GSRT: Memphis - Payne's Is King
After visiting Gill and August's Green Building, I hopped in the car and made the 385 mile drive to Memphis and my three day stay at the Peabody Hotel. Billed as the "South's Grand Hotel," the Peabody is all it's cracked up to be. The staff in unerringly friendly and remembered my name instantly and they were very helpful about the local area, even if one of the valets had never heard of Payne's. He must have been new.... While the Peabody is indeed a fancy joint (it boasts Memphis' most fancy fine dining restaurant in Chez Philippe) there are deals to be found online. My stay was only $140/night through Orbitz but unlike some other hotels, I received no "bargain shopper scorn" when checking in. The Peabody is all class and that might have something to do with hotel Duckmaster Jason Sensat who also oversees the customer relations employees in the hotel, including front desk personnel and concierges.
More on him and the ducks in a later post, complete with video!
But now....Food! My first day in Memphis was a disappointment, since I drove out to Payne's and it was closed. A main goal of this trip is experiencing the finest BBQ known to man or beast and consistently listed on "Best of" lists and written up in any BBQ book worth its salt, Payne's (located at 1762 Lamar, Av.) was my #1 stop in Memphis. Alas, it was closed and my iPhone's map feature led me astray when I went looking for my other important stop on this trip, Cozy Corner BBQ. I ended up no where near where I was supposed to be, but instead wound up near another highly-rated joint, Central BBQ. There I made the mistake of choosing sauce on the side. Never choose sauce on the side. Let them sauce up your sandwich. I guess I'll have to go back, because it's supposed to be fantastic.
At any rate, that evening, through a suggestion from the hotel, I ate at McEwen's on Monroe and it was fantastic. I decided to try three small plates and was blown away by the Warm Hazelnut Crusted Goat Cheese Salad, the Shrimp & Grits (always a favorite) and the wholly original Red Tasmanian Sweet Crab Fritters. It was Americana with a southern bent, all prepared with care and excellent service. For dessert (I don't usually indulge, but....) the trio of sorbets was fantastic, see:
The next day was Payne's day. The sandwich, which isn't really much to look at, was one of the most extraordinary things I've ever eaten and if I lived in the area, I'd probably eat there twice a week. It's a good thing I don't, at least I am sure my doctor thinks so. Your choice for a pork sandwich is chopped or sliced. Don't be an asshole, order it chopped. The texture is perfect and they'll more than likely throw in some of the chewy and crunchy burnt crust. I chose mild sauce and the counter man asked " You want slaw?" I said yes, knowing that he meant that they'd put the slaw on the sandwich not on the side. This is a practice particular to Memphis and its environs, apparently and it works for me. The mustardy-vinegary slaw was a perfect counterpoint to the sweet, smokey meat and sauce and the fluffy white supermarket bun served it's purpose: to barely contain the meat without ether completely falling apart or overwhelming the sandwich. The result was sheer heaven and I am hoping for a return visit later in April!
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