Restaurant review: Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous, BBQ, Memphis, Tennessee
In a voice so husky it could have been hickory-smoked and charcoaled for weeks, the lady beside me at the bar said into her phone, “I ain’t gonna marry you. Hell, I ain’t ever gonna marry you.” Then she turned back to gnawing her Rendezvous ribs.
Eaten: “World-Famous Rendezvous Charcoal-Broiled Pork Ribs.” The menu proclaims, “You’re about to settle in over a slab of Rendezvous ribs. About as far as a pig can go in this world. And we picked out the good ones for you.” Pig!
Review: I finally understand the concept of “finger-licking good!” Good God, Rendezvous ribs are mind-meltingly delicious! I finished the entire slab in approximately 11 seconds and spent the next 20 minutes gnawing every possible hint of sauce off the bones, my plate, my hands and the bar counter.
Drunk: Reasonably.
Ambience: Dark. Cavernous. Some sports on screen in the corner. Apparently the Memphis Grizzlies were playing, um, some other place with sporting abilities. Every so often a staff member came over to ask me what was happening in the game. This continued for over an hour despite the fact that my answers revealed that I obviously had no idea which team was the Grizzlies. “Um, a blue guy just, um, threw a ball at another blue guy…” Yeah! High five! Those friendly, charmingly enthusiastic Memphis folks! Love ’em.
Staff: Reviews grumbled about off-hand service, but I found everyone delightful, despite the fact that it took me between 3 and 7 attempts to understand what anyone was drawling at me. Even as I was leaving, one staff man dashed over to tell me, “I like that hat on you.” Got it on the second attempt! Progress!
Other eaters: Hard to say. It was all about me and those ribs. And the Grizzlies.
Eavesdropped: (In a voice so husky it could have been hickory-smoked and charcoaled for weeks), the lady beside me at the bar said into her phone, “I ain’t gonna marry you. Hell, I ain’t ever gonna marry you.” Then she turned back to gnawing her Rendezvous ribs.
Rating: A total Turtles score of 10.
(Taken from the AngrySeaTurtles.com archive… and adapted from my travel memoir The Scottish Ambassador: Learning How To Be Scottish in America, P+H Books 2015)
