A&R Bar-B-Q is approaching its 40th birthday, one of a handful of barbecue restaurants in the middle-age range that also includes Interstate Bar-B-Q, The Bar-B-Q Shop and Payne’s (roughly 10 years older than the others).

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So they know what they’re doing.

Andrew and Rose Pollard opened A&R on Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1983 as a fast-food place, and later added a dining room. Later still, in 2001, they opened the Hickory Hill location. That’s where I ate this week and because of COVID, it’s takeout only. There’s a dining room there, and no doubt, in better times you’ll be able to dine in again.

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On the Friday of Memphis Black Restaurant Week, A&R was crowded at lunch as people were waiting for takeout orders. I placed my order and waited over 20 minutes to get out the door, but that wasn’t unreasonable given the crowd. Folks who called orders in were moving through more quickly.

Cynthia Daniels, the organizer of Memphis Black Restaurant Week, in its sixth year, says the participating restaurants have been packed all week.

“This is truly the biggest year for us so far,” she said. “People are running out of food, in a good way. They can only have so much food on hand and they’re running out an hour or two before closing and having to restock for the next day.

“And people are driving all over the city to try new places. You have people from Cordova driving to Whitehaven, and while it was a big week for takeout, a lot of people have wanted to dine in, to get that restaurant experience, too.”

At The Daily Memphian, we’ve reviewed a restaurant a day; this is the last as the week ends today. 

Daniels has eaten at old favorites and new places this week.

Cynthia Daniels talks Memphis Black Restaurant Week

“I’ve gone to as many places as I could,” she said. “I went to Big Momma’s and Granny’s and got all kinds of things, because it’s in Bartlett and I don’t get out there very much. The shrimp and grits is like a work of art. It’s amazing.

“I went to Uncle Lou’s. You can’t go wrong with Uncle Lou’s chicken. I went to Evelyn & Olive, where they could hardly keep up with oxtail orders and people were waiting to get in, to Bones & Yams, where there was a line out the door. It’s been a great week.”

Final numbers aren’t in and might not be for another week or so, but the week, as always, is a boost for Black restaurateurs and this year, after an unprecedented tough time through COVID, it’s been especially welcomed.

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“One person got very emotional and told me they were wondering how to stay open, because they were doing less than $100 a day,” Daniels said. “But this week, they were up around $2,000 a day, so this could’ve saved the business.”

Back to A&R: Don’t miss the barbecue baked beans, which I almost did because I saw fried okra and automatically ordered that. It was fine, though a standard deep-fried nugget. The beans, though — mmm-mmm. They were slightly sweet, which I like, but note the emphasis on slightly. They were meaty, a little smoky, dark from a low and slow cooking that makes as much of a difference with beans as it does with shoulder.

The sandwich was generous, served with slaw and mild sauce that was a tad too sweet for me, but I’m hesitant to order hot sauce when I’m told the hot is actually hot (lesson learned, Cozy Corner, lesson learned). I asked for hot on the side, but got an extra helping of mild.

The ribs might’ve been cooked a bit too quickly, probably to keep up with demand, but had a good flavor. Beef tamales were Memphis style. These are more like a Delta-style tamale than Hispanic ones, but they are distinctly different from either.

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Hispanic-style (there are many countries and many tamales) are almost always made with masa. While it’s most common to wrap them in corn husks, banana and plantain leaves are also often used. They’re usually steamed and generally, there’s much more masa than filling.

Delta-style tamales are wrapped in corn husks, are traditionally made with a spicy beef filling (though you see turkey, chicken, pork, even wild game), and cook in a bubbling, spicy, tomato-y bath. They’re sometimes made with masa, but often with corn meal, just like you’d buy to make corn bread. Sauce is often served on the side.

Memphis tamales differ in that they’re wrapped in tamale papers (same in New Orleans, by the way) instead of corn husks. They’re also simmered in a sauce to cook, and the papers allow more absorption. You end up with a tamale that tastes more like its sauce than the meat, and it’s softer and wetter than the Delta tamale. All are delicious; your palate determines your preference.

The women working the counter were friendly and warm and kept the crowd moving despite the rush of lunch hour.

“A lot of people have used delivery services, which makes it easier,” Daniels said. “Even though dining rooms have been busy, I think the real reason this was such a big year is because of the takeout, delivery and curbside.”

A&R Bar-B-Q, 3721 Hickory Hill (901-354-9777), is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and on Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.