A few weeks ago, the Commercial Appeal held a contest for the Great Memphis Sandwich Showdown. Elwood Shack’s Debris Po’boy Sandwich bested 31 sandwiches from well-known eateries in the Memphis area. Paul and I left the Parkways via Sam Cooper Boulevard last Saturday for lunch to find out what the fuss was about.
The menu at Elwood’s Shack in East Memphis (enter from Lowe’s Parking lot) is large and overwhelming and you won’t find the Debris Po’boy on it. Don’t panic. The KING of sandwiches is listed on a specials board next to the cash register. We knew that one of us would be ordering the Debris Po’boy but also wanted to try some other items on the menu. We saw many great sandwiches, pizzas and tacos coming out of the kitchen. After the Po’boy, we ordered a Spicy Italian Sub, the Maytag Bleu Cheese and Jalapeño Cole Slaw and the Tater Salad.
We found no reason to question the supremacy of the Debris Po’boy. Everything was right in the world during the minutes it took to eat this juicy roast beef sandwich. Nothing else mattered.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The cured meats in the Spicy Italian sandwich were delicious but no match for the Debris Po’boy. We ate each half of the entire Po’boy and nibbled on the Spicy Italian. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lesson learned. Save your calories for the Debris Po’boy. One sandwich really can feed two people.
We really liked the spicy jalapeño peppers and sharp, creamy bleu cheese in the Cole slaw (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2). The mayonnaise to mustard ratio made a delicious Tater Salad. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
