#central bbq

   I love it when old and new bits of barbecue information come out of the blue and link up.    Every couple of years or so, this site gets a message from a reader. Earlier this year, one came in and sat for a few months before I finally noticed it.  It was from a grandson of A.B. Coleman, a famous figure in Memphis barbecue, and this was attached –

   The work of A.B. Coleman – first with Loeb’s and then with his namesake barbecue chain – was detailed here a few years ago. Before those ventures, Coleman had brief stints with Tops and Little Pigs of America and then opened his own Tasty Pit Bar-B-Q shops. The first was on Winchester, the second at 698 Waring, This picture, framed along with a dollar bill, notes the beginning of Coleman’s association with Loeb’s. Coleman is second from the right, and his wife is third from the right. The dollar bill is signed by William Loeb and dated May 21, 1963, probably to celebrate their business collaboration.    I showed the picture to Showboat Barbecue’s Porter Moss, who worked with Coleman to build the Loeb’s and Coleman’s businesses, to see if he could identify the other people in the photo. No luck, but he did say that the picture was taken at the Waring shop. It was also apparently used for advertising or promotional purposes, as it still has the china marker crop marks. I haven’t run across it anywhere, but I did find this Loeb’s ad that has a picture from the Waring shop.

Here is the Waring Road strip as it looked in the mid-1960s 

    That was going to be the extent of this post – pretty neat with such a great piece of history – but yesterday (Thursday) morning I opened The Commercial Appeal website and saw the story about all of the dining opportunities available along Summer Avenue (truly amazing).  Down in the story was a mention of this place, at 698 Waring.

   Wow. The old barbecue site, off and on a ghost pit, had come full circle. So I added lunch to my list of errands. I had eaten breakfast there back in the 1980s when it was a Brad’s Barbecue, and had talked a bit with the owner of the catering business that was the last occupant of the space. Big Will is William Rhodes, and this is his first restaurant. I didn’t get to talk to him, as he was busy in the kitchen, but I got some info from his niece, LaSaundra, who was running the front of the house.

   They have been open for a couple of months. The exciting news is that they are cooking in the old pit. Kudos to Big Will for that.  It’s a gutsy move to open up flanked by two of the city’s biggest barbecue names – Central and Tops – but the soul food offerings should help him carve out a niche. I’ll have to try that menu next time. This day I ordered a pork sandwich, and devoured it before it occurred to me that I should have snapped a pic of it. It was chopped a bit more finely than I like (as Tops is sometimes), and the mild sauce could have had more zip. But it’s solidly in the Memphis middle – a bar that sits pretty high.

Here is the regular menu, which is augmented by daily chalkboard offerings. Big Will’s brought back memories of Cave’s Soul Food & More in Vollintine-Evergreen, run by Carl Johnson until his untimely death a couple of years ago. I miss that place. I’m betting Carl would be excited by the new look of the Grizzlies.

Day FIVE of the Memphis Safer At Home quarantine. Hopefully you are doing something constructive while stuck at home.

Last night I was looking to find the X Files series on a streaming service. No, the series is not on Netflix. The whole series is on Hulu. Now here are the options; watch the series in complete order OR watch the series by favorite episode from best to worst. My wife won that…

When an Arrogant Christian Responds Angrily to the World

Circa 1990 – There are a few moments in our lives when we reflect with regret while wondering what life would be like if we had a do-over. The Peabody Hotel, in Memphis, TN, is one of those places where a mulligan would have been nice. Sigh!

The Peabody is a historic hotel, always in the top ten of someone’s best hotels to stay. In 2015, I took the family there because it’s cool. And, of course,…

Central BBQ and the Lorraine Hotel

While traveling through Memphis this past few weeks we found a great slow cook BBQ joint, Central BBQ slow smoked Memphis style.  After parking and waiting in a brief line we picked out our desired menu and weaved our way to the picnic style tables.  Since 2003, Central BBQ has been ranked in the top 3 BBQ restaurants in Memphis and taken top honors ten times. We loved the atmosphere along with…

After seeing the National Civil Rights Museum, I walked over to Central BBQ nearby for a brief lunch before heading back to my hotel. I heard it was one of the best spots for Memphis-style barbecue. BBQ Lunch You place your order, take your number, and seat yourself. I sat at the bar. Bar Area They have some local beers on tap. I went with one from Green River Brewing. Green River Brewing I…