Meat Sweats

A review of ‘Memphis Blues’

By KP Davis, Contributor

Memphis blues was started by a couple of guys who fell in love with southern barbecue and decided to bring the smoky flavour to Vancouver. I decided to check out the barbecue house named after what Men’s Fitness ranked the fourth fattest city in America and notorious for being the bane of vegetarians by putting meat in everything.

Safety was the name of the game as we ordered the Memphis Feast, which came with a combination of meats and sides. I had hardly made a dent in the crisp pilsner I was drinking before the platters were delivered—not a shock as most of the meat had been smoking since the night before.

I tried the sides first, saving the meat for the main event. The coleslaw was fine, not overly vinegary or creamy but a nice balance, and it was by far the most boring thing on the plate. The french fries were a tad dry and not overly salted, but also savoury with a hint of parsley and cayenne almost as if they had coated them with a meat rub. The beans were smoky, with chunks of brisket within, and not the sweet baked beans that I was used to. The cornbread was amazing, a most flavourful square that melted in your mouth like cake. The barbecue sauce that came on the side was smoky and sweet and absolutely unnecessary for the flavourful meat that was to come.

The chicken, though smoky and delicious, seemed a little dry. It was the one instance where I needed my side of sauce and liberal application of pilsner to get it down. The sausages were delicious, but nothing new to me. The pulled pork was moist and flavourful, but still fairly bland next to most of the protein that had been provided. The brisket was amazing, with crisp charred ends and melt-in-your-mouth insides. That alone would have been enough to give Memphis Blues my recommendation. And then I got to the ribs.

I swear that someone had just painted a stick of butter to look like a rib. The meat was so smooth and delicious that I was lucky to get one before my ravenous horde of friends descended upon them, leaving only bones in their wake. The rib ends were much the same, though a little more marbled and a little less meaty.

Overall, I loved the casual atmosphere and great food that Memphis Blues served up. I would highly recommend checking it out, though you might want to visit infrequently unless you wish to deliciously marble your brisket.

Memphis Blues can be found at 1465 West Broadway Ave, Vancouver, and other locations across western Canada.