Beale Street Blues

I was feeling a little blue (pun intended) about visiting Beale Street during the day, because we’d miss the night time music scene. Turns out, Beale Street has a cool vibe even during the day. A saxophone wailed in the park, the streets were full of interesting people, and wonderful aromas wafted from nearly every doorway.

In keeping with our pledge to taste local specialties, our mission was to find Memphis BBQ.  Overwhelmed by our lunch choices– B.B. King’s, Central Barbecue, and Pig on Beale (“Pork With Attitude”) — we asked a cop where the best ribs were and he said, “Right over there.” That’s how we ended up at The Blues City Cafe.

I had the pulled pork and Mark had the ribs. Good stuff, but a lot like Ohio’s version – smoked pork basted during cooking with a tangy sauce. But the ambiance was cool. Famous folk from  R Kelly to Hank Williams Jr. to Queen Latifah have eaten here.