sylvan Park Restaurant was all about Southern- hospitality, food and atmosphere.
The recurrent menu option in the south is ‘meat and three’: your choice of meat, three vegetables and served with a roll or biscuit. Already having protein I instead went with Three Vegetables and Bread. A handwritten sign announcing “We have yams” easily filled one spot with my fondness for these sweet starches. Yes, in the south potatoes are considered a vegetable choice as are mac & cheese and cottage cheese. Rounding out the plate were turnip greens and cucumber & onion.
For those in dark I have a strong fondness for Sonic America’s Drive-In. The design, concept, menu and aura never fail to excite. This one in Pleasant View was the first of the trip for a refreshing Jr. Candy Sundae.
Clarksville
Pearched on a hill overlooking the Cumberland River this Sonic bestowed a crispy Chicken Strip Sandwich.
Mindlessly motoring along rural highway 76 listening to an audio book I just about did a brake stand spotting this bakery.
Whole wheat bread or bakery? Healthy or not? Fortunately the choice was a Blueberry Scone for the pure enjoyment it provided. Heavy on the blueberry populace this super spongy disc was a spectacle for the taste buds.
Paris had one of the more vibrant town squares of the hundreds I’ve rolled through.
Mango Limeade from the Paris Sonic.
Considering the remoteness of south-central Tennesee it was very rewarding to find the wrought iron elegance Clifton.
Ever hear of Sheriff Buford Pusser? How about the 1973 movie Walking Tall or its 2004 remake? Sheriff Pusser almost single handedly cleaned up Adamsville of crime and corruption before meeting a mysterious death. The Sheriff Buford Pusser Home & Museum is one of those curious attractions across America.
The name of this town detoured me from my planned route. The ‘town’ was a post office, bank and convenience store.
About half a mile to the west Reagan Café’s packed parking light showcased a sense of community...
...which was further evident inside with the Saturday night buffet.
Wanting to be part of this community I settled in and hit the salad bar before moving on to the desserts with such Southern staples as Red Velvet Cake, Strawberry Shortcake and Banana Bread Pudding.
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Got the morning run in before the rain started in Union City.
Kenton
Trenton
Jr. Breakfast Burrito at the Trenton Sonic. Loving that new Everyday Value Menu!
Do Dah's Donuts & Cakes in Jackson name along would have made it a fun stop if not for the Blueberry Cake Donut being a revelation of flavor and texture.
Henderson
Along the isolated Southern border I thought I was out of luck to find a breakfast spot until tiny Middleton revealed a line of pick-up trucks at Crossroad’s County Kitchen.
The interior features OSB ceilings, exposed ductwork, checkered floors and wood paneling.
Grand Junction
Another Jr. Candy Sundae, this time with Reese’s Pieces, in Bolivar.
The planned healthy lunch in Jackson was thwarted finding the salad place gone. Nearby was Country Buffet advertising soul food. “I don’t eat that much…but it would be a chance to try a lot of different southern food”. A compromise was to start with a salad and then have a smidgen of everything else.
Crunchy fried chicken gizzards, deftly seasoned green beans, creamy mac & cheese, crispy cornbread, bold turnip greens, meaty black-eyed peas and spicy spaghetti. Desert included peach cobbler and good-enough-for-seconds rice pudding.
After a long trek to the NW corner of the state the beloved bow tie sign was silhouetted against the concrete silos in Tiptonville. Glancing at the clock it was a relief to see 2:11PM- in time for the 2-5 o'clock happy hour and a half price drink to quench a growing thirst.
Along the Kentucky border Reelfoot Lake could best be described a hick tourist mecca.
Jr. Deluxe Burger, Dyersburg.
North Caroline, Tennessee, Kansas City and Texas are the competing ground zeros for BBQ. Each of of these geographic areas have their own preference for meat (pork or beef), sauce (vinegar or tomato based) and slaw (with or without).
Memphis is all about chopped pork with tomato based sauce topped with slaw. My tour de force evaluating all the renowned institutions started in the affluent eastern suburb of Germantown.
The crowds gathered outside Germantown Commissary were nothing compared to the mayhem inside as patrons jostled to get their fill of ribs, chopped pork, potato salad, slaw and pies.
Digging into this Chopped Pork showcased what all that fuss was about.
Just west of downtown Memphis in a typical stretch of strip malls Corky’s also had a packed parking lot and lines inside.
Corky’s became the best BBQ of the trip. It was a trifecta of magnificence as the chopped pork, sauce and slaw combined to become a magical concoction of flavor and texture. Each could have stood on their own yet take the mass flavor and tenderness of the pork and counter it with the crunchy slaw and accentuate it with the spirited sauce and you have a foodie memory.
Whole Foods Market in Memphis to make it number 26. And have a healthy salad!
Monday, May 25th, 2009
This beacon for a breakfast spot...
...became all that more welcoming inside.
By design the choices were southern staples including Egg(Beaters), Grits and Bisciuts & Gravy.
This ring from Donald’s Donuts featured a more dry interior making an appropriate match for the crunchy exterior and tangy taste.
Far from being an Elvis fan can anyone go to Memphis and not visit Graceland?
Located in a less than desirable part of town the house is on one side of a 4 lane road while the shops, museums and restaurants are on the other.
Compared to today’s McMansions and taking into account his 2 decades of fame the house’s scale and ammenties are simple.
Inside are such known highlights as the TV room, jungle room and carpeted kitchen.
Completing the attractions were Elvis’ Cars Museum, Elvis in Hollywood, Lisa Marie jet and Private Presley documenting his required time in the army.
During a Memphis layover in 2000 on the way back from L.A. I first became fond on Interstate BBQ. But eating at an outpost always feels like cheating, especially in an airport. So it was relief to head to the sketchy 3rd Avenue location off of I-240 for the original location of Jim Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-Que.
Let the picture do the talking.
Interstate’s neighborhood seemed high-end compared to where I found A&R Bar-B-Que.
Any hesitation disappeared stepping inside and finding kind patrons and workers.
Their Chopped Pork Sandwich was differentiated by a runny slaw whose sweetness ran into the pork creating a mélange of decadence.
Clarence Saunders built the Pink Palace in 1922 from his Piggly Wiggly Fortune.
Today it and an adjoining 64,000 square foot modern building house a museum covering the gament from transportation to culture to war. My intention was to see a full scale replica of the first Piggly Wiggly. For those who don’t “know so much about nothing” Mr. Saunders created the first self-service grocery store. Before this shoppers asked the shopkeeper for items behind the counter.
Sun Studios launched the careers of Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, B.B. King ,Jerry Lee Lewis and many others .
The tour includes a museum and concludes with the actual recording space.
In the shadow of Memphis Neely’s Bar-B-Cue is another local favorite.
Their Chopped Pork had flecks of seasoning both perceptibly visually and by taste.
The pedestrian Main Street shares traffic with a trolley all sheltered by mature trees and a variety of architecture.
The most famed road in Memphis is the debauchery that is Beale Street.
Along this historic stretch of paving brick A. Schwab Dry Good Store has gone from providing staples in 1876 to creating fascination for tourists today with their wide ranging inventory.
As a self-proclaimed foodie Dyer’s Burgers has long been on the top of my hit list. They have been using the same grease to fry burgers in a cast iron skillet since 1912. That is the famed grease on the left.
Alas, the burger wasn’t that good and two bites were more than enough due to the unhealthiness.
Continiuing the trend of longtime Memphis traditions I saw the Peabody Duck March at 5PM.
Besides being a beloved Memphis restaurant Huey’s has two popular activities while dining: 1) shooting toothpicks into the ceiling with a straw and 2) writing all over the walls. (I did neither.)
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Along the Mississippi posed for a picture with the often photographed arches of the Desolo Bridge.
Memphis’ oldest restaurant Arcade has seen many changes on the south end since 1912.
A 1950s interior remodel gratefully remains untouched including the boomerang Formica tables worn away from decades of elbows. A magnetism for pancakes and sweet potatoes made the menu choice easy.
Site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior’s assassination.
Hefty Banana Nut Muffin from La Baguette.
Everyday working folks and even local celebrities flock to Bryant’s Breakfast northeast of downtown. And it was easy to see why this has been an institution.
I hit all three of their claims to fame with a Country Ham Biscuit and Grits. The dry, salty and chewy country ham sang beautifully with the metallic twang of the biscuit's flaky and moist structure. This symphony made it on my Best Things I Put In My Mouth 2009 list.
Another item to add to that list. The Donuts Man 2’s Blueberry Cake Donut craggy topography sheltered an intense blueberry flavor supported by the perfect balance of denseness and moistness. Peering at a cross section a multitude of wild blueberries further magnified the wonderment of this mastery.
Time to get out of Memphis and continue filling in that map. Somerville:
Before rolling into Parsons I knew they had a Sonic thanks to GPS technology. The Jr. Fritos Chili Cheese Wrap was all about combining crunch and gooiness.
After a little zigzagging of the map before heading back to Nashville this Sonic in Jackson was the 9th of the trip bringing the grand total to 89 Sonics in 18 states with 95 menu items enjoyed.
Making haste to get back to Nashville for 3 unfilled destinations I found an old soda shop and used bookstore closed. At least Provence Breads & Café was open.
