Ellwood's Shack

Ellwood's Shack
4523 Summer Avenue
761-9898

I am a major fan of Summer Avenue and all that it has to offer. Ellwood's Shack is no exception. Everyone seems to LOVE Ellwood's. I have friends who go on and on about the fish tacos and the brisket. On and on.

There are two people who are not fans, or at least reluctant ones--Satchel (12) and Jiro (10), aka the monkeys.

The first time we went to Ellwood's they were closing. AT 7:00pm! (They have since extended their hours to 8:00pm.) The second time I took the monkeys they were in really bad moods. I have forgotten why, but it was bad enough that I didn't write up our visit.

So, what I am getting at is, third time is the charm. We went last week and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.



As you can see Ellwood's Shack is really a shack. It's adjacent to the Lowe's parking lot. It mystifies me how anyone ever decided to put a restaurant here, but Ellwood's is the third(?) to fill this spot.

We arrived around 6:00pm and had no trouble getting a table. World Cup was on the TV and everyone was happy. I went to the counter to place our order. Jiro wanted the wings that Satchel ordered on our earlier visit, Warren wanted a bbq sandwich with jalapeno slaw, and I had to get the fish tacos. Satchel was insisting he wasn't hungry, so I didn't order him anything. I added a side of potato salad for Warren, a Jarrito for Jiro and three waters. Our total was $27.31.

We reviewed our World Cup brackets until the food came out, which was only a few minutes.

Warren questioned whether I ordered his with jalapeno slaw, but later said the cabbage slaw had a kick.



The potato salad is pre-made and refrigerated. As you can see here, it is made from sweet potatoes.



(This is what Warren looks like when I say, "Smile.")

Jiro very delicately ate his wings. I asked what he thought of them and he replied, "They are good! They are just better other places."



Satchel quietly reached in and one by one properly cleaned the chicken to the bone.



Satchel also helped with the pineapple garnish.



(If he is going to pose like this, I am going to post!)

The fish tacos, while not traditional, are quite tasty.



I prefer mine in a hard shell, but these shells made from flour tortillas and coated with cheese definitely hold their own. The steelhead trout is really delicious. It looks like salmon because of the pink color, but it definitely tastes like trout. I liked the salad on top and the horseradish dressing was also nice. They were super filling though--I could only eat one. Warren ate the other one. I'd like to get them again, but a half order. $11.00 seems a bit high, in my opinion, especially with no sides.

Speaking of sides...Ellwood's needs to add French fries to the menu!

All in all, it was just fine and quite tasty. I see why people love it. Not sure I've found the dish that's going to keep me coming back, but should I ever find myself at Lowe's it'll be hard not to pop over. I think I need to try the BBQ nachos and the pizza. What's your favorite dish?

Leonard's

Leonard's Pit Barbeque
5465 Fox Plaza Drive
901-360-1963

So, I have this friend named Hope. We met in kindergarten at YMCA Camp. Then we ended up on the same soccer team in first grade. We played soccer for many years and eventually started going to the same schools in sixth grade and graduated from White Station together. In all of our years together I do not remember us ever eating bbq. Maybe a trip or two to Gridley's because my dad was paying, but eh.

Hope moved away for college and now only comes to visit Memphis once or twice a year. She rarely misses Memphis in May, so she is in town now. Over the past few years she has fallen in love with Leonard's. All she ever talks about is Leonard's. Leonard's Leonard's Leonard's. So yesterday, I took the monkeys (Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8) to Leonard's to have dinner with Hope.



(It was sunny.)

There used to be a Leonard's downtown, and I went once for lunch with Chip. Despite growing up in the Fox Meadows area, I really had no idea where this other Leonard's was. It's tucked behind the Krystal's on Mt. Moriah on Fox Plaza Drive. Judging from the kitschiness of it, I think it had to be there when I was little. Anyways, I loved the looks of it.




We arrived around 6pm and it wasn't very crowded. (Later we saw a large group of elderly people emerge from a party room.) Leonard's is known for their buffet, but we were not there on a buffet night. We took a seat next to the car parked in the dining room.



(Of course the monkeys tried to get in the car, but it was locked.)

A waiter came right over and took our drink order. There isn't any beer on tap and the flavors are fairly limited so I went with a Miller Light. Jiro ordered a root beer when I wasn't paying attention and I thought it was nice that the waiter okay'd it with me before bringing it. (Actually, he assumed Hope was Jiro's mom at first, which was even better.)



Yes, it looks like a beer, but it's root beer. Jiro guzzled it in about a minute and begged for a second but I said no.

Now, as for food. Satchel and Jiro were both starved and both requested chips and burgers. Sorry monkeys, no chips or burgers. Satchel actually looked at the menu and then requested ribs and fries. I read Jiro his options and he settled on chicken fingers and fries.



I ordered a bbq salad, but imagined it as bbq nachos. And a side of spaghetti. (Not bbq spaghetti, but regular spaghetti.) Hope got a pile of meat and some ravioli on the side. Not sure what's up with the Italian dishes.

We had plenty to talk about so it seemed like the food came out fairly quickly. I had just given the monkeys pens to draw on napkins with to keep them calm, but they weren't necessary. Both of their dinners seemed to be good portions.




The curly fries made me laugh and reminded me of the time I took them to Hooter's (which used to be down the street).



They talked about those fries for weeks. Heh.

My salad was ok. I mean, it wasn't nachos, but it was ok.



Without the pepperoncinis it would have been a total loss. I eventually covered it in bbq sauce, but once I started eating it I realized that the bbq sauce was nasty. (Shh! Don't tell Hope!) It had a singed flavor. At least to me it did.

Thank goodness for my side of spaghetti.



Hope seemed quite pleased with her dinner, so that's all that mattered, really.



(That's her "Are you really taking my picture while I'm trying to chow down on my favorite Q?" face.)

I should mention that my mom and sister were also in attendance and both ordered a half slab of ribs. Both agreed it was a huge serving and both seemed pleased. Tracey gave me one of her wedge fries.



Satchel, who was very dirty, and still hungry, after finishing his dinner wanted a second dinner of chicken fingers. He has a bad habit of wanting a second dinner after his first and then not being able to eat it, so I sad no. He then consoled himself by dipping crackers and bread into Jiro's honey mustard sauce.

Oh yes, the bread. They brought a basket out during the meal. They were delicious and buttery. My mom said they were Sister Shubert's rolls.

When we were all done, and the leftovers packed up, we went to the register to pay. For me and the monkeys it was $30 ($36 with tip). That didn't seem terrible, but I can think of a lot of other meals I'd rather spend $36 on.

The monkeys had spotted the $.03 lollipops on the way in, and their grandmother generously gave them a quarter to spend. That's was a pretty good deal.



And Hope, bless her heart, bought six bottles of sauce to take back to Virginia.



All in all, it was alright. Great atmosphere, good service, ok food. Next time, assuming there is one, I'll take Warren on a buffet day.

The Joint (New Orleans)

The Joint
701 Mazant Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 949-3232

For various reasons, I ended up spending the last three weekends in New Orleans. I have a good friend there, Amy, who lives in the Bywater area. She mentioned going to The Joint several times to eat some barbeque, but being a Memphis girl, I kept coming up with other things I'd rather eat. I mean, I can eat ribs in Memphis anytime, right?

Well, finally on my third visit, I figured I better humor her. Look how cute this place is!



What finally sold me was the fact that Amy's eight month old son, Leo, apparently loves to suck on the rib bones. I was NOT going to miss that.

The Joint, like most places in the Bywater, has a very laid back vibe. We arrived around 7pm on a Saturday and managed to score a nice picnic table on the patio.



Amy's husband, John, got Leo buckled in and we perused the menu. There were all of the standard offerings--ribs, sandwiches, etc. We decided to split a rack of ribs and two sides. Amy & I went inside to order from the nice dude at the bar.



I noticed a Memphis in May poster on the wall inside, so that definitely gave them some cred. John says the owner used to live in Virginia, and that's where he learned to bbq.

We got a few beers and went outside to wait. There were several other tables with small children, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.



The food came out amazingly fast and we dug right in.



The ribs were really, really good. Juicy and full of flavor, they came right off of the bone. There was a nice sauce on the table that I slathered mine in. It was a little more vinegary and less tomato-y than what we have here, and it didn't have a lot of heat, but it was tasty.

As you can see from the picture, the sides were a little more fancy than what you'd find in Memphis, but that was fine by me.

We all cleaned our plates, and Leo cleaned our bones.



The Joint is definitely worth a visit if you are a serious bbq fan.

Payne's Bar-B-Que

Payne's Bar-B-Que
1762 Lamar Avenue
901-272-1513

After Satchel's basketball game on Saturday, we decided to go to Payne's Bar-B-Que with some of his teammates and their dads. There was some discussion about whether Payne's was one of the best bbq places in town, and since I hadn't been there in twenty years, I thought it might be worth checking out.



We arrived at 12:30 and were the only ones there, which seemed odd. (Turns out we just beat the rush.) The kids sat at one table, and the adults sat at another. There were three wall heaters and despite being fairly empty, they made the place feel warm and cozy.



The menu is pretty basic, and you order at the counter. No matter how much you order, they do not write it down.



When I asked the monkeys what they wanted to eat, they surprised me by answering, "Ribs." I thought for sure I'd get off easy with hot dogs. I told them that they could share a half slab and they did not like that. Regardless, I only ordered one. Warren wanted a large chopped sandwich, and I went with a small chopped. I ordered a hot dog just in case.

Despite there being nine of us, the food came out really fast. Turns out all five of the kids wanted ribs. They looked pretty tasty.



As you can imagine, things got pretty messy at the kids' table.




Between the five kids, they had two half slabs and one full slab, five bags of chips, and five sodas. They didn't come close to finishing, but they did a good bit of eating.



At the adult table, we were doing our share of eating. Behold the large chopped sandwich.



As you can see, the slaw is very mustardy. The sauce, which we ordered medium, was very sweet. Warren said it reminded him of sweet and sour sauce at a Chinese restaurant. The meat was very tender though and overall it was quite good.



Stephen got the sliced sandwich and he said he really liked the meat, but after several bites he had to abandon the bun, slaw, and sauce.



Carlos, who was originally going to get bologna, went with the chopped sandwich and a hot dog. (I never got the hot dog I ordered, but I didn't care when I saw how much food there was.) The hot dogs are deep fried and pretty yum, even plain.



I ordered some beans too, which were good, but nothing special.



There were a lot of napkins that died in service to our lunch. The dads took care of getting the kids cleaned up in the restrooms, so I can't vouch for them.

Once we were done, we went back to the counter to pay. We each reminded the guy what we ordered and paid in cash. (They do not take credit cards.)

Overall I think we all enjoyed ourselves and thought the food was good. I'm not sure I'd put Payne's in my top five, but I would definitely go back. The service was great and the prices were more than fair. By the time we left the place was packed. It's definitely plenty of people's go to place.

Corbin's BBQ N Grill (Gettysburg, PA)

Corbin's BBQ N Grill
885 Taneytown Rd
Gettysburg, PA
(717) 334-3771

As we drove through Gettysburg--yes it is that big--we passed this place a couple of times. After four hours of taking about war and guns, I insisted we get some lunch. It was about 3pm.

There was no one there when we arrived, but moments later a whole horde of people showed up as if they were following us. I think the screened in porch and the promise of ice cream was appealing to just about everyone who drive by.

Their credit card machine was down and we didn't have tons of cash on us, so we tried to control ourselves. The boys each got a burger, Warren strangely opted for a BBQ sandwich, and even stranger, I went for a cup of gumbo. We also got an order of fries to split and two milkshakes.

Our total was about $30, which is pretty standard for us. We all made a quick stop in the restroom to freshen up then grabbed a booth on the porch. Our milkshakes were ready almost immediately and they totally hit the spot.

Not long after, everything else was ready. The burgers were generous and tasty. The fries were crisp and delicious. Jiro went ahead and declared the meal the best of our trip.

Warren reported that the BBQ sandwich wasn't as good as one you'd get in Memphis, but that it wasn't too shabby.

The gumbo was also pretty decent. It had rice, sausage and small shrimp. Maybe even some chicken? It had a nice kick to it.

After a few spoonfuls, I could see that Satchel was eying my lunch. He offered to trade me his hamburger and I took him up on it.

We didn't leave a single crumb on the table and I really wanted to get another round of fries and maybe another shake, but I couldn't convince Warren to let me spend his last ten dollars.