Day 2...Part 2

We got into Memphis around 4:30pm tired, dejected and hungry. I was resigned to the fact that we were going to be in town for a while and fearful that a good portion of our vacation would be spent here. We met my aunt and some of my cousins and their families for dinner around 6:45 at the Rendezvous. This place is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world and it is now one of my wife’s as well. The Rendezvous is a classic Memphis BBQ joint, located in a basement and its main entrance sitting in an old alley way. It is dark and lively with an ambiance that screams 1950. The waiters are old school, mostly black males in white button down shirts and bow ties. I have heard that some earn as much as $100K per year in tips. The place is world famous for its ribs, slow cooked over charcoal, basted in a vinegar solution and topped with a generous amount of dry BBQ rub. In fact the Rendezvous put Memphis style dry rub ribs on the map. When we sat down the waiter began taking drink orders my wife ordered a big wine and I ordered a martini. He said “we only serve beer and wine”. “OK, I’ll have a Heineken Light instead”, I replied. “That will be one Heineken” he said, “We don’t have light”. “Never mind, I’ll change that to a Sam Adams Light if you have it” I said, not wanting the heavy beer. He nodded, took the rest of our orders and left. When he returned with the drinks, he brought my wife 2 glasses of chardonnay and me a Heineken. What the hell, it was ice cold, tasted great, and I wasn’t driving. We enjoyed appetizers plates of smoked sausage & cheese, and the best smoked lamb baby backs I have ever eaten; and of course Heineken. We never had to ask the server for anything, beer half gone, out with a fresh one. My wife’s wine getting low, out with two more (she has splitting them with my cousin). Then came the ribs! Of course there are other items on the menu; pork, brisket & chicken…but when you go to the Rendezvous you go for the ribs. They were awesome; not as tender as traditional restaurant style ribs but great none the less. We got back to my cousins place and our wives engaged in a little small talk as I quickly fell asleep sitting up on the couch. It was great to see all these people I grew up with, meeting their husbands, wives and kids. It was awesome to revisit a great restaurant, share that experience with my wife and kids, and see it become a favorite of theirs. However, as much as I enjoyed the evening, I was quietly fearful that tomorrow would certainly bring bad news. The type of bad news that could end our vacation before it even began.