My photos have been looking pretty blurry lately so I decided to start using my digital camera (do people even say digital camera?). The camera looks really cute, I might upload a photo later of it later. I think I got the camera in December 2009 (since the first photo taken was from then) and it is a touch screen as well as hot pink. The price for the camera was ridiculous since it was a touch screen and I got it mainly for that reason, plus, it is hot pink. After using the camera for a couple of weeks, I dropped it once and thought what was the point of using a camera when I have my phone? However, now that I have dropped my phone many times and the lenses are scratched, I appreciate the camera now! Plus, the camera looks very cute and despite dropping it once, still looks brand new and feels like I just bought it LOL.
I have been wanting to try Memphis for a while but could never find the restaurant! The restaurant's exterior is not well lit and after trying to find the restaurant ten times, I was finally successful. Memphis is a self serve restaurant - order at the counter, pay and grab your drinks. We did not know this until the waitress told us to grab any seat and said, "when you're ready to order, come up to cash". The restaurant has a casual old school Southern atmosphere and comfortable booth seating arrangements.
DAILY SOUP, CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES SERVED WITH CORN BREAD ($4.95).
Whoops, the photo looks blurry because I am still learning how to use the camera (there are too many options!). The bowl of soup has a good amount of carrot, celery as well as shredded chicken and although I do not mind the shredded chicken, BF thinks that chicken should not be shredded in soup. The soup has a nice light spiciness which is probably from the seasoned chicken.MEMPHIS FEAST, OUR SIGNATURE ITEM, EVERY MEAT PLUS ALL THE FIXINS, A PERFECT WAY TO SAMPLE BBQ ($45.95).
For first visits, platters are always recommend as an opportunity to every type of barbecue meat. Plus, it is easier to choose which meats you like for the next visit.
BOYLAN ROOT BEER ($?) AND SIDES.
Starting from the left top clockwise, the barbecue sauce has a nice smokey taste; the beans taste soft, not mushy, and has a natural sweetness with a thickened consistency; the coleslaw tastes fresh as well as creamy and has a light hint of spiciness; and the potato salad is light on the mayonnaise with a pleasant tasty egg taste.
PULLED PORK AND BARBECUE CHICKEN.
The pulled pork tastes tender, moist and lightly seasoned, definitely a good start to dinner. Next, the cut of the chicken is the thigh and breast. The chicken thigh tastes tender as well as moist but bland, I guess that is what sauce is for right? For the breast, the meat tastes overcooked, chewy and dry. There is nothing wrong with slow cooked drier tasting barbecue, however, not a fan when overcooked.
BEEF BRISKET AND FRIES.
The slices of beef brisket tastes a bit tender and has a rich fatty taste, however, the ends are very hard as well as burnt and not edible. As for the fries, they taste crisp, lightly seasoned and not salty, quite good. We did not try the cornbread so no common on that.
The sliced sausages do not have a smoked taste or much taste at all, and tastes quite hard but not too salty. Next, the pork ribs taste chewy, dry and very hard, with not much of a barbecue or smokey taste. And last, the ribs are the least enjoyable. The rib ends are rock hard, not flavourful, overly chewy and most of the pieces are burnt, therefore resembling beef jerky. I wanted to take a photo to show the burnt pieces (five to seven) but BF said that would be rude.
We took most of the meats that we thought may be worth saving and somehow make better to eat for the next day, however, everything really tasted rock hard as well as tough. I like slow cooked barbecue meats but everything except the pulled pork and chicken thigh tasted hard with no taste, not just chewy, but hard.- Friendly waitress
- Pulled pork is yummy
- Slow cooked barbecue for those who prefer (but more burnt and chewy than dry)
- Lunch may be better?
NEGATIVES
- Any signature item dish should be decent
- Food is served luke warm
- Meats have been sitting around for too long and are rock hard
- Fruit fly trap on top of the towel dispenser in the washroom (clearly there is a fruit fly problem, most likely from BBQ sauce since it tastes sweet and may not be sealed properly)
- Not sanitizing restaurant properly
- Slow cooked barbecue meats are a personal preference but there is something wrong with a jerky texture and burnt ribs
- Pricey for what it is
LITTLE THINGS
- Burgers Etc and Hog Shack is a lot better
- We did not eat even $15.00 worth
- Why is it that everyone told me Memphis is not even that good, AFTER I posted it on Instagram?
Food: 2/5
Service: 5/5 (self serve but the waitress was friendly and positive)
First off how is it hard to find a restaurant? You get the address you drive to the address you park and voila there is the restaurant at the address indicated. But I digress. The brisket was not burnt. That is called the bark and it is what happens after you smoke something for 12 hours. It adds what is called flavour. The small pieces you were referring to are actually called "burnt ends" and are quite prized amongst BBQ aficionados as a tasty treat of smoky goodness.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of "burnt ends" when done right, not when rock hard or dry. And yes, properly made rib ends do have a "smoky goodness", however, these did not taste flavourful as stated in the post
Delete@ Anonymous Yes because parking on commercial drive is easy to find (sarcasm)
Delete@ MVP Coming earlier is better at Memphis b/c the meats are old and a few hours before closing, the restaurant doesn't make more fresh ones!!
Meh… for the same price, I rather stick to BBQ houses where I have had better experiences such as Burgers Etc and Hog Shack. And YEAH, parking on commercial sucks! I rarely wear a a jacket too so I like to park near the entrance rather than walk 10-15 minutes to find a restaurant. If I had a jacket, I would not mind walking though.
Delete