1445 Jackson Avenue
Memphis, TN
(901) 278-9086
I have recently learned a valuable lesson about expectations and reviewing anything based off of them. As a food blogger, it's hard not to and I believe we all do at times in our experiences. With that said, I was invited back to Alex's Tavern by the owner, Rocky, himself to prove to me that he does indeed have some of the best wings and burgers in town. I cannot be any happier that he did this. Make no mistake about my initial review, however. I still really enjoyed their wings and burger my first time around even though it wasn't a jaw-dropping experience. I knew I would be back again for more. Because I did come back with the invitation, I will now become a regular at Alex's.
Rocky holds his business and menu close to his heart. He places his customers even closer. When I went there the first time, I was the only one in the establishment and Rocky was off that evening. When I went back recently upon my invitation, I met up with three friends for lunch and the master griller was there to cook for us. He started us off with a rack of ribs that turned out to be some of the best I have had in the city of Memphis. I've heard that Rocky can smoke ribs with the best of them and that became apparent to me upon the first baby back. I was taken back by the tenderness and flavor and chuckled at the fact that so many other places try to make ribs this good but can't, even with the whole 9 yards: a much larger kitchen, staff, etc. 9 yards of space is all Rocky has to smoke these wonderful ribs and it just goes to show that it's all anyone truly needs. We then placed our wing orders but mine was already suggested by Rocky. He was determined to burn my mouth.
The plates of wings came out shortly after. One friend got the double dipped, another got the Greek while the third dug in a plate of regular sauced wings. Mine were made special with a mixture of his regular wing sauce and a habanero sauce Rocky busts out for guys like me. I went in for the kill and after 4 drummies, I had a little sweat building up. The sauce might not have been super hot but it was hot enough to burn, yet not hot enough to kill the flavor. Even the seasoning was evident in the taste which was fantastic. I enjoyed my first plate of wings months ago but I REALLY enjoyed these this time around. Maybe it was the TLC Rocky gave them. I soon realized why people love these wings at Alex's because it goes a lot deeper than a simple hot wing. The entire staff is as nice and personal as they could possibly be. After we were done, we drove back to our work places happy men. I already couldn't wait to go back.
I told my girlfriend about the new experience and 24 hours later, I had her sitting at the bar at Alex's next to me. Although Rocky wasn't there, I ordered a Greek burger and she ordered a plate of regular hot wings. Even with another cook, they again came out great. The burger really hit the spot this time. It was super tender and melted in my mouth; an effortless, tasty endeavor. Because of this taste and hospitality, we decided to have our post-Wing Fest party at Alex's which resulted in about a dozen of our friends enjoying wings and burgers directly after Southern Hot Wing Fest. I was able to witness Rocky's method to the burger and wings madness that night in his kitchen which made the two taste even better. The man really knows what he's doing back there but more importantly, the man knows how to love and if one person I have ever met in this city shows the true love and pride our city has to offer, it is Rocky Kasaftes.
