It's been ages since I enjoyed a pulled-pork barbecue sandwich while both of my feet tapped to a rhythm-and-blues tune. I was at Henry's Memphis BBQ, across the street from the lower level of Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke, and I felt blessed to be eating my way through one of the most perfect pork barbecue sandwiches ever created: A downy-soft bun stuffed with sweet, lean and lightly smoked pulled pork, topped with a bit of vinegary and sweet chow-chow slaw and finished with a shot of Henry's special mild sauce. It was so good, I almost forgot to make mental notes. I returned the next day and the next, four days in a row, until I could write clearly about Henry's Memphis BBQ.

A little history

When Henry Caldwell arrived in Roanoke from Memphis in 1992, he immediately realized the area needed real Memphis barbecue. But the key was finding the right place for it. A vacant gas station just off Brandon Road turned out to be the perfect space. Caldwell transformed it into his no-frills barbecue joint in 2005, and he plans to open another restaurant in Salem next year.

Caldwell has just the right lineage for this calling. In the early 1980s, he was a member of the Rolling Wonder Pigs team, which placed third in a Memphis barbecue competition. In traditional Memphis fashion, Caldwell smokes his pork shoulders over smoldering hickory and charcoal for hours. He serves the meat pulled or chopped, but it never sits in sauce.

The sauce

Henry's sauce is Memphis-style, a tomato-based potion containing balanced levels of ingredients and seasonings. This mild red sauce contrasts with the hot mustard sauce from South Carolina and the spicy vinegar-pepper sauce of eastern North Carolina, both of which are available at Henry's on request.

The menu

Choices at Henry's are extensive and include regular and jumbo sandwiches, platters served with two sides and bread, plus desserts.

Pulled-pork sandwiches containing an almost equal quantity of crusty and soft meat head the list of my favorites, but there are also smoked chicken and turkey sandwiches as well as smoked bologna on Texas toast.

The meats are served not only on rolls but also on home-fried nachos with jalapenos or with a salad in a fried tortilla bowl.

I can't argue the virtues of wet versus dry ribs because I didn't have any, but I saw plenty of business-suited folks devouring them during the weekday lunch hour.

The sides

Count me in as a fan of barbecue spaghetti, which is simply spaghetti with barbecue sauce. Served either as a side dish or platter, it's always (correctly) overcooked pasta drenched in Henry's flavorful sauce.

Other side dishes include a soupy potato salad (made with mayonnaise and barbecue sauce), wonderful hand-cut french fries and barbecue beans doused with Henry's sauce.

The service

This is a semi-self-service joint, and that's the way it should be.

Place your order and pay at the counter, get a beverage and find a table (you may have to whisk away bits of food from previous patrons, as I did). Don't forget to pick up your napkin-wrapped utensils near the coffee station.

Before you know it, the server is right there with your order. When you're finished, throw away your trash (but not the flatware or serving basket).

Not to be picky ...

Henry's Memphis BBQ is a civilized joint, even though the sauce bottles are sticky.

The paper towels serve you well for cleaning the table and rubbing spots off of the flatware. My hackles fired up when I saw red handprints on our table's roll, and when I mentioned this to Caldwell, he assured me it wouldn't happen again.

But I can neither understand nor forgive the hard, stale sandwich roll stuffed with only shards of end pieces they served me on my last visit. I do enjoy some of the chewy end pieces, but only if they're mixed with an equal quantity of soft meat.

The bottom line

Henry's Memphis BBQ's food is tasty and prepared the way it should be. The homemade pecan pie is rich, but the prices aren't -- bet on an under-$10 lunch. It's a place I'll take visitors to and recommend to colleagues traveling through the area.

HENRY'S MEMPHIS BBQ

Rating: HHH

Menu: Typical Memphis barbecue

Where: 677 Brandon Ave., Roanoke (across from Towers Shopping Center)

Prices: $2.99-$18.99

Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Soda products: Coca-Cola

Alcohol? No

Plastic? All major credit cards except Discover

Smoking? No (Their motto: "We smoke, so you don't have to!")

Takeout? Yes

Delivery? Catering only

Reservations? No

Outdoor/patio seating? Yes

Wireless Internet? No

Kids menu? Yes

Live music? No

Handicapped accessibility: The Blue Ridge Independent Living Center has determined that this restaurant is not accessible based on the Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal for existing facilities.

Call: 904-2727

Fax: 904-2728

'Net: www.henrysmemphisbbq.com

WHAT THE STARS MEAN

HHHHH Excellent. A one-of-a-kind experience.

HHHH Very good. Memorable menus accompanied by exciting environs and/or savvy service.

HHH Good. Solid places that beckon with generally appealing cooking.

HH Just OK. A place not worth rushing back to. But, it might have something worth recommending: A view, a single dish, friendly service, lively scene.

H Poor. Don't waste your money here.