It's a month of opposites. It starts off cool and often wet as it is right now, to end hot and steamy as the beginning of summer races in on Memorial Day. It's National Hamburger Month AND National Salad Month. It's Foster Care Month AND Older Americans Month. Maybe that explains with it's National Blood Pressure Month.
But it's also is National BBQ Month. Yum! Next to pizza it's one of my favorite foods yet my home town is seriously devoid in great BBQ. What is it about Madison, WI that great barbecue restaurants never last? Maybe I should clarify that slightly. Why is it great BBQ restaurants never last on the West Side of Madison, close to my house?
The Capital seems to be the great divide. On the East Side there is Smoky Jon's , a favorite hole in the wall, mainly carryout, near the airport. It's well worth the trip but yet I rarely make it. There are also the chains like Fat Jack's. Downtown there is Brickhouse BBQ, a chain as well and fine, not great but it's more of a campus bar. There's a Famous Dave's on Park St and it's fine too.
Here on the West Side a number of BBQ establishments have tried and all eventually failed as today there are none.
-sigh-
The Best BBQ I ever had...
was in Memphis at The Rendezvous. Amazing ribs, so tender, so moist, I can see them flaking off the bone. [Damn, I'm drooling on my new laptop!] I am told that when Bill Cosby was doing his tv show he would fly in their ribs once a week for cast and crew. That the Rolling Stones would request their ribs when performing within the area. The Rendezvous even does mail order. Packed in dry ice they are flown overnight to wherever you want, but at $99 for 2 racks of ribs I'll have to wait a bit more. Maybe when I get rich and famous I'll fly some in for a book party. I just have to sell more than a dozen copies first.
What was your favorite BBQ ever?
Beside BBQ there's a lot happening in May. Here's a few of my favorites:
1 Mother Goose Day
3 Lumpy Rug Day
4 International Tuba Day and National Candied Orange Peel Day
6 No Diet Day (here we come Gigi's Cupcakes!)
8 No Socks Day (I'll really looking forward to this day because it must be pretty wild because the next day is...)
9 Lost Sock Memorial Day
11 Eat What You Want Day (here we come Gigi's Cupcakes!)
12 Limerick Day (dedicated to that talented Lady from Nantucket)
15 National Chocolate Chip Day (here we come Gigi's Cupcakes!)
16 National Sea Monkey Day (
20 Be a Millionaire Day
23 Lucky Penny Day (maybe that's how you get to be a millionaire?)
27 Sun Screen Day (I hear the parade is fascinating)
29 Learn About Composting Day (the jokes here are all too obvious)
31 National Macaroon Day (here we come Gigi's Cupcakes!)
Now you'd better run away because I feel like SINGING >>>>>>
Tra la! It's May
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when everyone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!
It's May! It's May!
That gorgeous holiday
When ev'ry maiden prays that her lad
Will be a cad!
It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!
(from The Lusty Month of May from Camelot)
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