Derail Your Train at RP Tracks

Tracks, son

In the years from 2003 to 2007, the University of Memphis and its surrounding neighborhood harbored what would prove to be, in my opinion, some of the most restless and unruly students that Walker Avenue and the surrounding area had seen to date.  Being young and impressionable, I somehow found myself running with these crazy creeps, walking around the Highland strip like the Greenstreet Hooligans.  My Tiger comrades and brothers-in-arms and I would usually convene at one of our favorite rally points: RP Tracks.  RP Tracks, or simply Tracks as we called it, was always bustling with blue and gray, no matter the day or time. 


In keeping late-night hours and being opened 7 days a week, Tracks pigeonholed itself into being the spot for hungry (or in my case, thirsty) dipwads campus wide.  More nights then not, Tiger students and fans alike would share pitchers of beer and gigantic burritos while watching our boys hoop like heroes on one of their TVs.  If a game wasn't on, then I would embarrass myself at the pool table or dartboard.  And, having lived near campus most of my collegiate career, I was almost always within walking distance.  Ah, yes..... if college is Neverland, then RP Tracks is the Lost Boys treehouse.  So, one could imagine my bewilderment in discovering as of late how many Memphians, new and old alike, aren't privy to such a fine establishment.  


RP Tracks is easy enough to overlook if you aren't on campus or in the campus area.  However I, being the studious little scamp that I am, continue in my education at the U of M, and have been finding myself pleased....nay... genuinely and nostalgically ecstatic to "rediscover" some of these gems surrounding the campus.  Per my suggestion, I took a newer-to-Memphis cohort of mine to RP Tracks.  Let me tell ya something, when you take a young man into a place like RP Tracks on a lazy Saturday, you will come out with luminary status. duh.  Every 20 to 30 something man (and some women) has the recessive Peter Pan genome, and Tracks, my friend, is where Peter would get his smack fix.


Not much has changed in the years since I last graced the small bar and grill by the railroad track.  If anything, I would venture to say they have actually improved on what was already a great thing (if you overlook the fact they no longer have a dart board.. they needed room for an additional pool table).  I was like a kid in a candy store: the jukebox went digital, they added more flat screen TVs, the menu got larger, and they still kept their "Golden Oldies".


Please let me elaborate on what I consider their "Golden Oldies":


Bar-B-Que Tofu: Don't you turn your nose up at this, little boy, because this shiz is the jam.  They are famous for it.  I swear that I ate a bbq tofu burrito at least  once a week in college.  They do a wonderful job at not overcooking the stuff (which is super easy to do), and the sauce is their own: very sweet with a nice kick.  It pairs very nicely with a pitcher of Killian's. 


Lots of Stuff Appetizer: I had a roommate in college who would literally order this as her meal every single time we would go here.  Chicken Fingers, fried mozzarella, onion rings, and steak fries make up this Tracks classic, and the only thing better than being fried to perfection is the dipping sauces that come with the thing.  In fact, most appetizers at Tracks come with a choice of dipping sauces, including ranch, bleu cheese, honey mustard, bbq sauce, horseradish sauce, marinara, cajun mayo, and the mysterious "hot stuff".
 
Veggie Options: Because let's face it: colleges are LOADED with hippies, and those d!psh!ts need to eat, too.  The spinach, grilled portabella, and feta cheese quesadilla is actually an old stand-by of mine.  I must admit, RP Tracks is a meat-lover's paradise, but for every loser crying over dead cow, there's a spot in a comfy booth and a hummus-loaded pita or a veggie burger waiting on the nerd at RP Tracks.


Train Shooters: This one is for the regulars or those in-the-know.  They have a whole damn menu of shooters that are discounted when a  train rolls by (and that is super often).  The staff that Saturday was not only obliging when I asked about the old train shooters, but they joined us in the libations as well.  I believe I had a "Bloody Brain" and a "Mind Eraser".  Both.. uh.. did their job.


Now a pleasant surprise and new addition to the already great RP Tracks is a Brunch Menu.  Yes, Sunday Funday partakers, things just got weird on Walker Ave.  With $3.50 mimosas and $4 Bloody Marys, things could potentially get out of hand on God's day.  Served on Saturdays as well as Sundays, weekend warriors get the option of the regular menu or the brunch menu, which boasts brunch classics like Eggs Benedict and omelets, as well as pigs in a blanket and a huge selection of breakfast burritos.  This is a far cry from your average stuffy brunch: no piano players, no khakis and button-downs, and best of all, not a child to be seen. 


While I studied journalism and not rocket science, I am still certain that a place like RP Tracks stays overlooked by too many people.  I am shocked the such a diamond in the rough isn't still filled to the brim on a game day (or any day for that matter). So should you wake up with that wild hair still lodged up your derriere, crawl over to RP Tracks (http://rptracks.com/index.php) on Walker Ave and roar like a true blue Tiger.


-Stephanie

JT is a Tiger

Soapbox Post Script:  Perhaps Memphians need to be reminded that the University of Memphis has upgraded to the Big East conference, has 23 football scholarships and a new coach for next season, and has  teams like the women's soccer team that have won 5 consecutive conference titles.  In a city where people constantly bitch and moan about having nothing to do, why not make an effort to be a goodwill ambassador for this city and be a fan for a school on the brink.  Why?  Because local support means a helluva lot to recruits.  What a-hole wants to play for a school when the city turns their collective nose up to their own university?  I wouldn't.  And what do better recruits mean?  Better teams, dummy.  And what do better teams mean?  Bowl games.  And what do bowl games mean?  More money.  Get the picture?  Sure, I know SEC reigns supreme in the south, but why not dump all of this Tiger basketball bandwagon bullshiz and get behind your local university... It's an easy way to get behind your city.  Go to some home games, wear some blue, or at east head down to RP Tracks and root for your home team.