Roadtripping!

[ECOCKS]

We are getting ready for two vacations  in the next month. One for a week to Victoria from Seattle where the BC Museum is #2 on my wife's to do list. #1 is visiting a Canadian couple we were good friends with in Ukraine. #3 is enjoying a high tea at the Empress one afternoon. #1 on my list is stopping off in Forks, WA for a look-see at the Vampire motif of the area as they ride the Twilight phenomenon while she adjusts her internal clock from the flight. Then a ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, then again from Nanaimo to Vancouver, followed by a drive across lower BC and back into Idaho.

The second vacation will be a three week road trip across the heartland (ID, UT, WY, NE, MO, TN, AR, KS) with almost two weeks to be spent in Memphis where she will be learning how to operate a restaurant kitchen doing 400 meals a day while I come up to speed on high volume barbeque operations. Along the way we're planning stops at a dozen or so well-known BBQ joints to sample side dishes and preparation/presentation techniques.

Find a woman who likes the things you do and can be comfortable doing them. Those who tell themselves they can tolerate the shopping, the borscht every week, unrealistic employment dreams and so on are setting themselves up for failure and disappointment.

Anyway, I'm game for a coffee stop or maybe even grabbing a lunch or dinner if the timing falls right and you're along those routes.

[GoodOlBoy]

The second vacation will be a three week road trip across the heartland (ID, UT, WY, NE, MO, TN, AR, KS) with almost two weeks to be spent in Memphis where she will be learning how to operate a restaurant kitchen doing 400 meals a day while I come up to speed on high volume barbeque operations. Along the way we're planning stops at a dozen or so well-known BBQ joints to sample side dishes and preparation/presentation techniques.

No offense intended to ECOCKS or any of the states he listed, BUT..... IMHO the best barbecue cooking in the whole GoodOl' USA is in the great state of North Carolina.
Hands down the best!
It's kinda like who has the best lobster (Maine of course ).

GOB


PS....I'm originally from Virginia.

[ECOCKS]

No offense intended to ECOCKS or any of the states he listed, BUT..... IMHO the best barbecue cooking in the whole GoodOl' USA is in the great state of North Carolina.
Hands down the best!
It's kinda like who has the best lobster (Maine of course ).

GOB


PS....I'm originally from Virginia.

LOL - sorry Rick, but that NC thing just don't fly in Memphis, which is pretty much the capital city of the BBQ world.





NC has some good spots though, but no real concentration of talent.

I want to visit this place someday:



Now that IS barbeque, no doubt about that.

[Faux Pas]

ED, keep me abreast on your travels.

I've had NC BBQ and it was good. In fact I've had it most every place it is supposed to be pretty special and the wolds best including, Memphis, Kansas City and various places in Texas. I am a bit of a fan and a qualified judge (Memphis) I can say with certainty that there is no way to tell. It is all good and often different. The best BBQ comes from my own smoker, in my yard  IMHO and everyone else that has had some

[ECOCKS]

ED, keep me abreast on your travels.

I've had NC BBQ and it was good. In fact I've had it most every place it is supposed to be pretty special and the wolds best including, Memphis, Kansas City and various places in Texas. I am a bit of a fan and a qualified judge (Memphis) I can say with certainty that there is no way to tell. It is all good and often different. The best BBQ comes from my own smoker, in my yard  IMHO and everyone else that has had some

Absolutely there is good BBQ in NC, that was why I posted the The Pit's video as a sample. There's good BBQ in Texas, Missouri and even Alaska as well. Although I just don't get how slicing a brisket and pouring a ladle of sauce on it can be considered BBQ but anyway.

Regardless, I stand my ground that Memphis has the highest concentration of true BBQ talent than anywhere else, with KC standing in second. Dallas? Uh-uh. Charlotte? Too Small. St. Louis? Nah. All have some good spots but the capital is right there at the top of the Delta.

If you and your wife will be in Memphis from the 18th through the 28th, let me know. We'll be hitting Neely's, Interstate, Central, Gridley's, Payne's and rest of the A-list spots all that time. Maybe we could run down 61 and rendezvous at Tunica or Doe's even? My wife would enjoy Doe's if they're still in business but Tunica is not quite her thing although there was a joint there that was considered decent is I can think what it was called.

[Faux Pas]

If you and your wife will be in Memphis from the 18th through the 28th, let me know. We'll be hitting Neely's, Interstate, Central, Gridley's, Payne's and rest of the A-list spots all that time. Maybe we could run down 61 and rendezvous at Tunica or Doe's even? My wife would enjoy Doe's if they're still in business but Tunica is not quite her thing although there was a joint there that was considered decent is I can think what it was called.

Not impossible but Memphis isn't as close as it was since we've moved. Let me know as it unfolds or plans are more in place and we may be we can hook up for some of Neely's ribs. Are you referring to Doe's in Greenville?

[ECOCKS]

Is there another Doe's?

Now that I am thinking rationally I guess that is too big a day trip for us although I wouldn't mind my wife seeing some of MS for added flavor. I'd love to see her reaction to places like Mound Bayou for example.

I forgot you moved.

We'll be westbound on 40 to LR on the 29th or 30th probably. Does that help?

[Faux Pas]

Is there another Doe's?

Now that I am thinking rationally I guess that is too big a day trip for us although I wouldn't mind my wife seeing some of MS for added flavor. I'd love to see her reaction to places like Mound Bayou for example.

I forgot you moved.

We'll be westbound on 40 to LR on the 29th or 30th probably. Does that help?

Yeah there were a couple at one time but none like the original. It would be a good day trip down the Delta your wife might enjoy.

Yes that helps a lot. I'm an hour South of LR. I-30 is right by my house. Give me some heads up and we can do something.

[FredC]

I can recommend the BBQ spaghetti at the Interstate. It has a nice bite, but not overpowering.

A good side trip is a visit to Graceland, even if you're not a huge Elvis fan.

[ECOCKS]

Interstate is a continual Top 10 pick. In fact, the Neely family is one of the dynasties of the BBQ world. There are at least 6 BBQ restaurants owned by various members of the family.

Wife did Graceland last year before we moved to Idaho. I last did Graceland about 30 years ago when you rode up the driveway on the back of Uncle Vernon's pickup truck, circled the driveway and rolled back to the gate for $3 a head. Never cared to see the inside. Loved his music but was ambivalent about the man himself.