Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken: Just get on the bus, Gus!

A couple of weeks ago I received a call from a friend. He popped the question. I said yes.

"Want to go hunting?"

What did you think I was going to say? Knowing him, he wasn't talking about nature or creepy crawly slithering things. He was talking about heading to Kentucky for the day to track down an elusive bottle of bourbon to add to his collection and I, like any supportive friend, was all in. No hesitation. That's how we roll.

As we made tentative plans for the following day, I pointed out one important detail: Sunday hours. Ugh. The places he wanted to visit were closed on Sunday. Luckily, he was still up for a little day trippin' and mentioned he has always wanted to try Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis, Tennessee.

World famous? I had never heard of Gus's so I did what I do best — a little internet sleuthing. It did not take many clicks of the mouse to discover some of my friends love it so much they probably would have easily accepted Robert Redford's "Indecent Proposal" if it had included a bucket of Gus's chicken. Heck, some of them are divorced and in hindsight they probably would have accepted the proposal for just the bucket of chicken. In fact, one NBA powerhouse even provided their players with a post game meal of Gus's chicken. Give the person responsible for that a raise. Gus's has 31 locations in 14 states and the closest one to Cape Girardeau is located in St. Louis. It appears I have been living under a rock because I knew nothing about it.

Who knew a green tomato could taste so good?Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

A spontaneous road trip to eat world famous fried chicken I had never heard of? Every other responsible thing I had planned for Sunday was put on the back burner. The next morning we hit the open road with a tank full of gas, our cellphone chargers, and a couple of energy drinks. We were armed and ready to hunt down some Gus's chicken.

We arrived at the downtown location a quick 2 1/2 hours later, checked in and joined the various groups of people patiently waiting outside. I glanced at some of the license plates and overheard conversations going on around us. People had come from far and wide to partake in this experience and, though we never uttered a word, I felt a sense of camaraderie on our mission.

We eventually received a text letting us know our table was ready. We were met with a small dimly lit dining area complete with fluorescent signage and a jukebox in the corner. There was limited seating, and it appeared the tables were socially distanced. Our server quickly provided us with menus, took our drink orders and returned to take our food order. We ordered fried green tomatoes as our appetizer and I decided on the two-piece dark meat plate with greens and mac and cheese as my sides. Although the workers appeared to be in constant motion, the patrons seemed relaxed and glad to be there.

Gus's World Famous Chicken located at 310 Front Street in Downtown Memphis, an excellent location for exploring the city on a Sunday afternoon.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Our fried green tomato appetizer arrived first with a side of ranch dressing. Have you ever bitten into something and felt like you burned off your taste buds? That is exactly what I did. I know better than to bite into anything just out of the fryer, but I had no patience. Southerners have it right — just fry up everything. Those fried tomatoes were a delicacy I plan to have again, though next time I may let them cool ... probably not.

The sides were great, but I will cut to the chase. (I love throwing that in after I've already been verbose). The chicken was everything I was promised. It was crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, and it had a spiciness that added heat that quickly dissipated. How did they do that? We will never know because the recipe for their seasonings has been a secret since 1953. Who am I kidding? I don't want the recipe -- I would much rather enjoy the company of a great friend on the open road while letting the experts do the cooking. My only regret was being too full to try the coconut pie and not taking a bucket of chicken to go. I could have eaten so much more.

For the record, my friend said my company is better than any audiobook or podcast. Maybe one day I will be as famous as Gus's Chicken?