Tiffany Tastes

Bringing it at Interstate Bar-B-Q

I know it's strange, but when it comes to barbecue (Bar-B-Q, BBQ, etc.), I can really take it or leave it. (I know, I know. A BBQ-less Memphian.) But, my husband and my mother both love it. I believe that my mother's plan is to visit every barbecue joint in the city of Memphis. Every time she visits, we hit at least 3 barbecue restaurants, and I don't believe we've done the same one twice.

During her last visit, we decided to go to Jim Neely's World-Famous Interstate Bar-B-Q. Jim Neely is renowned in Memphis and heads a lineage of barbecuers from here to East Tennesse to Mississippi.

My mom, the hubs and I ordered a sampler platter (Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Links, Beef Brisket, Pork Shoulder, B-B-Q Spaghetti, Beans, Slaw and Bread.)

We also grabbed a plate of rib tips. (My mom's favorite)

The food was okay. Better than some barbecue we've had, but not as good as some, as well. However, the service was friendly and attentive, even though the dining room was quite busy.

If someone were to ask me for recommendations on Memphis' best barbecue, Interstate probably wouldn't be my first nomination. But, prices are reasonable and service is good. So, if you're on the south side of town, it's not a bad place to grab a meal.

Interstate Bar-B-Q
2265 South Third Street
Memphis, TN 38109
(901) 297-4634

Average Sandwich Price: $3-$6
Average Entree Price: $7-$14

Operating Hours
Monday-Thursday 11:00am-11:00pm
Friday and Saturday 11:00am-12:00am
Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm

Kookamonga Challenge: Wrap Up

Last week, I wrote about a group of Memphis food bloggers gathering to take on the Kookamonga burger at the Kooky Canuck.

Along with my husband and I, Seth (Best Memphis Burgers), Shannon (Memphis Foodie), her boyfriend, Ken (Ken's Food Find) and Kevin (Burn My Mouth) all settled down last Wednesday to tackle this enormous burger.

(I borrowed this photo from Shannon, because my group shot didn't turn out very well)

While it was whole, the task seemed daunting. But owner Shawn Danko bet that we'd finish it off in less than 15 minutes.

Seth cut the burger into 7 pretty equal wedges, and we went to town. I see where they get you on this; there is a massive amount of bread attached to this 4 pound beef patty. But, the bread is really, really good. It's soft and a little sweet and a great accompaniament to the burger.

I was shocked at what this burger wasn't: It wasn't burnt, and it wasn't dry. What this burger was: juicy, flavorful and not nearly as massive when split up amongst 7 hungry diners. We smashed the whole burger and all the fries (which are extra delicious) in well under 15 minutes. We even ordered more food:

(Fried Pickles and Holy Smoke wings) - The fried pickles will change your life, trust me.

It wasn't an official challenge (since it was a group effort), but Shawn and the entire Kooky Canuck crew took great care of us. It was also really awesome to meet some of Memphis' finest food bloggers and put faces with names.

Hopefully, we'll be able to dine together again soon.

Kooky Canuck
97 South 2nd Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 578-9800

Average Appetizer Price: $7-$10
Average Sandwich Price: $7-$10
Average Entree Price: $10-$15
Average Dessert Price: $6-$8

Operating Hours
Daily 11:00am-2:30am

Holiday Snickerdoodles and Cookie Swap Goodies

You might remember a couple of weeks ago when I blogged about the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, an excellent event hosted and organized by Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen.

Now that all of the cookies have been baked, delivered and received, it's time to

A) Post the recipe of the cookies I sent out

and

B) Show you all of the delicious goodies I received.

My husband told me to make snickerdoodles for the cookie swap, because they're his favorite and he wanted to eat the extras. And, as I thought about it, it made perfect sense. What cookie exemplefies the holidays? All of those warm spices make snickerdoodles the perfect choice.

Snickerdoodles
Adapted from this delicious recipe

- 1 cup butter
- 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons Mixed Essence
- 2 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar with an electric mixer until well-combined.
- Add eggs (one at a time) and essence and whip until thoroughly mixed.
- Combine flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Refrigerate dough and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 cup of sugar with remaining 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in a small bowl
- Scoop 1 inch balls of dough (I use this scoop in "mini" for uniformity) and roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture
- Place balls 1 inch apart on chilled ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with the back of a fork.
- Bake for 10 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking.
- Remove from pan immediately and place on racks to cool completely

I know for certain that all 3 recipients received a dozen of these cookies, and I hope they enjoyed them.

During this year's swap, I got all kinds of delicious and awesome things.

(Clockwise from the top: Chocolate Orange Crackles from Christine at Chew Nibble Nosh, Coconut Chocolate Chippies from Kathleen at The Daily Crumb and Truffle Chocolate Espresso Cookies from Suki at Super Duper Fantastic)

I'm absolutely blown away by not only the delciousness of the cookies, but also the creativity and thoughtfulness of the packaging.

I feel like kind of a slacker, but next year I'm going to be so much more on point. I promise.

Can't wait till then :)

Kookamonga Challenge: Aw Yeah!

The Kookamonga Challenge is legendary in Memphis: 7.5 pounds of burger and toppings in under 60 minutes. Only 10 have done it so far. On Wednesday, December 14 at 6 p.m., I'll be attempting to join the Hall of Fame...

(Owner Shawn Danko with the Kookamonga Burger - Borrowed from the Kooky Canuck's Website)

Or, not. But, a group of Memphis food bloggers will be tackling the burger. (Of course it won't be official, since there will be five of us.) But, it should be good food and good times with good people. Maybe we'll have room for some smores when we're done?

Probably not :)

For a full run-down of the cast and the challenge, visit Seth Agranov's Best Memphis Burger blog.