THE GREASY FOODIE: INTERSTATE BBQ

The Greasy Foodie

The story begins blustry day Friday after Thanksgiving in 2008 in a cramped booth at a fake NYC deli in Nashville called Noshville. In between my wife, Rachel, and my brother, Michael, I sat across from my "cooler than me" cousins Mark and Sarah, and Sarah's just as cool husband, Danny. Mark, who lives the awesome life being a lawyer living in San Francisco working for Facebook, with his only downfall being his SEVERE lactardation..which has never been medically or scientifically proven to exist in Mark.. Sarah and Danny are foodies from NYC who have tried every dive "chicken finger" hut and "curry on a stick" in the big city. Danny and Sarah had discussed that they were trying to go to as many places from Bobby Flay's 'Throwdown' show as they could, and that there was one in Nashville we had to try.....a place that I had never heard of in my 13 years of living there..I will get to that adventure later.

I got an idea from my cool cousins idea. An idea became a hobby. And the hobby became an obsession. And thus produced the list.....a world-famous spreadsheet...of every restaurant that has ever been featured on Food Network and Travel Channel....every restaurant from the famous shows like "Throwdown", "Man V. Food", "Man v. Food Nation", "Food Feuds", "Food Wars", "Best Thing I Ever Ate", "Food Paradise" and "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives" to the obscure "Best Food Ever", "Meat and Potatoes", and "101 Best Places to Chowdown", plus my additions of the restaurants of famous chefs, favorite catergories (burgers, wings, pizza, bbq, and sandwiches) and local places of legend. Names, cities, food they are famous for, and addresses. It was and still is an obsession. As of 11:31am on November 27, 2018, THE LIST HAS 4,660 RESTAURANTS ON IT...WITH A FEW OVERLAPS HERE AND THERE. And then over Pastrami Eggs Benedict at Nate N' Al's Deli in Beverly Hills, Hannah and Andrew, our good friends, gave me the idea of the blog. Document every place I went. And thus, "The Greasy Foodie" was born. I will log the places, the shows they are from, and what I had. So far, every place I have been has been amazing, except two, one being mediocre, and another being down right awful.

If there is a city you have been to, or are going to, or are from and want to know what from my list is in the city, send me a email at agmarks@gmail.com

Thursday, January 10, 2013

INTERSTATE BBQ

MEMPHIS

#56 ON 101 BEST PLACES TO CHOWDOWN and BBQ PARADISE

2265 S 3rd St Memphis, TN 38109-2566

http://www.interstatebarbecue.com/
"Dry-rubbed brisket, pork ribs, chicken and sausage, 1-pound pulled pork sandwich, "Barbeque Spaghetti" (seasoned rib meat mixed with BBQ tomato-based sauce over spaghetti)"

SOME SAY ITS GOOD, SOME SAY IT'S GREAT, SOME SAY IT'S THE BEST.....

I SAY IT'S THE BEST....

INTERSTATE BBQ IS MY FAVORITE BBQ PLACE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!

THERE IS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLACE! THE HISTORY (BEEN IN THE SAME FAMILY FOR YEARS), THE CULTURE (THIS PLACE IS IN A NOT NICE AREA OF MEMPHIS...BUT IN MOST CASES, THE BEST BBQ PLACES ALWAY ARE), AND THE EXPERIENCE (BBQ SPAGHETTI)

THE NEELY'S...YOU KNOW THE FIRST FAMILY OF BBQ...THE FOOD NETWORK FAMILY...WELL THIS IS THEIR BBQ RESTAURANT...NEELY'S INTERSTATE BBQ...AND IT'S OWNED AND RUN WITH PAPA JIM NEELY, THE PATRIARCH, OF THE FAMILY AT THE HELM OF THE SMOKER

PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE THAT IT'S THE BEST, BUT IT'S MY FAVORITE!

I WENT TO INTERSTATE FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER MAKING A BALLSY CALL TO MY GRANDFATHER. MY AMAZING GRANDFATHER WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MEMPHIS, AND WAS PROUD TO SHOW IT OFF! ONE DAY, WHEN I WAS VISITING, WE WERE GOING TO THE SAME BORING BBQ RESTAURANT, CORKY'S...THIS PLACE IS TOURIST TRAP USA! ITS GOOD...NOT MIND BLOWING...I SAID "GRANDDADDY, LET'S GO TO YOUR FAVORITE BBQ RESTAURANT"...HE LEANED OVER AND SMILED AND SAID "YOU SURE YOU CAN HANDLE IT"....I SMILED AND NODDED WITH SUCH EXCITEMENT... WE DROVE TO A PART OF MEMPHIS I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO....AND AFTER THE MOST AMAZING PULLED PORK SANDWICH, BBQ SPAGHETTI, AND SIDES...I WAS HOOKED

I LOVE BBQ...BUT I AM A INTERSTATE BBQ BOY THROUGH AND THROUGH....STILL HAVE THE T-SHIRT I BOUGHT FROM WHEN I WAS 14 TO SHOW FOR IT...."I'VE BEEN TO HOG HEAVEN" IS ALL IT READS...AND THAT PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT BEST!

THE GREASY FOODIE