Herbert’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant
111 N. Royal Oak Blvd.
Franklin, TN 37067
(615) 791-0700

Meat 4
Sides 4
Sauce 3
Service 4
Atmosphere 4

Overall 4

My first impression was “ A little fancy to expect good Q”, but buddy, they deliver. Autographed pictures of celebrities covered every inch of wall space. Stars of note near my seat: George Jones, Ronnie Milsap, Alan Jackson, and best of all ELVIS! Right after I was seated I was given a slice of corn light bread. Having never heard of corn light bread, much less tried it, I didn’t know what to expect. It was great! I ended up having three more slices. (Anyone have a recipe for this stuff?) The coleslaw was above average and so were the beans. The sauce was good. Note: I bought a bottle of the mild to add to my collection. I tried some a few days latter, and it was better than what was on the table. I ordered ribs. They were served 3 across, uncut. When I grabbed a bone to cut them, the bone fell out! They claim to slow smoke for 12 hours! Great smokey flavor. My only complaint was the ribs were rather greasy. The person at the table next to me told me the pulled pork is their specialty, guess I’ll have to try this next time through here! I consider this a ‘must stop’ place!

Reviewed By:  Wyndell Ferguson ( circlef@the-link.net ).

Ridgewood Barbecue
900 Elizabethton Highway (Old 19-E)
Bluff City, TN
(423) 538-7543

Meat  4.5
Sides  5
Sauce  5
Service  3
Atmosphere  3

Overall  4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  This is far and away the best barbecue known to man.  The two highlights of Ridgewood is their incredible barbecue beans and their oh so tasty sauce.  Both the best I have ever tasted (and I have had alot of barbecue). The portions are very generous and the prices are extremely reasonable.  The only real drawback to Ridgewood is the fact that thet do not serve barbecued ribs.  But, one taste and that is a fact that is easily forgotten.  So, for the bbq experience of your life, go to Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, Tennessee.  You will not be sorry.

Reviewed By:  Travis B. Wood ( twood@lexmark.com ) on 01/27/98.

Jack's Bar-B-Que
334 West Trinity Lane
Nashville, TN
(615)228-9888

Meat: 4
Sides: 4
Sauce: 4
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4

Overall: 4.5

Reviewer's Comments: There are two locations in Nashville. I haven't eaten at the 416 Broadway, which is "Back to Back" with the Ryman. We make travel plans so we can stop at the Trinity Lane location whenever we travel through on the I-24 & I-65. It's less than a mile off the Interstate at Exit 87B. Home cooked sides. A bird's nest on the ground.

Reviewed By:  Chuck Bearden ( cbear@rnet.com ) Feb 98, but lots of times.

Cozy Corner
745 N PARKWAY
Memphis, TN
901-527-9158

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3

Overall: 4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Good dry ribs served with sauce.  Best beef sandwich that I could find when touring the area in search of q.  Pork sand is tasty too.   Cornish hen was really a treat.  Mr. Ray Robinson runs a nice, clean, respectable establishment that is a real find.  Don't miss it.

Reviewed By: Dana (MGOOSESCHL@AOL.COM) on 3-31-99

The Rendevous
200 Union St.
Memphis, TN

Meat: 2
Sauce: 2
Sides: 4.5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3.5

Overall: 3.5

Reviewer's Comments:  I couldn't go through memphis without the obligatory stop in the world famous Rendevous for Ribs. Interesting locale being in a alley across the street from the world famous Peabody Hotel. Walking past the Holiday Inn's dumpster really sharpens the appetite. The Rendevous is down stairs and was deceptively large. The walls are packed with local and regional memrobilia. The ovens are in the rear of one of the dining rooms. It looks like they extend under the alley.

Well, on to the important stuff. My family of three ordered the ribs and were not too disappointed, let me explain. The ribs were dry rubbed and slow smoked. The dry rub was tasty but much too thick. It seems they hit it with the seasoning just before service. My rib rack of about 12 was tender on one end but was very tough on the other end. The Sauce was a sweet and sour tomato sauce with very little heat. The spice came mainly from the slight cayenne pepper they added. It took some getting used to but it grew on you. They seemed to use the same sauce in the coleslaw. It was much sweeter and sourer (sp?) but tasty. I liked it but my wife didn't. My daughter is 13 and she doesn't like anything that doesn't have pepperoni on it. The beans were very good with chunks of pork floating in it. Over all a 3.5 out of 5 would be appropiate.

Reviewed By:  Ken Haycook (khaycook@airmail.net) on4/19/99.

Jacks Bar-B-Que
334 W. Trinity Lane
Nashville, TN
615/228-9888

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 5
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4

Overall: 4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  I grew up in Oklahoma and Texas and started eating BBQ and chili before I was weaned. I'm partial to my home States -- but I gotta admit the best BBQ I have ever eaten is in Tennessee!

Jack's is about 1/2 mile off the freeway on Trinity lane. I first ate there (on recommendation of the young black maid at our motel) 2 years ago. My party (wife and a New York business associate) all ordered ribs -- and they lived up to the maid's comment "the meat jus' fall off th' bone". The smoke flavor was intense and the ribs very tender and very moist -- not a dried out rib in the rack. My guest from upper New York had never tasted real BBQ and he never uttered a word during the meal -- its impossible to talk with your mouth full. The beans were above average and the cold slaw was tart and yet semisweet. The only disappointment was the fried okra. Nobody makes it the old fashioned way anymore -- they all use more breading then okra.

The second night (yeah we went back) we tried the brisket. Again, top of the line! Heavy smoke flavor yet moist and very tender. The third night we opted for the ribs again -- and they didn't disappoint us. Our New York friend observed that he had a hard time beliving he had lived over 60 years and never tasted anything that good.

On my last visit, we were driving through Nashville and planned to get several orders of ribs to munch on as we drove South to Florida. We got to Jack's a little after 9am, and found the door locked. A big sign said open at 11am. I banged on the door until a cook came and ask if we could read. By then I was so in need of a BBQ fix I was practally on my knees. I explained we had driven all the way from Colorado for some of his ribs and couldn't wait until 11am. Finally a tall guy in a black cowboy hat and long cowboy black coat shouted from the dining room to the cook that it was OK to let us in. The tall guy turned out to be Jack himself. We had a long conversation and it was interesting to find out that before he decided to open a BBQ place, he traveled all over the US sampling regional fare. He didn't make a mistake when he developed his own dry rub and method of smoking. I wish I could find out how he keeps his meat so moist and tender.

Well, we got our ribs and headed on down the highway. Even had a few left over the next day, and by golly, they were just as good as brand new!

Jacks is a "must" to visit when your next in Nashville. Go for dinner and don't eat lunch. You'll want a whole slab.

Reviewed By: Palmer Kimball (  PleasantP@msn.com ) on 6/8/99

Jacks's
Broadway
Nashville, TN

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4.5
Sides: 4.5
Service: 2.5
Atmosphere: 4

Overall: 4

Reviewer's Comments:  Jack's is a pretty cool place for barbecue. I guess there are a few locations around Nashville, but the one I was at was right on Broadway in the middle of where all of the country music action used to be -- right acros from the Ernest Tubb Record Store, as I recall. You're served cafeteria style, I chose the shoulder sandwich with two sides. I had the green beans and fries and both were excellent. The pork was wood-fired (there's firewood stacked up all over in the back part of the restaurant) and delicious, as was the sauce. I tried the tomato-based sauce, which is similar to the Memphis style, but they also had a vinegary Lexington-style sauce, as well. The sandwich was so good, in fact, that I can still taste it as I write this, and I ate there about a year and a half ago. That's good 'que!

Reviewed by:  Pat Yourell ( pyourell@execpc.com  ) on 9/10/99.

Interstate Bar-B-Q
2265 S 3rd
Memphis, TN
901-775-2304

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 5
Sides: 4
Service: 3.5
Atmosphere: 5

Overall: 4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Interstate Bar-B-Q was the first place I wanted to stop in Memphis, and it was worth the 700-mile drive. It's nothing fancy, but that just means they spend more time on the food than the decorating. The walls are covered with autographed pictures of celebrities who've graced the establishment over the years.

I ordered the chopped pork shoulder sandwich with slaw, and order of baked beans and a Dr. Pepper. The pork was swimming in that succulent Interstate BBQ sauce with a dollop of slaw on top, and squashed between a cheap, white hamburger bun. The whole thing disintegrated onto my paper plate, and I ended-up eating about half of it with a fork.

Interstate is my idea of heaven. BBQ joints don't get much better than this. I can't wait to go back.

Date: 10/16/99
Reviewed By: Pat Yourell (pyourell@execpc.com) on 10/16/99.

Name: Joe's B B Q
Address: Farmers Market
City: Nashville
State: Tn
Phone:
Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 3.5
Sides: 4.5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 4.5
Date: 9/4/00
User: Jim Rich
Email: jimbo2222@msn.com
Date: 9/4/00
Time: 9:24:46 AM

Comments

Joe has two Nashville locations and is a very successful vendor. NO liquid smoke, which I feel is the sure-fire way to cook up some phoney "BBQ"! His sandwich is so huge, that enough falls off the bun to make another sandwich! His sides are classic "soul food", and while they are fattening, they are delicious! Open seven days. I am not a relative of JOE"S! Just a huge fan.

Name: Jack's
Address: Trinity Lane
City: Nashville
State: Tn
Phone:
Meat: 3.5
Sauce: 1
Sides: 2
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 1.5
Date: July,2000
User: Jim Rich
Email: jimbo2222@msn.com
Date: 9/6/00
Time: 9:44:12 AM

Comments

A very disappointing trip to Jacks! Had eaten there shortly after this location opened and went nuts about it! Talk about GOOD BBQ! Bragged to my wife about it and promised to take her there some day. The day came and all I have done since, is apologize. Enough phoney smoke in this meat to almost kill a smoke allergic eater. I suffered for three days! This was great product at first. Why do "Barbecuers" feel the urge to use this disgusting artificial flavoring ? Some of us out here have a very tough time with smoke. I also have an enormous problem with MSG, another product that extremely poor cooks find favor with. C'mon, Jack! Back to the basics!

Name: The Rendevous
Address: 200 Union St.
City: Memphis
State: TN
Phone:
Meat: 5
Sauce: 5
Sides: 4.5
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3
Overall: 4.5
Date: 08/20/00
User: Krystal
Email: Kattsulls@aol.com
Date: 2/2/2001
Time: 12:39:09 PM

Comments

The best I've tried and definitely a place to stop whenever I'm within 300 miles of the door. Dry rubbed with optional mild sauce at the table. Hot sauce is also at the table. Good slaw and beans too. A visit to Graceland wouldn't be complete without stopping at Elvis's favorite rib joint. (that's how we found out about it and why we stopped) He loved them so much he had them flown to Vegas when he was performing there. The service was just so so and the alley entrance was a bummer but you have to relax and go with the flow. If you want to shake your hips like the King then you have to stop at the Rendezvous. A little heaven on earth. God, I want some right now. Oh well, I think I'll go out, shovel snow and chop ice out of the gutters and take my mind off the it.

Name: John G's BBQ Restaurant & Steak House
Address: 220 S. Ocoee St.
City: Cleveland
State: TN
Phone: 423 479-7885
Meat: 5
Sauce: 5
Sides: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Overall: 5
Date: 4/20/01
User: Jim McCutcheon
Email: music@mccutcheon.com
Date: 4/22/2001
Time: 12:57:12 AM

Comments

John G's place in Cleveland TN is a down-to-earth piece of heaven for BBQ lovers. Decorated with about a thousand artifacts of pigmania, the restaurant puts on no airs or pretense - just excellent food. Quality meat smoked daily in a huge cooker across the street added to a wonderful sauce which makes this reviewer want to return anytime he visits Tennessee. The steak I had was the best I have ever eaten, prepared medium rare and seasoned exquisitely. I also have enjoyed John G's catering, which I would order if I only lived closer.

This place is a definite jewel if you like BBQ and steaks! I'm going back!

Name: Sticky Fingers
Address: Downtown
City: Chattanooga
State: TN
Phone:
Meat: 3.5
Sauce: 4.5
Sides: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall: 3.5
Date: 2/01
User: ifly4food
Email: ifly4food627@netscape.net
Date: 6/11/2001
Time: 10:20:28 PM

Comments

Not bad for a chain... actually pretty good. Rib sampler includes 4 kinds (dry, sweet, Jack Daniels, and another I can't remember). The Memphis Dry and the sweet sauces were about the best I've had. There is an all you can eat buffet on Sunday afternoon but it doesn't include ribs. :(

Name: Jack's Bar-B-Que
Address: 334 W. Trinity Lane
City: Nashville
State: TN
Phone:
Meat: 4
Sauce: 4
Sides: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall: 4
Date: 6/5/03
User: Moe
Email:
Date: 6/6/2003
Time: 1:33:58 PM

Comments

I had the three meat combo with Brisket, Pork, and Ribs. Brisket and pork were tops, smoky and moist, easily a 4.5 and maybe a 5! Ribs were ok, they drag the overal meat score down. Sauce received a 4 for the variety (3 types) more than the taste. There was nothing wrong with the sauce, just average. Sides were ok, the beans were good and sweet, I didn't care much for the coleslaw. The chess pie was great! Service from those slicing the meat and preparing the food was great. The person running the register however seemed like they would rather have been anywhere else. Over all, a MUST stop for those who like their Q. I will make a special effort to go back when in Nashville. Thanks, for great Q! Moe

Name: my 3 sons
Address:
City: henderson
State: tenn
Phone:
Meat: 5
Sauce: 3
Sides: 4
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 1.5
Overall: 5
Date: 8-8-03
User: arnie
Email: ARNLEUA55@AOL.COM
Date: 8/8/2003
Time: 11:54:13 AM

Comments

LOOKS LIKE THE BOARD OF HEALTH SHOULD CLOSE IT DOWN. GET BY THAT AND EAT THE BEST PULLED PORK IMAGINABLE. BEANS EXCELLENT AND COLE SLAW PERFECT FOR THE MEAT. JUCIEST PULLED PORK I'VE EVER EATEN. IF YOU'RE LUCKY, THE OWNER WILL TAKE YOU ROUND BACK AND SHOW YOU THE SMOKER. MAYBE HE'LL EVEN TEAR OFF A PIECE OR TWO WITH CRISPY SKIN. IF I'M EVER WITHIN 100 MILES, I'LL BE SURE TO STOP THERE.