On the Sunday of our too-short visit to Memphis, the four of us started the morning at that city’s children’s museum, about which more in a later chapter, and then we dropped Marie and the baby off with her sister. My daughter and I then took off for Arkansas and a lot of barbecue. We soon turned around, because the first stop on our planned tour was, weirdly, closed, despite my phoning the day before to confirm they’d be open. Still, we crossed the Mississippi on the fantastic I-40 bridge and returned via the slightly less awesome I-55 bridge, which is how everybody should go to Arkansas and back. Continue reading “Leonard’s Pit Bar-B-Que, Memphis TN”
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Memphis TN
It takes about nine hours to get to Memphis from Atlanta if you take a leisurely detour in Oxford along with three or four baby relaxation stops. Eventually, we found our hotel, which was nowhere near anyplace we wanted to be, or where Marie’s sister lives. The Memphis in May shindig, which seems to be embraced by at least half the locals, encompasses four weekends of festivals, food and fun. The first weekend of the month is the Beale Street Music Festival, which, unlike some that we enjoy like AthFest or Bele Chere, charges a heady admission price, thus keeping us away from the center of Memphis tourism, and also banishing us to the first reasonably-priced hotel in the area, just outside the I-240 perimeter on the road to Nashville. Continue reading “Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Memphis TN”
Ajax Diner, Oxford MS
Road trip! For the baby’s first birthday, we went back to Memphis to visit Marie’s sister. Her brother and her mother also made their way to town, and we had a good three days of family time. We ate a little bit, too, and had a very good meal on the way to town at Ajax Diner in Oxford. Since finances and the recent expansion of the SEC has made it a little unrealistic to plan to actually visit all of the distant SEC towns like I wanted, we have mostly tabled our plan to stop by each of them, but Marie indulged me into making a detour through Oxford, the home of Ole Miss, to get lunch here on the way. I was torn between Ajax or Taylor Grocery, and finally selected Ajax because it is located right on the courthouse square, allowing us to do some leg-stretching and a little bit of shopping before getting back on the road, and driving through the lovely Ole Miss campus on our way to I-55. Continue reading “Ajax Diner, Oxford MS”
Tom’s Folly, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)
Wrapping up my recent trips to the eastern side of Howell Mill Road and the neighborhoods there, I stopped by Tom’s Folly after I noticed the restaurant, which is set up in an old bank building, and found the name charming. I didn’t know anything about the place when I opened the door, although my heart sank as I saw the “only 18 and over” sign, stepped in, nearly choked to death from the smell of old cigarettes, and made my way back outside to the front patio. Continue reading “Tom’s Folly, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
Patrick’s Sub Shop, Atlanta GA
Asked what she would like to have for supper a couple of Saturdays back, Marie settled on cheesesteaks. Rather than going by our favorite place in the region – Roy’s – we decided to go hunting. It looked like there would be a good possibility at this new food truck park on Howell Mill and 75. Have you heard about this thing yet? Not having succumbed to the food truck hype, I remain skeptical. It sounds like the same thing as a mall food court to me. Continue reading “Patrick’s Sub Shop, Atlanta GA”
Mustard Seed BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)
When a new user review at Urbanspoon reminded that Mustard Seed was one of many, many Atlanta barbecue joints still out there for me to visit, I put it on my to-do list right after a farewell trip to Harold’s, which was closing after sixty-five years. Then I decided, upon reflection, that it was really the stew that I liked most about Harold’s and elected to visit both the same afternoon. Then the staff at Harold’s, evidently choosing to let closing-time malaise infect their morning routine, unlocked the door at eleven without actually having any stew ready. I only visited that restaurant once – it was the last “new” barbecue place that I enjoyed together with my dad – and couldn’t contribute to the overwhelming community sense that the old place had been falling apart in disappointment and lost opportunities for many years, but it was hard to leave that place without shaking my head and thinking that the nay-sayers might have a point. Continue reading “Mustard Seed BBQ, Atlanta GA (CLOSED)”
Hankook Taqueria, Atlanta GA
Oh, my. I finally made a lunchtime trip over to Hankook and I’m hopeful that it won’t be the last time. This is, honestly, getting ridiculous, trying to balance all the wonderful new places that we have found over the last couple of years that we would like to revisit while also looking for brand-new-to-us joints on which we may report. Continue reading “Hankook Taqueria, Atlanta GA”
Marie, Let's Eat! 