One local delicacy that kept surfacing among the litany of dining recommendations that I received for Oxford was a late night delight know as “chicken on a stick” at the Chevron Station. Specifically, the Chevron station on the corner of University and Lamar (adjacent to the “square”) was known to dish out these deep fried delicacies to throngs of hungry students after a long night of imbibing.
As you know, if it’s one thing I love, it’s dining anywhere within visible distance of a gas station and, wherever possible, actually on premise.
If there’s another thing I love, it’s any cuisine option that comes on a stick or with its own built in handle (pork chops on stick, turkey legs, 22oz bone-in ribeyes – whatever).
The Chevron chicken satisfied both of those requirements, so I popped in for a late night treat before the ride back to the hotel. The chicken was surprisingly hefty; one of these sticks was loaded with roughly 8-12 ounces of batter fried goodness. The bird itself was crispy, salty, greasily delicious and certainly convenient. I propped myself against the Jetta in the parking lot and gnawed away at the chicken stick while surveying the costumed Halloween party goers staggering along the sidewalk.
After a hard night against the rail I would gladly double fist a couple of these chicken sticks, and from what I hear it’s not uncommon to see a line thirty people deep waiting for them at the Chevron after the lights go on.
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When I hopped up onto the porch at Taylor Grocery on an unusually brisk Mississippi October night, I had no idea that the folks I would encounter inside would set the tone for one the most welcoming weekends I have ever had.
Taylor grocery is a landmark in Taylor, Mississippi about 20 minutes outside of Oxford. It occupies an old dry goods store that was originally build in 1889, and after changing owners a few times, they have been frying up catfish dinners inside since 1977. The interior and exterior are worn from generations of patrons, and their mantra is a chuckle worthy “Eat or we both starve”.
After greeting the owner and proprietor Lynn, I was informed that despite being alone I was going to spend about an hour on the front porch waiting for a place to sit. Overhearing this, a moment later I was tapped on the shoulder by a fellow that introduced himself as Regan. With a welcoming smile and genuine sincerity he invited me to join him and his eight other friends for dinner that evening when their long awaited table was available. I’ve certainly encountered some great hospitality in some of the SEC trips I have made, but this show of kindness was completely unprecedented.
After a short wait out on the porch, the entire table was ready and Regan, true to his word, waved me over to come join the entire group. At this point, all of them were warmly beckoning me to join, and dumfounded at such remarkable hospitality, I slid into a chair at the end of the table grateful for such warm company.
I spent the next couple of hours exchanging stories with the entire crew (Regan & Allison, Jonathan & Gretchen, Nathan, Andy) all of whom were banded together by various connections to Ole Miss and making their annual pilgrimage back to campus. Obviously, they provided me with a handful of recommendations for the weekend wanting to ensure that my entire Ole Miss experience was a noteworthy one. As if dinner weren’t enough, they insisted that I join them for their tailgate the next day, and I quickly accepted, humbled yet again by their remarkable openheartedness.
For having no real plan when I walked into Taylor Grocery, this amiable group of friends welcomed me as one of their own, and made it one of the most memorable meals I have had on my travels.
As for the food itself. Despite being a regular fish eater, as a habit I generally eschew catfish, as I find it has a bit too strong of an “earthy” flavor for my taste (and by “earthy” I mean tastes like an old boot dredged up from a murky river bottom).
Not so the case with the catfish at Taylor Grocery. They had a reputation for having the best catfish in Mississippi, and after downing a plate of it I can see why. The fish is a pristine flaky white filet that is deep fried to perfection with just the right amount of crunch from the battered crust. All the catfish is farm raised, so it’s delectably light and clean on the palette, free of that earthiness that plagues other catfish. It was truly some remarkable catfish.
While at Taylor Grocery I was introduced to yet another undiscovered Southern delight by some of my new well informed friends: Rotel Cheese sauce.
I’m quite sure a jukebox scratched somewhere in the joint, when, to mixed looks of sheer pity and astonishment on their faces, I informed our table that I had never even *heard* of Rotel, much less actually tried it. Mothers instinctively covered their childrens ears at my blasphemy, and a few hound dogs ran and cowered beneath the porch. Regan, with aplomb far better than I, quietly urged me to “simply try some”. Judging by the popularity of Rotel at the table, I needed little convincing.
Rotel, for my unenlightened Northern audience, is a canned mix of green chilies and diced tomatoes that is mixed with cheese sauce. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity, however, Rotel cheese sauce is one of the most addictive substances ever devised by man. I timidly dipped my first french fry into the sauce for a taste, only to find myself dumping the entire cup on my plate seconds later, and straining to resist the urge to lick the remaining contents out of the cup. You could put this stuff on ANYTHING, and it would taste phenomenal.
While the food and atmosphere at Taylor Grocery is exquisite, it was truly the company that made it such an extraordinary evening (and weekend) for me. I cannot overstate how thankful and humbled I am by the entire table of new friends that welcomed me into their group in a remarkable show of hospitality. Especially towards a guy wearing a Notre Dame sweatshirt in Oxford on a football weekend…
Special thank you to Regan, Allison, Jonathan, Gretchen, Nathan, Andy and the other names that I forgot. You are the kind of folks that make my travels so enjoyable, and give Ole Miss such a well deserved reputation. Thank you again for what would become such an amazing weekend.
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If you’re inclined to take a gander at a map, you would notice that Google’s preferred route from Dallas to Oxford routes you on I-40 through Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis is famous, of course, for Johnny Cash and Elvis. Evidently, they also make some ribs there once in a while.
More to the point, Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous Barbecue is internationally renown for being one of the most famous rib joints in the country. You have probably seen this place on scores of different television shows, magazine articles and “best of” lists. It’s a landmark in Memphis, and, apparently, I’m the only person on the planet to have circled the block three times in search of the place because it’s discreetly tucked away in an alley.
Judging by the throngs of hungry patrons waiting outside on a Friday night, Ol Charlie runs a pretty robust business. But since I had a hot date with a catfish sling in Oxford, I bypassed the line for an open bar stool, and hurriedly ordered up a two meat combo of brisket and their famous ribs. This would be a quick affair, so I admittedly did not get a chance to soak in the entire experience.
Memphis BBQ is noted for their emphasis on the “dry rub” style of ribs, which are heavily dusted before and after cooking with a mixture of seasonings. If you’re a regular reader, you already know that I much prefer a dry style of ribs and the well seasoned Rendezvous ribs had a pleasant spicy “bite” to them. I was a bit put off by it at first, but slowly I kept reaching for one rib after another, until I found my platter empty. They were oddly addicting, and got better with each successive bite. There are two downsides I would note. The first was that their charcoal cooking method leaves the rib meat a bit on the dry side for my taste. You have to work a bit to tug the meat from the bone, and I found myself reaching for the water glass more often than I would like. Second, was that the ribs didn’t have a very strong smoke profile to them, and I couldn’t really detect it in the meat. While it may have been intentional from their cooking methods, it left me wanting more.
To answer everyone’s lingering question; in a head to head battle I would still opt for Texas style ribs. I can think of a handful of places in Texas where I have had better ribs than Rendezvous, and, as a matter of personal taste, I prefer the simpler, heavily smoked profile of Texas ribs. But make no mistake, Rendezvous is still excellent by any measure.
The brisket was solid, albeit a bit on the dry side because it had been heavily trimmed prior to cooking. Still, it was better brisket than I expected to find in Memphis, though completely average by Texas standards.
Regardless, Rendezvous still serves up some excellent Barbecue and is considered the crowning jewel of a city that prides itself on great cue’. It’s notoriety makes it worth the visit alone, and I hope to return there someday to take in the entire experience with a handful of friends.
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In the immortal words of John “Hannibal” Smith: I love it when a plan comes together.
While advanced planning and exhaustive preparation has been the hallmark of our Pigskin Pursuit this fall, never underestimate the power of spontaneity and improvisation.A mere five days before the game, we were lounging around the house watching the Cotton Bowl on TV lamenting the fact that our busy holiday travel schedule had made it difficult to entertain the idea of a bowl game.Bowl games are an integral part of the College Football landscape, and despite my principled opposition to the fumbling ineptitude of the BCS Bowl Committee, not attending a bowl game would be regrettable.Motivated by this grim reality, we quickly set our sights on the crown jewel of them all.
With only a few days left on the season calendar, we decided that a trip to the National Championship game would be the perfect capstone to our College Football Tour:Texas squaring off against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
With that settled, now all we had to do was scramble a plan together to actually get there in four days.A few quick phone calls and emails later, Mindy had secured tickets to the game (at face value I might add), flight arrangements, a rental car and a place to stay.With this level of planning and quick execution, God help you if she ever decides to pull a bank heist.
The stage for the game would be one of the largest in recent memory. Unlike some of the more recent championship selections, this one was absent any controversy over whom the most deserving teams were.Squaring off were #1 Alabama vs. #2 Texas.Both undefeated at 12-0 and respective champions of their conferences.16 National Championships and 1,658 all time wins between these juggernauts.Two of the most storied programs in the history of the sport, playing in the most storied bowl venue in College Football: The Granddaddy of ‘Em All, The Rose Bowl.
Put simply, it doesn’t get any bigger than this.
The atmosphere surrounding a National Championship game is a bit of a unique situation, and it’s difficult to compare it to a regular season game.While the magnitude surrounding the game is certainly the largest of the season, expectedly it doesn’t have quite the same electric feel as a typical College Football Saturday, largely due to the neutral site.For one thing, the Rose Bowl, while one of the most storied venues in the history of College Athletics, doesn’t actually occupy a college campus.Tailgating, as you can imagine, is also a bit different, since the vast majority of your dedicated tailgaters are probably unwilling to make the 1,400 mile trek to Pasadena to flip a few burgers and hot dogs.While at first glance it may seem tame, bear in mind there are still an abundance of tailgates and the Rose Bowl actually shuts down a golf course for use by tailgaters. It’s an admirable effort for people to put together such elaborate spreads from halfway across the country. We also had the good fortune of meeting up with our favorite Longhorn friends Jared and Kimberly to hoist a couple of ritualistic pre game beverages.
The one ancillary benefit that comes with Bowl Game atmospheres, however, is that tickets are surprisingly easy to find and moderately affordable.We noted a handful of tickets readily available close to face value if you wanted them.This is assuming, of course, you were willing to shell out the $275 face value to witness the spectacle of a National Championship Game.But rest assured, if going to a NC game is on your wish list in the future, finding tickets should be the least of your concerns.
The Rose Bowl itself is simply a spectacular venue.Occupying an “arroyo” (which is a fancy word for valley) in beautiful Pasadena, the Rose Bowl first opened its doors in 1922, a mere ten years after FenwayPark was built.To say that history oozes from every pillar of this structure would be an understatement, there is a reason it’s a National Historic Landmark.The Rose Bowl has two Olympic Games, a World Cup, five Superbowls, three BCS Championships and about 88 “Rose Bowl” Games to its credit. In fact its very name coined the term “Bowl Game” for postseason College Football games.In addition to history, the Rose Bowl is an imposing structure.With a stated capacity of 92,542 it ranks 8th on the list of largest football stadiums in America (all of which are college stadiums by the way). Finally, the backdrop for the stadium is magnificent.There may be no more spectacular panorama in College Football than watching a pale magenta sunset over the noble San Gabriel Mountains, the hazy air thick with anticipation for a National Championship Game kickoff.
Simply put, if you could only visit one College Football stadium in your life, it should be the House that Rock built – Notre Dame Stadium.But if you could visit two, the second should be the Rose Bowl.
The in-stadium atmosphere around gametime is a similarly unique, as are most bowl atmospheres.Despite 94,906 bodies packing the cavernous Rose Bowl, the pomp of a pre-game fireworks show and thunderous flyover, it’s a decidedly quieter stadium than a typical home sellout crowd.Because the bowl is split roughly 50/50 between Texas and Alabama fans, the noise level will simply never be as loud as you would find at a true home game atmosphere where 95% of the fans are all cheering in unison.Furthermore, of those fans at the game, for a game of this magnitude it’s safe to assume that you will have over representation of the “corporate” crowd and other folks that may not have a passionate interest in the outcome.It’s safe to say, however, that the true fans that make it out to the game, and travelled halfway across the country to see their team, are some of the most diehard, dedicated and boisterous individuals you could hope for.And candidly, you shouldn’t need crowd noise to get you amped for a game of this magnitude anyway.
While bowl game atmospheres are decidedly different, the action where it counts – between the white lines, is as intense as it gets.On the field featured the intriguing matchup of the Alabama rushing attack, led by Heisman winner Mark Ingram, squaring off against the gunslinging Colt McCoy led Texas air show.Unfortunately, that matchup would only last a mere five plays into the game when Alabama Defensive End Marcell Dareus drove the Texas QB into the turf injuring his precious right shoulder, and knocking him out for the game.
Despite a couple of Texas field goals, what followed was a second quarter full of Crimson Tide domination.Alabama’s running back duo of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson each scampered for touchdowns.However, neither touchdown was as heartbreaking as the botched Longhorn shovel pass by frosh QB Garrett Gilbert which was returned by Alabama for yet another score as the half expired (returned by Marcell Dareus of course).The situation coming into the second half for the Longhorns was about as bleak as it gets.
Just when the crowd may have started heading for the exits, the Longhorns showed remarkable fight coming into the third and fourth quarters.Their defense stiffened up and shut down the Crimson tide for nearly two full quarters.Surprisingly, the offense came to life as well.Freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert connected for two touchdowns with veteran receiver Jordan Shipley, and demonstrated remarkable poise and confidence.This brought the score to within three points, Alabama 24 – Texas 21.With three minutes left to play Texas had the ball on their own 17 yard line, and barely eighty yards separating them from improbable National Championship glory.
In the end, however, the vaunted Alabama defense came up big when it needed to.They promptly stuffed Gilbert into the ground on the first play of the drive, jarring the ball loose, and diving on top of the fortuitous fumble.A few short plays later Alabama sealed the game when Mark Ingram bulldogged into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night.Trent Richardson would add another ‘Bama touchdown a few minutes later, making the final score appear more lopsided than the contest actually was.
Final Score: Alabama 37 – Texas 21
Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide and their fan base, who were all remarkably friendly and respectful during the game.This was a hard fought victory for them, and I admire the gritty brand of football that they play. Going undefeated in the SEC, bumping off Florida in the SEC Championship game and capping it off with a National Championship victory is an incredible accomplishment, and I salute those athletes.
This was a phenomenal way to conclude our College Football Tour for the season.I had never been to a National Championship Game, and as a frustrated Notre Dame fan I may have to wait some time before I go again.The magnitude of the game is simply unmatched and the electricity among fans is palpable. It’s an experience that any College Football fan should experience at least once in their lifetime.Seeing two unbeaten national powerhouses, playing for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl is the largest possible stage that you could ask for, and it’s an experience that I will always cherish.
Thanks (again) to our friends Jared and Kimberly.It’s always a good time meeting up with them, and we can always count on their attendance and hospitality at any big UT Football game.
Special thanks to our friend Daron for helping us out with some last minute tickets to the game.It was an incredible kind and generous effort to find these tickets for us, and I am incredibly thankful for this once in a lifetime experience.
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