Grouchy at Corky's- Captain Art Richey

When we arrived at Corky's, we were pretty beat. In the matter of 10 hours, we had accomplished the following: wake up, showered, ran (Blinky), studied for the LSAT (Captain), ate breakfast, meet a nice security guard and wrestled (not with her) on the banks of the Mississippi River, ate at the Neely's, toured the National Civil Rights Museum, and dropped our stuff off at Mitchell Dean's home. In addition to this constant go-go-go, the BCS national championship game was starting at 7 and we wanted to eat at Corky's without missing one second of Tebow and Bradford. We walked in the door and families were everywhere. The place was crammed with people and we luckily found a place to rest our weary rear-ends. To say the least, our attitudes and moods leaned more towards Oscar the Grouch than Bert and Ernie.

Our table was called and we walked down a narrow hallway towards our field of food. Like a road tested team, we knew it was game time. Busdriver pumped up his shoulders, Billy headbutted the wall, and Blinky just blinked. We knew it was time. We took our seats and immediately noticed the clean, chain-like feel of the restaurant. It was a genuine BBQ joint but it seemed like everyone was going through the motions: our waitress displayed her luke-warm smile, the surrounding families were consuming BBQ as if it was labor, and the BBQ Boys were more focused on Florida's chances than the menu options. As captain, I knew something was needed to the BBQ Boys team. I ordered the sausage and cheese platter as a motivator. The sausage and cheese platter was a smart choice for the moment: a succulent piece of kielbasa sausage covered in BBQ sauce, cheese cubes, pickles, and some grapes. It was the spark that the BBQ boys needed. Our meals arrived and we digged in. Blinky enjoyed the chicken. I tried a piece and it was good but nothing outstanding. Billy and I shared the ribs. There were excellent. The rib meat was tender with little grease. The dry rub was a smooth complement as the meat fell straight off the bone. I am not kidding when I attest that our rib bones were meat-free when we finished. The sauce was a sweet, tomato based sauce that had a hint of apple butter with a dash of savory hickory.
We continued to watch our watches as kickoff inched closer. Unfortunately, the owner was unavailable for comments questions. We wiped off our faces and made plans to watch the game. Corky's has received national acclaim for their 'Cue but after 2 days of Memphis 'Cue, it was not my favorite. Maybe it was our lack of energy, the stress of the atmosphere, and the pressure of kickoff that put a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully, we will have a chance to come back and get a 2nd chance at this provider of pork.