Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que, Nashville TN

Nashville does not have a reputation as a barbecue destination, but a few years back, a competition team called Ulika BBQ decided to document the slow-smoking traditions of middle Tennessee and prove the world a little wrong. I ran across their very lengthy investigation, “Exploring Nashville Barbecue,” a couple of years ago when I was looking for additional information about Slick Pig in Murfreesboro. Fascinated, I have reread the whole shebang six or seven times. It is becoming a little less accurate as time goes on – the bulk of it was written six years ago – but it’s just remarkably entertaining and full of detail. You could cover hot chicken in Nashville over one indulgent weekend. Barbecue would take a lot more work. They have also covered Memphis, and done a fine job, but dozens of people have done Memphis barbecue fairly well. Nobody else has put in the work that they’ve done for Nashville. Continue reading “Mary’s Old Fashioned Pit Bar-B-Que, Nashville TN” →

Rosepepper Cantina, Nashville TN

This is Marie, contributing an article about a meal we had at the Rosepepper Cantina in Nashville. We were up visiting some old (but nevertheless very youthful!) friends, Brooke and Tory, and this place seemed to be the right kind of place for us all to meet and hang out for a bit. Rosepepper Cantina has been winning prizes in Nashville for their food and margaritas for over a decade since setting up shop in 2001 and leading the development of this very trendy neighborhood.. They call their food Sonoran-style Mexican, and it’s not as hot as some Mexican places. I prefer flavorful meals to sweaty-forehead sinus-clearing food, so it was perfect for me. While we didn’t have any of the drinks, we can definitely vouch for the food being excellent. Continue reading “Rosepepper Cantina, Nashville TN” →

Big Marv’s BBQ, Decherd TN

A couple of years ago, we were going to Scottsboro for the ladies to shop for electronics and I looked for something to eat while they were occupied. I found a place called Big Marv’s, drove over there, had my mind blown by the amazing food, and raved about it. Big Marv picked up some other fans on the strength of our story. Vincent and Helen, who drive back and forth between Huntsville and Atlanta a whole heck of a lot, found themselves making frequent detours to Scottsboro for pulled pork and ribs. And then he was gone, back to Tennessee. Helen fumed. Continue reading “Big Marv’s BBQ, Decherd TN” →

Guthrie’s, Norcross GA (CLOSED)

For a few years in the mid-1990s, Marie lived in an apartment complex in Athens called Tivoli, and then she moved across the street to another place. From either of her front doors, she could have hit the back side of the Cedar Shoals Guthrie’s with a tennis ball. Marie is an excellent cook and claims that, in the 1990s, she didn’t eat out all that much, but when she didn’t feel like cooking, the Guthrie’s was awfully close by and very tasty. Continue reading “Guthrie’s, Norcross GA (CLOSED)” →

Chub’s BBQ, Ila GA (CLOSED)

Ila is a tiny little town in Madison County, about twenty minutes north of Athens via GA-106. Curiously, I did not have reason to ever put a tire on this stretch of road in my life before September of last year, when we visited Scott & BJ’s Bar-B-Q, which is located at the southern end of the little corridor. Two trips to the Classic City later, and we found ourselves driving along it for the very first time. It’s a fun little straightaway, full of rolling hills and low visibility with all the dips. This trip was between the two big winter ice storms that hit the area. We noted that this road would be impassible with slippery ice. Continue reading “Chub’s BBQ, Ila GA (CLOSED)” →