Nashville Highlights: Part II
Memphis is known to have some of the best bbq in the world. Being that I was three hours away from Memphis, it didn’t look likely I would get any Memphis style bbq on this trip. Lucky for me, I found that one of the three bbq joints opened by Pat and Gina Neely was located in Nashville. The Neelys are Food Network celebrities with a show called “Down Home With the Neelys.” You may remember in a previous blog post, I made fried green tomatoes using their recipe and it was delish.
Three of us were on our way to find Neely’s Barbecue. It was a rainy evening and surprisingly empty when we arrived. The restaurant is very casual with writing all over the walls. You order and pay for your food at the counter and the wait staff delivers the food to you. Described as “Only for the Hungry,” I decided to share the sampler platter with a friend. It had pulled pork, pork ribs, sliced beef, and sliced turkey. Each of these meats were smoked with dry rub and topped with bbq sauce. The sides that came with these meats were cole slaw and bbq baked beans. I tried everything except for the beef and enjoyed them. My favorite was definitely the pulled pork. It was nice to share the sampler so that I could try a variety of food and at the same time not be overwhelmed. This platter was the perfect amount of food for two. My BFF had ordered the bbq spaghetti. This is a mixture of bbq and spaghetti sauce poured over pasta and pork. The flavor was good, but I thought the noodles were too soft for my taste. The best thing of the evening however was the dessert that she ordered which was the “Sock it to Me” cake. This was a pleasant surprise. It was an incredibly light and tasty cake and was not too sweet. The great news is that the recipe is available online. (Future blog?) Overall, I thought the Neely’s was pretty good, but definitely not the best barbecue in the world. I will however, without a shadow of a doubt recommend the pulled pork and the “Sock it to Me” cake!
Stay tuned for Nashville Part III: Whiskey
