A Little Trip to Memphis

I took Mrs. Lightning to Memphis this past weekend to just get away and also to have a little food excursion weekend. On the way south, there was no way we could not stop in Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, MO, "The Only Home of Throwed Rolls." In case you have never been there, waiters throw rolls to you when you request them. Yep -- they whiz through the air right to you at your table. The waiters also come around to the tables with big pots and serve free helpings of extras like fried okra, black-eyed peas, macaroni & tomatoes, and fried potatoes with onions. The service and food were both excellent!

Once we actually got in Memphis Friday night, we had to spend a little time on Beale Street, which is always Party Central.
And you can't walk down Beale Street without a Big Ass Beer in your hand, can you?


On Saturday morning, we headed to the National Civil Rights Museum. If you have never been there, put it in your future travel plans. The museum was built on the site of the old Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

The wreath on the balcony outside room 306 marks the spot where Dr. King was shot.

Walking through the museum, it is hard to believe the injustices that were done in my lifetime. They were done not that long ago, but they seem like they came from another world.

After our morning museum visit, we ate lunch at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken restaurant. TripAdvisor.com travelors rated Gus's #1 of 888 rated restaurants in Memphis. Well .. we just had to try out the little hole in the wall place that people said produced the best fried chicken in the world. Our verdict: it was good. Although the chicken was spicy, it was spicy-flavorful, not really spicy-hot, so even my wife, who doesn't like heat, could eat it. But ... the best in the world? It did not impress us that much.

After lunch, we journied to the south side of Memphis to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. If you like soul music, brotha, this place is for you. Where else can you see the original wah-wah pedal used in recording the Theme from Shaft or the original organ used to record Booker T & the MG's Green Onions?

For dinner, we hit up a place I had seen on the Food Network, Jim Neely's Interstate Bar-B-Q. Could this popular barbecue joint become my favorite? The verdict: it was pretty good -- good taste, good value, good service. But not good enough to hit my #1 spot.

On Sunday morning, we went to the place that had always been my all-time favorite barbeque joint -- Corky's. We went before the noon rush and were able to get seated immediately. Lunch was courtesy of fellow blogger Memphis MOJO, who was paying off our last-longer bet from the WSOP. The verdict: great barbeque, as always. Fantastic service, good value, and always a great experience. However ... as I expected ... my growing addiction to a local barbeque joint caused me to change my rankings, lowering Corky's to #2 on my all-time list.

After lunch, online poker buddy Memphis MOJO and I paused for a picture outside the deposed champion. Thanks for the great lunch, Dave!

Mrs. Lightning and I left Memphis after lunch to start a long, pleasant drive back home. Amazingly, our kids didn't demolish our house. Heck -- it didn't even look half as messy as I expected when we got home. Back to work tomorrow, unfortunately.

If you have never been to Memphis, you need to check it out. It is a laid back, fun, and interesting city that makes you want to come back. If only there had been time to play a little poker in the casinos just south in Tunica, Mississippi ... he he.