Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis, Tennessee

Some of you may know that Nick and I picked up our stuff and had a cross-country adventure last September. Along our journey West we wanted to stop at cool little places along the way, but we did not have a lot of time, unfortunately. So we managed the best we could. One of the places we wanted to stop was the Neely's family restaurant. Most of you may recognize the name because of they are a Food Network couple! The family has two restaurants in Memphis, Nick and I visited  Neely's Barbecue (West). If you are ever in the Nashville area, they have a variety of sauces and spices available in the airport and also have a restaurant on Rosa Parks Blvd. in the city.

The atmosphere is laid back and very welcoming. When you walk into the restaurant the walls are lined with pictures of the family through the years with people and celebrities who have visited and of the Neely's with some of the food network personalities. It was so cool to be there!

The menu has a variety of options, keep in mind this is a true bar-be-que dynasty so prepare yourself for BARBEQUE EVERYTHING!!! We ordered a lot of food and it was delicious. Nick absolutely loved the platter he picked. Remember you are not only eating in a barbeque restaurant, but you are eating at a barbeque restaurant in the south! People in the south do not mess around with their side dishes and sweet tea.

In addition to the food we ordered, we also knew we were going to end up in a hotel room later that night and we were going to be hungry! So we ordered some of their hot wings with their spicy - homemade - family - secret - hot sauce. It had wonderful flavor and was hot, hot, hot. We pleaded with them to give us an additional container of it and because they knew we were traveling across the country and stopped in they felt for us and agreed to give us an extra container of the sauce. I'm not sure if that is abnormal and if it is, I am not sure if it is because they do not want people trying to replicate it... either way we scored an additional container of the yummy sauce and it was well worth it!! The wings are HUGE!! They are serious wings, so come with an empty stomach and hungry wide eyes!

I've included the contact information, address and hours below! The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. I hope you all find some time to visit this historical restaurant in Memphis!

Until Next Time,
Happy Exploring!!

Take me back to Because Life is Complicated Enough... Home Page!

Neely's Barbecue (West)

670 Jefferson

Memphis, Tennessee 38103

(901) 521 - 9798

Hours: 

Monday through Thursday - 10:30 am to 10:00 pm

Friday and Saturday - 10:30 am to 10:00 pm

Sunday - 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

Velvet Elvis in Patagonia, Arizona

Nick and I were craving pizza and we were about up to our ears in chain restaurant pizza, so his friend suggested visiting the Velvet Elvis. Surprisingly it was pretty good. Nothing will ever compare to my hometown favorite - Park Pizza - but the selection at this restaurant was warmly received by Nick, Rob and myself.

If none of you have visited Arizona [or southern Arizona for that matter] what you need to know is there are many classic, old Southwestern style towns; Patagonia is one of these old towns. Many of these towns have a rich history filled with stories about Native Americans, conflicts, railroads, etc. Patagonia is not outside of these rich stories. Be careful if you are ever visiting this town because with the blink of an eye you will have passed through it and will have missed the eclectic houses, cars and people.

The Velvet Elvis is amongst the variety of types of people, places and things. It is tucked nicely behind a high iron fence, which is decorated with vines and other greenery. When you walk through the gate you are welcomed with a small fire pit and tables and chairs for cozy outside eating when the weather permits. We passed on outside eating because it was cold outside! Inside you will find the walls full of homemade carpets and other artifacts. And, if you really wanted, you could take home a Velvet Elvis t-shirt!

The menu at this place has a lot of pizza variety to offer [along with soups, salads and calzones]. The best part about this restaurant is the designer pizza options; in fact, one of the pizzas requires 24 hour notice so that the chef has adequate time to prepare it. WOW! We ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca. It was great! Take a look at the menu so that you can see what you're missing!

If you want to take a drive past Patagonia, you can find your way to Nogales and the Mexican border. It is an incredibly different area down there. It's almost like a city popped up only because people were coming to this country from Mexico. I do not know how to describe the town. It is isolated, yet it is is not and it's compact but with a bunch of land on the periphery. It's weird, but cool.

If any of you ever get down to South Arizona, I suggest you take a little time to stop by the Velvet Elvis and take a drive toward Nogales... there is a bunch of beautiful scenery, hiking trails and mountains all around! It is easy to get lost for an afternoon in the wonderful nature.

Take me back to Because Life is Complicated Enough... Home Page!

Railroad Crossing; picture adapted from
Patagonia Area Business Association