A seventeen year odyssey across the backroads of America during the ultimate College Football roadtrip.

Category: Uncategorized (Page 22 of 42)

LC’s Barbecue – Burnt to Perfection

With my feet barely on the ground from the plane ride in, I dashed for the rental car counter and peeled out of the parking lot like Bo Duke in the General Lee (substitute grey Hyundai Accent for 69’ Dodge Charger). Such was my enthusiasm for my first trip to Kansas City, a town synonymous with great barbecue. The place high on my list was LC’s Barbecue, which was slightly off the beaten path from the “big two” in Kansas City; Gates and Arthur Bryant’s. While those establishments may be more famous, LC’s I was assured, had the better cue’.

After some deliberation on the menu (KC joints seem averse to the concept of a variety plate), I ordered up the usual brisket and ribs, and tossed a newcomer into the mix: Burnt Ends. Burnt Ends, as I learned, are an order of the charred crusty end pieces of brisket, prized by some and shunned by others.

 

 

As I quickly learned, the brisket in Kansas City is served thin sliced, sandwich style and slathered in sauce.After observing the pitmaster heavily ladling the sauce onto my brisket, I quickly stopped him before he garnished my ribs and burnt ends with the obfuscating liquid.This drew a raised eyebrow from the woman behind the register, an expression which bordered on both puzzled and offended.Regardless, my ribs and burnt ends were spared from the murky crimson depths, and I could give the quality of the meat a proper evaluation.

The brisket was pretty standard fare, though the thin slicing makes it chew close to deli roast beef for my taste. The strong KC style sauce also rendered it difficult to taste the meat. The ribs on the other hand, were delightful. They were quite meaty, had a beautiful pinkish smoke ring and a deep smokiness throughout the meat that pulled nicely off the bone without falling apart. These were lovingly cooked ribs.

Then there were the Burnt Ends.Oh my, Burnt Ends where have you been all my life?Subconsciously, my favorite part of the brisket has always been the end pieces that have a thick ring of charred crust, and I find myself squirreling them away for the last few bites of my meal.The fusion of smoke, beef, salty rendered fat and a chewy crunch is the pinnacle of BBQ, and why prized brisket is such a rare indulgence.Now imagine an entire order of those magnificent nuggets from heaven, every morsel bursting with the charred flavor of a smoky punch to the face, and you have an order of burnt ends from LC’s Barbecue.Each bite is heroin for the tongue.


I plowed through my brisket and ribs in fairly short order, but I savored every bite of the burnt ends and they were one of the best Barbecue dishes I have ever had. If you ever find yourself in KCK, skip the lines and hoopla of the barbecue factories and head into LC’s for some burnt end nirvana.

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Ole Miss vs Auburn

After such a remarkable experience thus far in Oxford, the biggest lingering question in my mind was if the game atmosphere at Ole Miss could possibly live up to the impossible bar set thus far.

To borrow irritating corporate jargon, my “expectations were managed” all afternoon by Ole Miss faithful claiming that the highlight of the day would peak at tailgating in the Grove.Sadly, they lamented, the in stadium atmosphere at Vaught Hemingway Stadium was decidedly average, especially within the context of some of their other bellowing SEC brethren.

For the most part, I would have to agree.While it’s still certainly an SEC game on the field, the crowd noise and overall levels of enthusiasm were, for the most part, fairly average.While the Rebels gave their fans some excitement on the second play of the game, when running back Jeff Scott dashed away for an 83 yard touchdown, there was little to cheer about after the first quarter.The stands became visibly empty about midway through the third quarter, as folks presumably retreated back to the comfort of the Grove.

On the field vaunted Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was able to sit comfortably in the pocket and pick apart the Rebel defense all day, amassing 274 yards of offense on his own including two passing and one receiving touchdown. The Auburn attack lit up the box score with 572 yards of total offense, staking their claim to move up the BCS ladder. Jeff Scott was the lone bright spot for the Reb’s on the day scampering for 134 yards, and as a freshman, he’s certainly a player to keep an eye on in the future.

I spent all four quarters of the game parked next to Emmet and his father Bob, both long time diehard Ole Miss fans. I had purchased Emmet’s extra ticket after being connected with him through Casey at the tailgate, who had assured Emmet that while I wasn’t an Ole Miss alum I would be cheering loudly for the Rebels on this day. Perched 23 rows up on the 40 yard line, we had a perfect view of all the action. Both extremely knowledgeable and friendly Ole Miss fans, Emmet and his father schooled me on the finer points of the teams history, and continually pointed out the important playmakers on the field. Unlike some of their earlier departing brethren, Emmet and his father dedicatedly stayed all four quarters and I couldn’t have asked for a couple of more amiable seat mates.

Thank you again to Casey for finding me the ticket to the game. Thanks to Emmet and Bob for sharing that extra ticket with me, and sorry we couldn’t get loud enough to cheer the Reb’s on to victory.

 

Also thank you to Jay for passing on some additional recommendations for the weekend, and similarly it would be great to meet you out there next year along with your family.

 

Finally, a very special thank you to my colleague Elizabeth for providing such detailed and extensive recommendations for the entire weekend. All of your reco’s were spot on and made for such an incredible weekend. Hopefully we can cross paths in Oxford next year.

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The Grove…

The Grove gets its own post and for good reason. Considered the preeminent tailgating destination in the country, The Grove at Ole Miss is the Mecca of pregame revelry, and the yardstick by which all other tailgates are measured. Look on any list of the greatest traditions associated with College Football, and The Grove will surely be somewhere near the top. It’s simply a national treasure.

Occupying a central part of the Ole Miss campus, the Grove is a ten acre stretch of grass shaded by overhanging columns of magnificent Oaks, Elms and Magnolias. On gamedays the Grove draws upwards of 25,000 fans and the area is flooded with a sea of tents as far as the eyes can see. The mere mention of The Grove conjures up images of stunning coeds draped in sundresses and high heels sipping delicate cocktails among a horde of well mannered frat boys in blazers and khakis. I can assure you first hand that those rumors about the coeds are 100% true, and Ole Miss is more than deserved of its “scenic” reputation.

The splendor of tailgating in the Grove lies as much in what it lacks, than what it actually contains. Absent are cars, SUV’s and land yacht RV’s noisily billowing away. You won’t find any generators sputtering and rattling all morning, nor giant amplifiers blasting out irritatingly overplayed jock jams. Because of the trees, open flames aren’t permitted either, so absent is the pungent smoke of grilling amateurs scorching hot dogs and hockey puck burgers. It has a decidedly more relaxed and mannered feel to it.

(yes that is a goat at a tailgate)

 

Don’t let the more refined feel fool you however; Ole Miss fans elevate tailgating to an art form. While folks from all walks of life can enjoy the grove, elaborate spreads are the norm, and you’ll see everything from fine china and chandeliers, to barbecue buffets and well appointed bars. I’m told that some of the more renown tailgates are fully catered affairs, replete with butler service. Still, one of the most remarkable attributes of the Grove is that it remains completely free of charge to all comers, and spots are claimed on a first come first serve basis. There are no “tailgate passes” here to be purchased, and regardless of the size of your wallet or donation, everyone has an equal shot at getting some of the best real estate in the country on a fall Saturday.

You know a place like the Grove is dear to the hearts of Ole Miss when their players walk through it as part of a pre game ritual. The “Walk of Champions” is a tradition that occurs a couple hours before kickoff when fans line the brick walkway bisecting the Grove. The entire team marches down the walkway on their way to the stadium fenced in by a promenade of thousands of fans belting out “Hotty Toddy”.

 

“Are you Ready?

 

HELL YES! DAMN RIGHT!
Hotty toddy gosh-a-mighty
Who the hell are we? (HEY!)
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
Ole Miss, by Damn!”

After soaking in the Grove, I joined my friends from Taylor Grocery the night before (Regan, Allison, Jonathan, Gretchen, Nathan, Andy) in an area called the “Circle” which is adjacent to the Grove, and equally magnificent in tree canopied splendor. The “Circle” occupies the space directly in front of the iconic Lyceum at Ole Miss, a famous backdrop for one of the more notable civil rights struggles in the early 1960’s.

The cast from the night before had staked out this spot after dinner on Friday (tailgaters set up their tents the night before on a first come first served basis), and this morning they carried in a full tailgating spread to kick off the festivities for the afternoon. I almost felt ashamed showing up with a mere 12 pack of Coors Light. In addition to the familiar faces, I also was also introduced to another friend Casey and his wife along with their young son and we spent a good part of the afternoon chatting away. Casey was just as welcoming as the rest of the gang, and went way beyond the call of duty when he helped hook me up with a ticket to the game.

 

Have I mentioned just how amazing this entire group of Ole Miss fans were? I felt like family the entire weekend. As a northerner, it’s difficult to comprehend how folks can be so overwhelmingly kind to a stranger, and I can only hope to somehow repay them one day.

Clearly, my overall experience in the Grove was a phenomenal one. It is hands down the most breathtaking tailgating atmosphere one could ever encounter (and second place isn’t even close) In the end, however, it’s the people that make it so unique and special, and I was blessed to have met a handful of new friends that made my entire Ole Miss weekend such a memorable one.

 

Special thanks again to Regan, Allison, Jonathan, Gretchen, Nathan, Andy and Casey for all of your incredible hospitality.

 

http://www.olemisssports.com/gameday/tailgating.html

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Big Bad Breakfast Decisions…

Sunday morning I was presented with two highly acclaimed breakfast haunts in Oxford and, sadly, only enough appetite for one. The choice would come down to a newer upstart called “Big Bad Breakfast” versus an established square favorite; “Bottletree Bakery”.

One of them was literally named “Big Bad Breakfast”, featured a glut of artery hardening hearty breakfast choices, and smoked all of their own ham and bacon on-premise.

 

Did I mention they smoke all of their own ham and bacon on premise in the Big Bad Smokehouse?

 

The other location specialized in delicate pastries, dainty baked goods, and I’m sure a handful of “cute” accoutrements. I was assured by more than a few beaming locals that Bottletree Bakery was “Oprah’s Favorite”.

 

Given my general repulsion to all things Oprah, I’ll give you two guesses which one I decided upon. The first one doesn’t count.

 

Bypassing the hour long wait for a table, I straddled an open stool at the counter only moments after walking in the door to Big Bad Breakfast, drawing a few audible groans from the anxious families behind me. While the outside is a non descript beige box within a line of mini mall store fronts, the interior of Big Bad has all the usual appointments of a standard breakfast diner.

After some deliberation on the menu, I settled for one of their famous breakfast sandwiches topped with the house smoked Ham. Not wanting to miss out on the other white meat – bacon – I added in a side of their in-house Tabasco Brown Sugar cured bacon, and a couple more eggs for good measure.

I salute any place with such extensive dedication to home made meats and offerings, and it’s not often you run across a place that smokes their own protein. Both the ham and bacon were markedly different than their mass produced brethren, offering a sweeter profile with a biting, tangy finish. The sandwich was a full sized affair, and paired with the potatoes, eggs and bacon left my appetite more than satiated for a long car ride home. A great way to start the morning.

 

Now let’s just hope Oprah doesn’t find the place…

 

http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?bbb

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