Good competition for the other barbeque joints in town
As a Birmingham native, I was happy to see a Jim'N'Nick's BBQ open in the Memphis area. They've been serving up their style of 'cue down there for over a decade.

This restaurant carries on the style of the Birmingham area locations, right down to the pictures on the wall.

The barbecue is good and tender and the sauce is lightly spicy. A great recent addition to tables is containers of extra sauce for those of us who like it "extra wet". There's also a habañero hot barbecue sauce that is a must try if you're into fire-tinged tongues.

The beef brisket is good and tender and very beefy-tasting, if that's your thing. The St. Louis-style spare ribs I've tried have been a little on the tough and chewy side, but the baby backs were among the best web ribs I've had anywhere (which is a surprise, because I never really liked their ribs "back home" in Birmingham.)

The potato salad here is quite good, as are the baked beans, which are slightly spicy and meaty.

I must confess though, my favorite entree isn't actually an entree - it's the nachos. Now, don't be fooled by the reasonable price ($9) and their listing under appetizers. This is a meal all its own.

Light and crispy nacho chips are smothered with chicken or pork (get the pork!), then topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, a ranch-type dressing, barbecue sauce and jalapeños. HOT jalapeños, at that. It's a little quirky slice of BBQ heaven in my opinion.

Where this location seems to differ from the others, disappointingly, is the sweet tea. Here it is somewhat sweet, with inconsistent refills and regular-sized glasses. In Birmingham the sweet tea will take the top of your head off, which is good against the sweet sauce on the meats. Back home it's served in big, tall tumblers and always fresh-made tasting. Perhaps this chain is trying to placate the tastes of the Memphis clientele, who prefer weak tea if my other experiences are any indication.

A second, lesser complaint is that on my last excursion (4th of July), they were out of ribs. Me and my dining companion both had our hearts set on their ribs, and drove 100 miles to get them... I understand their approach to freshness (they smoke their meats for 14 hours according to our waitress that day) but c'mon - this was the 4th of July!

To conclude, don't let the fact that this is a chain stop you from trying it. It may not become your favorite joint, but it will not disappoint.    [09 Jul 2007 14:44:57]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Kitchen Sink Nachos w/ pork, baby back ribs, cheese biscuits and potato salad

     ­Tom Servo, ChefMoz editor - MS: Grenada