WHERE WE WENT:
Central BBQ
2249 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN
38104
WHAT WE ORDERED:
Pulled Pork Plate, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Macaroni & Cheese, BBQ Pork Nachos
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Atmosphere - 7
Menu - 7
Presentation - 7
Taste - 8.5
Price - 8
Service - N/A
Overall - 7.5
Atmosphere - Central BBQ has a homey feel to it. The picnic style seating, large windows, and Memphis-centered wall decor provide a breezy, casual feeling. The outdoor patio seating is an excellent option in decent weather. It's definitely not fancy, but it's unique and charming.
Menu - The menu is everything you would expect from somewhere with "BBQ" in its name. There are multiple BBQ plate and sandwich options available as well as an option to purchase meat and sides in bulk. There were a few surprising offerings. The boast crispy homemade potato chips with chunky blue cheese dressing and a char grilled, marinated portabella mushroom sandwich, so even our vegetarian friends can enjoy Central.
Presentation - The presentation is plain and simple. Basic plates or baskets with wax paper. The restaurant itself is completely unpretentious, as is its presentation.
Taste - The BBQ nachos are the best we've ever had. A hulking pile of chips topped with a generous portion of pulled pork, dressed with nacho cheese, BBQ sauce and dusted with dry rub (and jalapenos optionally). Absolutely delicious. The proportions of each of the ingredients are perfect. The nachos are neither dry nor soggy. The layers of flavor are awesome and the dry rub is the perfecting touch. The pork plate is juicy and delicious, with slow-cooked flavor cooked in. Central's BBQ sauce is scrumptious. The sides were just ok. The cole slaw was a bit runny, and the beans were more like cowboy beans than southern baked beans. The mac & cheese was the best of the sides, but needed some salt. Overall though we were very pleased.
Price
- Central is completely comparable to other restaurants of the same kind. Their prices resemble something like Sonny's with equal portions and a more authentic, less mass-produced taste.
Service - At Central you order at a counter and have no server, but every employee of the restaurant we encountered was friendly and welcoming.
WOULD WE GO BACK?
Yes! Central BBQ is one of our staples
Here's a link to their website:
http://www.cbqmemphis.com/home.html
WHERE WE WENT:
Corky's Ribs & BBQ
5259 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN
38119
WHAT WE ORDERED:
BBQ Pork Nachos, Signature Pork Shoulder Sandwich, French Fries, Rack of Dry Rub Ribs, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Atmosphere - 8
Menu - 7
Presentation - 6
Taste - 10
Price - 8
Service - 8
Overall - 8
Atmosphere - Walking into Corky's you definitely get the feel that you're in a Memphis restaurant. There is a lot of local decor at the front. The seating area is pretty open and spacious except for the bar area which is separated off to the side. We thought that was a nice setup so if you wanted to wait for a table or just knock back a few you could without having to come all the way in. The colors are warm and welcoming. The whole atmosphere makes you feel as though you were invited over to a friend's for a barbeque. The music selection was very "Memphis," a mix of country and blues. It added to the ambiance of the restaurant and made you want to grove along without distracting from the meal or the conversation.
Menu
- The menu had some delicious options, but was a little bit limited. All the BBQ staples are there, but it lacked originality. You would expect that there was something really unique and creative from a restaurant that we've heard so much about.
Presentation
- Presentation was pretty standard; there wasn't anything particularly exciting when we saw the food. Everything was served on plain white plates, but all the food was very neat and tidy.
Taste
- Overall, everything tasted excellent. The BBQ nachos were smothered in cheese and sauce but you could taste every element of the dish. They didn't skimp on the pork either. The pork shoulder sandwich earned its spot as a signature dish. The pork was well-cooked but not too dry. The french fries were fresh tasting and had a great crunch to them. The baked beans were sweet and had an excellent texture. The cole slaw was good, but was a little heavy on the mayonnaise for some people's taste. The ribs were completely the star of the show. The were fall-off-the-bone cooked and the slow smoking process maintained all of the moisture. They had a nice crisp bark on the outside with the smoked flavor and dry rub. The rub itself was flavorful enough, but if you prefer your ribs wet, all three sauces (Original, Hot, & Apple) were delicious.
Price - The pricing at Corky's was comparable to most other BBQ restaurants that we've been to, what edged it up on the scale was the fact that that they provide large portions. The BBQ nachos could easily be a meal unto themselves.
Service - Our waitress was friendly and got our food out to us very quickly. We found ourselves waiting for refills a few times and when we asked for a minute to look at the menu we thought we might have to send out a search party if she didn't appear soon.
EXTRAS - A taste of Corky's is available to those outside Memphis as well. They ship their ribs all over the country.
WOULD WE GO BACK?
Sure! We would go back and if anyone asked about BBQ we wouldn't mind recommending it to them either.
Here's a link to their website:
http://www.corkysmemphis.com/
WHERE WE WENT:
Memphis BBQ Company
709 DeSoto Cove
Horn Lake, MS
38637
WHAT WE ORDERED:
Pork Rinds, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Mac & Cheese, BBQ Meatloaf, Fried Okra, Baked Beans, Sweet Tea
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Atmosphere - 8
Menu - 8
Presentation - 7
Taste - 8
Price - 7
Service -10
Overall - 8
Atmosphere
- The atmosphere of the restaurant really fit well with the BBQ joint theme. There was a variety of decor including musical instruments, BBQ competition trophies, and hand-painted items like suitcases or lunch boxes. The lighting was dim enough to create a warm, cozy vibe, but not too dim that it was inconvenient. They had country and bluegrass music playing throughout the restaurant that added nicely to the feel of the restaurant. It wasn't distracting; you had to listen for it, but when you did, you were glad. The only issues we had were the lack of color and focal point. The only real color other than wood tones was a mustard-y yellow on all the walls. There was a lot of nice, open space in the layout, but no focal point.
Menu
- The menu contained a variety of BBQ options, from your traditional staples such as pulled pork and ribs to more creative dishes like BBQ spaghetti and BBQ meatloaf. There were size upgrade options as well. Make your regular a jumbo. There weren't a lot of vegetarian options, but come on, it's a BBQ joint. The menu was well arranged and easy to navigate.
Presentation
- The presentation was pretty standard, generic white plates, in keeping with the overall tone of the restaurant. There was some interesting aspects like the propped up bun on the sandwich "showcasing" the pulled pork or the two pieces of meatloaf stacked to create an interesting angle.
Taste
- The pork rinds (or chicharrones as you might know them) had an excellent taste since they were sprinkled in the house signature rub. They could have used just a pinch more salt. The were better than most pork rinds you find in that they were crispy and light at the same time and weren't heavy and weighed down in taste by grease. The mac & cheese was delicious; the cheese had a good flavor, the noodles were perfect, and the consistency was perfectly thick and creamy. The pulled pork had a good flavor but was dry. Like, "you'll need to sauce every bite" dry. If you don't mind that, then there's no problem. The cole slaw added a nice freshness and brightness to the dish. Anyone who likes a lot of mayo will be disappointed. The beans were savory with an excellent smoky flavor. The okra was excellent. The breading to okra ratio was perfect, crunchy but not overwhelming and not at all slimy as okra often is. It was however, slightly over-salted. The BBQ meatloaf was wonderful. Too many times meatloaf just tastes like a hunk of beef, but not here. You can taste the onions and the celery cooked into it. The BBQ sauce was a nice complement to the taste. No ketchup required.
Price - Prices were comparable to other restaurants of the same kind.
Service - Our waiter Will was fantastic. He was friendly and attentive. He checked up on us frequently, but not enough to be irritating. He chatted with us and made suggestions. We would ask for him specifically.
WOULD WE GO BACK?
Sure! We would however, try something other than the pulled pork.
Here's a link to their website:
http://memphisbbqco.com/
