As some of you who follow me may know, I love food. I talk, tweet, take photos and Urbanspoon about it regularly. Traveling to Memphis is pretty close to a culinary nirvana for me and I’m sure to visit places I love as well as try out a few new ones while I’m here. 

One thing to note when eating in Memphis, don’t take worry about the sides – just focus on the entrees.

Leading off this dining discovery is the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street. Most every place you’ll visit in downtown Memphis has tremendous character and Rum Boogie is no exception. When I’m eating I enjoy a place with great atmosphere and this place never lets me down. With autographed guitars from an assortment of celebrities, to signing your own name on the walls, this is a must stop on Beale.

I’ve sampled a few things on the menu at the Rum Boogie, but without hesitation I can tell you the pulled pork sandwich is the best. In the photos below you’ll see the sandwich and this particular one may have been the best one I’ve had from Rum Boogie. The pork shoulder was freshly pulled mere moments from landing on my plate and was so tender and juicy it should be considered a delicacy.

Second on the hit list we have Gus’s Fried Chicken. I had never visited Gus’s before but heard great things about it before we departed for Memphis. You may recall from a few years ago that I am a fan of fried chicken making Gus’s a must visit.

Gus’s is not your typical fried chicken. It’s spicy. And it’s very good. One thing that is a letdown when having fried chicken is being timid to order the white meat because you’re concerned it may be dry, that’s the worst. Have no fear Gus’s is fried to perfection all the way through.

I’ve been asked where Gus’s ranks among the best fried chicken I’ve tried and I’ll tell you it’s near the top. It’s always difficult for me to rank things, especially food, because we all have different tastes and what I like you may not so I just try not to do that. With that said, Gus’s is safely on the shortlist of the best.

(One additional note about Gus’s is the pecan pie. It was fantastic. When I walked out the door all I could think about was how good it was.)

Moving along we’re headed back to Beale and Pig – Pork with Attitude.

Now I shared the “Super Feast” with three other people and on the menu it says it feeds 6-8 people. As you can see in the photos it’s quite a large platter. There were pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken thighs and wings and a bunch of sides no one was particularly interested in.

The barbecue on this plate is as good as I’ve tried in the city. The dry rub ribs took the blue ribbon on this day by far being the tastiest thing on the platter. After massacring the feast it wasn’t fully decided who had won the battle – us or Pig.

Ok, I know this next one may get looked down upon but considering the circumstances of the day we chose to eat at Hard Rock. I’d like to clarify that I prefer eating at local places and I don’t go too much for chains. However, when we decided to have lunch here it was because tornado warning sirens were blaring in downtown and was pouring the rain. Hard Rock was the closest safe harbor we could find.

After looking the menu over all I could think of was mac and cheese, partly because I had it on my mind from earlier in the week, also because I love mac and cheese. But after giving careful consideration I needed something heavier for what would be a long day, I choose the bacon cheese burger. 

Now I’m not an expert on burgers nor do I regularly eat them but I do appreciate a good one when the time is right. This was an excellent selection and after negotiating with the waitress for the mac and cheese as my side it made this a win-win. Overall I was very satisfied with my choice.

That was the end of the first leg of our stop in Memphis and returning to San Antonio was like a palate cleanser. Throw in a couple days worth of tacos, a Spurs OT win and I was ready to return.

On Thursday a suggestion was to give Pearl’s Oyster House a try. I love seafood but have never been fond of oysters. We arrive and it is brought to my attention across the street is Gus’s. With the temptation of delicious fried chicken in the back of my mind I proceed inside to Pearl’s.

For a Thursday night the place was packed. We waited at the bar and I notice one of the cooks grilling a dozen oysters and man did they look delicious. After a table opens up for us sit I give the menu a look and literally wanted to try one of everything on it. I settled for a “Take Two” choosing the fried catfish and lobster tail. The table also ordered a dozen grilled oysters and crab claws (pictured) as appetizers. The claws were amazing, the catfish was very good and the lobster tail was little on the scrawny side, but overall it was a very good meal.

The kitchen was so busy our oysters actually came out after our entrees. Proceeded by some urging from the Express-News’ Mike Monroe and being unable to resist trying those oysters I gave in and it was the right decision. The best oysters I’ve ever eaten hands down and I’m saying they are the best solely on the fact that I’ve never eaten any that I could even say I liked.

At this point in the night I’m usually finished but dessert was calling my name. You’ll see in the photos a lovely photo of chocolate mousse cheesecake and I’m convinced it was the perfect way to finish off such a great meal.

One thing I did not experience at all on my first trip was breakfast. I love breakfast. I think breakfast is the best and most important meal of the day. This morning I was resolute to find a great breakfast spot. With a little help from Sarah at the front desk of the hotel, she suggested Cockadoo’s and it was only a couple of blocks away. I’d never been there so of course I was game.

Walking in I immediately sense this is what I was looking for – a laid back southern country cookin kitchen. If felt like heaven at 9 a.m. Usually the first time at any place I eat I’ll go for their specialty but this morning I wasn’t feeling shredded barbecue pork on top of eggs (shocking that I’d turn this down, I know). Instead I chose the biscuits and gravy with the morning’s breakfast casserole (sausage and egg).

Now typically I’m a big eater for lunch but this morning I couldn’t take down both of these behemoths. I did my best to put them down without feeling like a glutton. The biscuits and gravy were exactly what I needed and imagined – fluffy biscuits with smooth, creamy sausage gravy. I’m not sure what it was with the casserole but it needed something, it was good but something was missing. I sprinkled a little dash of hot sauce on it and it wasn’t quite jiving with my tastes buds. I’ll certainly try Cockadoo’s again but it serves as another reminder for me to stick to trying a restaurant’s specialty dish.

Finally the last stop on the food tour of Memphis, a institution in this city – Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous. Probably the most recognizable spot in the city for getting down on some dry rub pork ribs. I have been here before and it is my friend.

Today’s trip was the first time I’ve been to Rendezvous for lunch. I ordered the ribs and shoulder combination because I was too indecisive to choose one of the other. Having both made a lot of sense in the moment. As you can see by the photo it’s a lot of food and after a huge breakfast this may not have been the smartest idea I’ve ever had. I fought on and finished the ribs but couldn’t quite sink all of the shoulder.

While I’ve always loved Rendezvous, I wasn’t as ‘into it’ this time as usual. The service was good, atmosphere great but the food was just too much for me this time. Maybe it was the big breakfast, maybe my taste buds have changed some, I’m not sure what it was but it wasn’t quite the Rendezvous I always remembered. By no means would I shun anyone from visiting it themselves, it’s certainly an experience anyone who comes to Memphis should have once in their lives. Overall it just wasn’t the ending I expected from such a great week of eating.

I hope you enjoyed a quick tour of some of Memphis’ fine eateries. Check out some of the photos from Beale Street and all the places I ate below. If you have suggestions I should try in Memphis (or any other place for that matter) leave them in the comments section below. I’m always looking for a new place to try!