European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Best Little hog housein Memphis by William Robbins new York times whole lot of people including some Kansas Gians. Many North carolinians and Mast texans claim distinction when in comes to cooking and enjoying Barbecue. But As Bill Cosby or Calvin tilt a can Tell you Memphis is the Boss hog of pork Bur Beccue. Wore formally Memphis is ing pork Barbecue capital of the world Tho cily Camo by the Lillo honestly gaining it by consensus among pork eating Mem hians and has claimed in Lor so Long Hal hardly anybody bothers to dispute in. Kansas Cit ians and texans have no reason id focusing As Tho Doon Beel Barbecue. So Hal leaves principally the carolinians and Charles Vigos. A husky 63-year-old restaurateur who is the Dean of Memphis barbed ours. Settled their hash several years ago. North Carolina is he Lold Catkin Trillin and Trillin Tho Ateia yorker writer who As most fanciers know is the Boss hog of Barbecue Anil Chili sauce ii pics. Pul up no argument evidence Lor the Memphis claim is widespread in the City. A Barbecue place scums to pop up on every Oloc of Corner and it lakes a lot of oilers to support All it Rose eateries. In the Memphis yellow pages about 50 names turn up under the Barbecue Rubric in a City of about 700.000 people. But even thai special listing in t the end Allol the Barbecue count Lais of places nol listed in Csc. Like Bob s. Broome s and Brown s Barb que. Turn up under the regular restaurant hating. Asil thai were nol enough since 1977 there has Boon Tho Memphis in May International Barbecue cooking Conlest an event thai draws contestants from As far away As Australia. I tingly As verges son John sees it the Nusl of the Memphis in May contests was won by a local Black woman with a backyard Grill Black cookery contends John verges whose ethnic Toots Are greek was the origin of the Bestol what is Good in barbecuing. Some folks there think the Bestol whal is now Good is to be Lound in a basement off a downtown Alley thai begins across Union Avenue irom the luxurious old Peabody hotel. Ii is there that the operators of Charles verges rendezvous verges his sons John and Nick and Tina Jennings saris about 460 diners every evening except sunday and monday and Stihi others Al lunch on Friday and saturday. Indeed those who run the rendezvous seem to have done More irian anyone else to legitimize the Boss hog title Lof the cily. This place i an institution said Henry Hancock a lawyer and really investor As he finished Oil an order of the restaurant s most succulent dish its pork ribs which it Sells for $3,25 a portion. Hancock is a member of Iho Memphis dries one of two groups into which the City s Barbecue fanciers Are divided the others Are the the terms have nothing to do Wilh whether they like their food with or without the Beer thai the rendezvous also offers. The Dis Linclon is a Mailer of condiments. Tho dries prefer a dry effect that is achieved by application of seasoning in an acidic base like vinegar or Lemon juice Tho base dries away leaving Tho meat impregnated bul capable of being Oalen Wilh the lingers of course without leaving the hands Sticky the wets prefer Barbecue basted with seasoning in a Tomalo teased sauce that they say is world whatever extra linger wiping results. For those who insist the virgos of also Oiler such a sauce on the Side. Charles verges whose Broad figure on a tall Frame May be his Best advertisement is Iho head of a family that has been serving Barbecue to Mem hians since 1948 but though he olten sent special orders to old friends it is Only in accent years that he has sown the Memphis Barbecue lame liberally far and wide. The rendezvous taking advantage of the Lack Hal no yet to Natl Palo John verges to hit family s restaurant Fri Memphis. The cily is also Tho Hub of All Federal express shipments now loads Frozen pork ribs and pork shoulders Barbecue on Fedex pianos for Over Nigel delivery to a growing Chc Tete across the Mlod slates the Success of this Effort is no secret of course and several of her leading Barbecue houses including Leonard s with ils own Large following have also begun shipping John 39. The verges son who gave up a Law practice to join the family business is especially proud of the celebrities to whom the rendezvous hns catered by Long distance including Frank Sinatra on one occasion and Bill Cosby on three. The Vergosen decline to disclose the Price of Thosa least letes but for one Cosby parly in Las vegas the Cost of the food atone was More than �500 that a Jinn l include the freight or the airfare Lor Nick who went along to see thai his Barbecue was served properly. The Way to a Man s heart Cox news services he never saw a Harvest Moon without thinking of him and the Duck Hal hew for them the night of a Lull Moran from Gazpacho to Duck the Story of a love affair. She brought the Gazpacho to his of flick for lunch on a hoi summer Day. The cold Tomato soup full of chunks of Crisp Cucumber garlic onion and Croutons seduced him making him think for a moment Hal was to task Lor months that inc was Brilliant and unique. I be never had anything be this before he said she basked in his admiration the Way to a Man s heart is his stomach when to Fusi told he to loved her in was while eating shrimp irom Iho Georgia coast she d poached them m the Tiell in and water they peeled them and dipped them into melted Bull with hot sauce. You re he said the Way to a Man s heart is his Slomach. He told her she was Beaulieu. He said he loved her food. She woke up planning what she wanted to Cook for dinner. She foil More desperately in love As Lime i 15,1988 went on. None of her friends liked him Loo handsome a rogue a user of women. Their relationship began the increase of her Lova and the end of the summer her grocery menus were frantically made obsessive lists of things she wanted to Cook for him asparagus roast Duck with Emon Lime and mini by october s end he was frequency Lale for dinner too Busy to Call. They made plans or dinner out one Yghi she would rather have cooked Lor him exercised her culinary prowess to wanted Eon Liol to be Iree of her Lood and he made reservations Al a country restaurant an hour s drive away. She decided she had to have her half done for him. He no longer said she was Beautiful. Her Hairdresser was running Lale. And she sat in the Beauty shop trapped Ond Lull of foreboding. She arrived Home and he was silting on the Doorstep silently angrily waiting his control thwarted. Thero was a full Harvest Moon their dominant companion As they drove with the smell of her harshly Permanente hair now frizzy and ugly lining the car As they squabble a about her being late Al the distance he was choosing to drive rather than eat her cooking All the while Sho knew without his saying that he loved another and Scio had to Force he sell to breathe despite the path in her Chest. They arrived at the allegedly romantic restaurant Only to find in nearly closed wearily pal enl waiters holding dinners to had pro ordered. They sat alone in the empty dining room. It echoed with their anger. Ii dawned on her that he would never again gaze at her Over one of her Home cooked meats thai she had heard of love from him for the last time. When she Cut Inlo her Duck in was so Lough it flow Oft the plate sliding Down his starched White shirt Irani rolling Down his Lille Taul body in a Greasy swoon do strained Sho still could t suppress a gun. To said she had done in on purpose. She had a but might have in she d though of it. He stormed out and wailed in the car. Picking the Duck of the floor she told Iho stunned waiter to bring the Check. As she waited she Lelic cled thai if Sho had cooked the Duck it would have had a Crisp skin Lender meal Sho would have removed the Backbone and ribs. Ii would suit be on her plate for a while she did t want to shop for groceries and she had her hair Cut off to a Straign Bob. The last Lime she saw him he was Wilh his Rich new Wile eating diffident Chicken wings in a cheap restaurant. The Way to a Man s heart is his stomach. The stars and stripes Page 15
