The Beale Street Music Festival just announced its lineup a few day ago, so we figure this is as good a time as any to call attention to our recently revised and updated list of Memphis's best restaurants. With only two months until Memphis in May, it's important to start thinking about your eating itinerary while in town. After all, one cannot live off corn dogs, funnel cake and other festival foodstuffs alone. Restaurants new to our Memphis Top 100 include The Brass Door, Cafe 1912, Fuel Cafe, Hog & Hominy, Local Gastropub, and Rizzo's Diner. We've also added a handful of local favorites: Aldo's Pizza Pies, DeJavu, Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant, Sakura Japanese, Sekisui, The Slider Inn, Stone Soup Cafe & Market, and Tom's Bar-B-Q. 

Post list-creation, I stopped through Memphis on a 20-hour whirlwind trip the weekend before last. The reason for the visit was attending the swan song of beloved (yet dilapidated) Midtown music venue, the Hi-Tone. As per usual, my real motive remained cramming in as much food tourism as possible during my brief stay. My travelling companion and I squeezed in a couple Memphis classics around the concert. Upon arriving in Memphis we wasted no time at all, driving directly The Bar-B-Q Shop. This Midtown institution, which lays claim as "The Home of the Dancing Pigs," gets an A+ for exterior and signage alone, with cute window drawings of the aforementioned upright swine tango-ing. But kitsch value aside, the barbecue is the star of the show here and no secret among Midtowners - even at 3:30 in the afternoon, most tables in the joint were occupied. Their signature barbecue spaghetti is well worth a try (order it as a side if you don't want to commit all the way), as are their excellent chopped or pulled pork sandwiches on buttery Texas toast. This time around, I went ribs - there's no better city on the planet for ribs, so when in Rome ... Unable to resist the option which let me try a little of both, I opted for a half-wet/half-dry rack. The wet ribs were solid, but the dry were in a class of their own, heavily seasoned and not needing an ounce of sauce for additional flavor. 

I'd gladly eat barbecue consecutive meals while in Memphis and have accomplished just that on previous occasions, but this time around we visited our favorite Memphis seafood spot, Half Shell in East Memphis (there's a Winchester location as well). It may not be the type of restaurant to make a New York Times 36-hours piece or other lists of the city's trendiest restaurants, but Half Shell truly is where the locals eat. Thematically, Half Shell's decor is some bizarre hybrid of tropical tiki bar, Mardi Gras, and cozy, wood-paneled lodge. When it comes to the food, they excel with fresh seafood and some of the best Cajun cuisine I've had outside New Orleans. Their etouffee (often a risky order outside Louisiana) did not disappoint, with an impressive depth of flavor. The fried oyster po' boy was exemplary as well, with a substantial French roll that held together nicely and sizeable fried oysters. Alas, there was no more time for eating adventures. Finishing at the Half Shell, which I might also mention has great access to I-240, was a wonderful way to conclude the stay. 

Almost every great barbecue joint comes with a great origin story. There's usually a secret technique or recipe transcribed in an ancient rural dialect and handed down by a grizzled great uncle who never slept for tending the pit. McClard's Bar-B-Q in Hot Springs, AR proves to be no exception. A hotbed of illegal gambling in the late 19th century and a favorite hangout of Al Capone and other gangsters in the '30s and '40s, Hot Springs was not a place unfamiliar with shady deals and unorthodox business transactions. Though the origins of McClard's were by no means criminal, they were certainly unusual. Alex and Gladys McClard weren't in the food business at the time. Rather, they ran a small hotel near Hot Springs National Park. As the story goes, a traveler who was unable to pay the $10 for his two-month stay offered the McClards alternative compensation: a recipe for the "the world's greatest barbecue sauce." The rest is history. They transformed the hotel into a barbecue restaurant in 1928 - goat was the centerpiece of the menu - and moved to their current location in 1942. While passing through Hot Springs on scenic highway 7, I couldn't resist stopping in for some of their legendary barbecue.

A full parking lot at 11 am on a Friday afternoon came as no surprise. As my dining companions and I entered what was likely the incorrect door, we were greeted by all sorts of Clinton-related paraphernalia - Bill and Hillary always made it a point to stop in McClard's when in the area (that is, before Slick Willy surprised us all by going vegan). The bustling restaurant had no available tables, and we definitely drew a few "y'all ain't from around here, are ya?" looks as we stood awkwardly, attempting to decipher the seating system, which is somewhat non-existent. Turnover is pretty quick at McClard's, so it wasn't before long until our party of five was seated in a huge booth, after a friendly elderly couple offered to give up their sizeable table and sit at a smaller one (Arkansas friendliness is a special thing).  

As for the barbecue, the menu offered a wide variety of options, from ribs and sandwiches to pork and beef, both available chopped and sliced. I've long held that Arkansas is somewhat of a barbecue no-man's-land. It's not far from Memphis where pork is king, and it shares a border with Texas, where the cow dominates the 'cue scene. Even St. Louis is only a few hours away. This might explain why I grew up eating soiee-moiee sandwiches -- that's both pork and beef bbq on the same bun --at a barbecue restaurant in my grandparents' home town in Northwest Arkansas, but I digress. We decided to try a little of everything and were not disappointed with the results. I opted for the rib and fry plate, which is about what it sounds like: a pound of ribs absolutely covered in French fries. I eventually needed an additional plate to pile fries upon just so I could get to the ribs unimpeded. Generally, I'd prefer a dry rub, but since the sauce is the specialty at McClard's (the recipe currently resides in a safety deposit box elsewhere) I opted for sauce on the ribs. This was not a regrettable decision: the thin, peppery vinegar sauce with a touch of sweetness and a late spicy kick absolutely lived up to the hype. As for the ribs themselves, they were heavily seasoned, tender and quite meaty, albeit slightly fatty - not that I'm complaining about this. 

Perhaps the most unique item available at McClard's however, is the Tamale Spread. This monstrous creation consists of two open-faced tamales covered with Fritos, beans, chopped beef bbq, and a ton of cheese and onions. Somewhat akin to a Frito pie, but from a barbecue angle, it carries an intense combinations of flavors. Strange as it may sound, it's an absolute must try at McClard's. 

As we staggered back to the car after our heavy meal -- with "lard" in the title, we weren't expecting a light lunch -- I couldn't help being impressed and relieved that a place with such a colorful history and reputation was keeping the quality at such a high level. Some spots coast on their name and know they'll draw enough tourists so that it doesn't matter. But as is often the case with barbecue, it's a matter of pride. And shortcuts are not taken by the country's best pitmasters. For further reading, take a look at our selection of the country's 20 best barbecue restaurants. 

Despite the overwhelming dominance of shameless plugs, humblebrags and baffling tweetspeak that only 12-16 year-olds understand, Twitter still hosts an abundance of relevant, useful and humorous food and restaurant related content. Here's a handful of this week's best tweets. Speaking of self-promotion, feel free to follow us @LocalEaters. 

Sarah J. Gim (@the delicious): "New kitchen has two ovens. it's like theyre mocking my inability to bake." Sort of a first world problem, but we've all felt like our kitchen appliances are taunting us at one time or another.

Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) live tweeted the Oscars: "The mac & cheese commercial with Seymour Cassell is the best movie of the year so far." No argument here. Watch it.

Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern): The host of Bizarre Foods tweeted drool-worthy photos of not-entirely-bizarre foods at one our favorite Memphis restaurants, The Bar-B-Q Shop. "BBQ bologna cheese sausage peppers saltines at BBQ Shop. http://twitpic.com/8sku70"

Kyle Kinane (@kylekinane): On yipster dining habits: "Hipsters are the new yuppies then, right? 'Hot new' music sounds like Phil Collins and everyone wants to go to vegan fusion restaurants."

Sam Sifton (@SamSifton): The NY Times editor mourns his favorite rapper with some choice food-related lyrics. "RIP Biggie: 'Come to spread the butter lyrics over hominy grits.' "  Another user's follow up is worth noting: "that was method man though, old white guy." Close enough … Biggie's name is still on the song (and he clearly was no stranger to butter).

Anthony Bourdain (@noreservations) weighs in on the Olive Garden review that went viral. "Very much enjoying watching Internet sensation Marilyn Hagerty triumph over the snarkologists (myself included)." We laughed and rolled our eyes. We reconsidered when we realized everyone reacted the same way. We now have her back. An emotionally taxing day on the interwebs. 

Lucky Peach (@LuckyPeach): "I think I just got criticized by a fortune cookie. http://t.co/C1uy8tCY" It bodes better than the dreaded empty fortune cookie.

Scotty L. (@MarylandMudflap): "I'm lookin for capitalists to invest in a new restaurant! No 'menu' yet, but every night I'm gonna fall down stairs with a full tea service." This would be the first legitimately entertaining dinner theater in the world. 

Tim Siedell (@badbanana): On the lack of advancement in breakfast innovation: "We have enough breakfast items for the toaster now, food scientists. Move on to the car heater vent." 

Professional photographers, we are not. But when it's not too gauche, we occasionally snap a picture of some of our favorite dishes when we're out and about in the restaurant world. Here are some of the best things we ingested in 2011. Forgive our photography skills (or lack thereof): We were probably hungry.

Whole fried tilapia from Dave's Seafood Carry-Out (Charleston, SC)	Banana-Nutella Crepe from The Perch (Nashville, TN)
Harris Crab House (North Grasonville, MD)	Pulled pork sandwich from Central BBQ (Memphis, TN)
Lobster Roll from Lobster Landing (Clinton, CT)
Berkshire Pork Rack from Currant (San Diego, CA)	Ramen from Ippudo (New York, NY)
Gospel Creole from Papa Boudreaux's (Franklin, TN)
Ribs from 12 Bones Smokehouse (Asheville, NC)	14-Layer Caramel Cake from Hank's Outback (Pawley's Island, SC)
Chicago-style hot dog from Hot Doug's (Chicago, IL)
Salmon sampler from Kiriko (Los Angeles, CA)
Great NY Noodletown (New York, NY)
Voodoo Doughnut (Portland, OR)	Jerk chicken from Riffs Fine Street Food (Nashville, TN)
Famous Ferdi Special po' boy at Mother's (New Orleans, LA)

Grub Street New York explores the recent phenomenon of chefs starting with a casual dining concept before expanding with one or more upscale dining establishments. This stands in contrast to the more common path of upscale dining restaurants franchising their brand into numerous more accessible spots. David Chang's Momofuku empire is the poster child for the new model.

The Huffington Post lists 7 Hot Boozy Drinks for Cold Weather Sipping. There is nothing quite like a hot pot of Glogg at a holiday party. Just be forewarned that your friends might be strewn about your floors in the morning. And Glogg tends to stain carpets and clothing.

I was too busy stuffing my gullet with tacos on my birthday to notice that it was actually National Sandwich Day, so sayeth Serious Eats anyway, with a list of 31 Sandwiches [They] Love in America.  Sandwiches on the list include ...

The Tipsy Texan from Franklin Barbecue (Austin)

The Paesano at Paesano's (Philadelphia)

The Cuban Roast Pork at Paseo (Seattle)

The Reuben from Jake's Delicatessen (Milwaukee)

Chopped Pork Sandwiches from Payne's Bar-B-Q (Memphis)

The Muffaletta from Cochon Butcher (New Orleans)

On a personal note, I'd eat just about anything presented to me at Cochon (or their butcher shop) in New Orleans. From braised pig cheek to head cheese and a surprisingly fantastic housemade bologna (the boucherie plate is a must), curiosity always pays off with the offbeat swine-centric menu.