THE REVIEW - Sim's Bar-B-Q, Little Rock, AR

On our way from Memphis to Dallas we drove through Little Rock and stopped at Sim’s BBQ - http://simsbar-b-que.com. We were pleasantly surprised by the all-around quality. It was a simple order-at-the-counter place with a constant flow of patrons. It had all ladies running the joint – manning the register, controlling the orders, preparing the sides and of course monitoring the bbq pit. They were thrilled when we told them about our trip. Along with the quality eats, we found Sim's was the best bang for our buck. We spent $25 for three sides, a carton of ribs and a carton of pulled pork.

Sim's BBQ in Little Rock, AR was a pleasant stop on our way to Dallas

Inside Sim's BBQ in Little Rock, AR

Sauce – 3 – Sim’s had a red hot sauce and a mild. The red hot was overpowering so we didn’t test it out on the meat. The mild on the other hand had a nice balance of sweet and sour. There was a hint of heat, but the sauce was more sweet than spicy.

Sides – 3.5 – We got beans, potato salad and coleslaw. All were solid with a nice flavor that made you want to keep eating them. The beans had a hint of bbq flavor and were in a semi-thick sauce. The potato salad was thick with a dill flavor, but not too sweet like previous places. And the coleslaw was straight forward; nothing fancy, traditional creamy coleslaw.

Sim's had delicious sides - beans, coleslaw and potato salad

Slabs – 4 – The ribs were delicious. They were prepared with a wet sauce that cooked into a nice crispy glaze. The meat was tender and well-cooked and a slight tug cleared the bone. They were smaller in size, but still had a nice amount of meat.

Sim's ribs had a nice glazed skin

Steaks – Didn’t order steaks/brisket

Sandwiches – 3 – The pork was tender and tasty, but it was super shredded. It had decent flavor, but being over shredded diluted the flavor a bit.

Sim's BBQ had super shredded pork. It was delicious with the sauce, but a bit dry without it.

THE REVIEW - Rendezvous, Memphis, TN

Despite being located in a random alley in the heart of downtown Memphis, people have no problem finding Rendezvous - http://www.hogsfly.com. The place was closed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day making Jan. 2 a mad rush. Doors opened at 11am and we arrived at 11:10am to find a line down the alley. Fortunately, the place is massive and can sit hundreds so we got in within 15 minutes. We were one of the lucky ones. When we left the line was around the block and people were asking us if it was worth the wait. We hesitated and replied, “Yep, it sure is.” Rendezvous’ ribs were delicious and matched our highest score yet. The atmosphere wasn’t as quaint and hospitable as previous places and it felt like they were rushing people in and out (which I understand when you have hundreds of folks waiting), but their food put them among the top bbq restaurants we’ve tried.

The famous Rendezvous sign in an alley in downtown Memphis,. TN

Me outside Rendezvous in Memphis, TN

The men behind the magic of Rendezvous' ribs - the pit masters

Two of the many rooms inside the expansive Rendezvous in Memphis, TN

Footage of Rendezvous in Memphis, TN

Sauce – 4 – They had two sauces - mild and spicy. Both were a tad sweet to start and then tailed off with a hint of heat. The spicy had more heat and it lingered longer. They were on the thinner side, not thick and heavy. Both went great on the pulled pork.

Rendezvous had two sauces - mild and spicy

Sides – 3 – BEANS AND SLAW!! Whatever you ordered it came with beans and slaw. That’s the only two sides they had. If you ordered sweet tea, it came with beans and slaw (not really, but I wouldn’t be surprised). They were both good, but not great.

Slabs – 4.5 – The ribs were covered with a mouth watering dry rub and they were amazing! I wanted to lick the remaining dry rub off my plate. The meat was light with a tinge of pink and it was tender, but not too soft. The skin had a sort of juicy snap when you bit through it. They were meaty and not super fatty. These along with Corky’s were the best we’ve had.

Before - Rendezvous' ribs with a tasty dry rub

Backside of Rendezvous' tasty dry rub ribs

After - They were so delicious I wanted to lick the paper and plate

Steaks – Didn’t order steaks/brisket

Sandwiches – 4 – Nice pulled pork chunks with the same dry rub as the ribs, which we obviously enjoyed. It was tender and moist and went great as a sandwich. We put it in a thick Texas white bread slice, smothered it with sauce and enjoyed a great pulled pork sandwich.

Mama D. got the ribs along with the pulled pork, which went great on top a thick white piece of Texas bread