A Tale of Three Trails, Two Aunts, and a Camper: Part II

Trail Two: BBQ—Still harboring a hankering for barbeque, we set our sights on three cities and their take on ribs, rubs, and sauce:

• Memphis—Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous came highly recommended to us, and it’s easy to see why.  In business since 1948, they serve over 7,000 customers on an average Saturday night, and we were two of these customers.  The food was good (especially the beans) and the people were friendly, including regulars Paula and Bill, who chatted us up and wished us well.
• St. Louis—We had barbeque for dinner the first night, then for breakfast/lunch the next day.  First up: Super Smokers BBQ, with fall-off-the-bone ribs and sweet potato fries.  Second: Pappy’s Smokehouse, which paired quite well with a glass of Chambourcin wine.
• Kansas City—Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque was the messiest by far, with a tangy sauce and fantastically wrapped in butcher paper.  Jack Stack’s Barbeque at the Freight House was classy, featuring a cozy fireplace, gooey baked beans, cheesy corn bake, lamb ribs, and a chicken kabob with cheese; this was a perfect way to spend a stormy afternoon.

Trail Three: Missouri Wine Country—Before Prohibition, Missouri was second only to California in wine production.   They have gradually restored their industry and, if our opinion means anything, have something good going on.  We investigated two different wine regions:

• Route du Vin—Vance Winery (not quite on the route, but close enough for this purpose), Sand Creek Vineyard, and Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery made the day’s cut.  Tasty new grapes we discovered: Vignoles, Chambourcin, and Norton.
• Hermann Wine Trail—We visited Oak Glenn Winery, Stone Hill Winery, and Adam Puchta Winery.  After our tastings, we decided that Missouri is definitely worth a summer’s vacation, replete with meandering rivers, delicious barbeque, and drinkable wines.

Well, we’re almost at the end of our road trip, but not our journey.  Our next entry features…a BLIZZARD!

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