Restaurant Review - Charles Vergos' Rendezvous - Barbecue Ribs Like No Other
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If you spend any amount of time in Memphis, it's an unwritten rule you've gotta eat some local barbecue. There's no better BBQ rib joint than Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous.
Strolling up Second Street in downtown, my wife and I found the building in which the restaurant is located and hunted around for the door to enter. Hmmm, no luck... We lurked around the side of the edifice to finally spot a green street sign pointing us to the alley behind the building. Rounding the corner into the alley way we straight-away smelled the luscious BBQ smoke and saw the sign overlooking their front door. We knew his was the place.
Upon walking in the foyer/lobby, we were guided to go either into the cellar-level restaurant or venture upstairs to the bar (where presumably people can wait for a downstairs table during busy hours). Hungry little barbecue-holics we were, we opted to eat now rather than later.
There were several connected rooms and areas in the basement in which to dine, sort of a multi-sectional beer hall. You could tell that this place was old. Items were in good repair, but I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fixtures and things were originals from the 1940s, when Rendezvous when opened its doors. The decorations on the walls were an odd assortment of signs, pictures, antiques, and local memorabilia. We were seated fairly close to the kitchen, so the smell of the smoke was mind-bogglingly delicious.
We noticed the menus are kept under the glass covering each table - nice touch! Most of the wait staff were American-American men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s and many of them had been working there for 30 or 40 years or more. Our waiter was exactly the type I like - kind, helpful, quick and very professional, but not overly talkative, intrusive or sugar-sweet nice. I wish I would have remembered his name so that I could give him props on here.
We ordered a whole slab of dry ribs and a side of baked beans for each of us. Not even ten minutes later we had our food brought out to us. Instead of two beans we had received one beans and one cole slaw. This was quickly rectified and an extra container of beans was brought out to us promptly at no charge.
The way the food was served had a "backyard BBQ" feel about it. The food was placed on large, extra-sturdy paper plates while the sides were encased in small, clear plastic cups. We were furnished plastic forks and knives to use.
And now...the ribs. They were gorgeous, charcoal-broiled, dry pork ribs cut along the bones. It was a hefty-sized slab full of tender, lean, smoky pig meat with just a touch of fat. I was so excited about devouring these babies that I forgot to snap a photo with my digital camera.
There was no barbecue sauce on these ribs. Instead, Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous cooks them with a heavy coating of paprika-based seasoning. This red-colored spice rub is very salty (perhaps too salty for some but not for me), sweet, a little peppery and immensely flavorful. It nearly forms a "crust" that holds the juices inside the meat. When you tear a rib off the slab, the smoke-flavored juices that are released mingle with the rub and creates almost a light sauce of their own.
Every table in the establishment comes equipped with a bottle each of both Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous regular and hot BBQ sauces. While they're tasty in their own right (a review to come in the future!), I tried some on a rib or two and then did nothing to accentuate the flavor. In fact, I preferred the ribs WITHOUT the added BBQ sauce.
The ribs came with a dinner roll. As I had mentioned, the sides were served in tiny disposable cups (as I have read, is a "Memphis tradition"). The cole slaw was orange in color and was a bit spicy; while it was okay enough to eat a few spoonfuls, it was nothing to write home about. The beans, on the other hand, were excellent. The bean sauce was sweet and had been mixed with an abundance of shredded pork. Not the scraggly little piece of bacon fat you'd normally find in a can of pork and beans, but lots of succulent pulled pork. Mmmmm....
The ribs were so good that we contemplated ordering another whole slab to chow down, but it was time to journey on with the night's other activities, which included moseying up and down Beale Street. My wife and I both agreed later on that we should have at least gotten a slab to go to eat back at the hotel, a decision I regret never making.
One decision we did make is that when we travel back to Memphis, we will eat at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous not once, but twice. If you find yourself trekking through rock n' soul city, stop by Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous for a meal, and you just might do the same.
Charles Vergos' Rendezvous Official Website : http://www.hogsfly.com
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