Country Breakfast and Soul food in Jackson Mississippi:Collins Dream Kitchen,Bo-Don's etc

I LOVE the Deep South.Living in Austin Texas has it's charms but ultimately I miss the charm of southern living-the genteel atmosphere and delicious country cooking are missing out here in the American West.
I'm travelling soon and will be enjoying a couple nice meals in Jackson and need some guidance.
I'm planning on a big southern breakfast:Homemade biscuits,country ham,grits,sausage gravy and fried eggs are a must.Where do I go in the Jackson area for these delicacies?Bad neighborhood?Not a problem.County road/middle of nowhere outside of town?Not a problem.Just tell me where the best is and I'm there.
My next meal will be[hopefully]something I can only get in Jackson.I'm thinking soul food or Fried Catfish,two of my favorite foods of all time.I have a particular love of old restaurants.Any ancient diners or soulfood havens that've been there since the dawn of time y'all can tell me about?Small homey places that seat a minimum amount of diners will always win out over big restaurants.
I've done some research and these are the names that keep popping up:
Jerry's Catfish House
Abner's
Bo Don's
Big Apple Inn
Pavoni's
Hal and Mal's
The Mayflower
Peaches
Walker's
Keifers
Crechales
Stamps
Collins Dream Kitchen

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/616888

Chowhound to the rescue.Check it out.

http://gardenandgun.com/article/100-southern-foods

Lots of Mississippi chow on this link

Have you made your trip yet?  I had this long post for you before I left to go to Portland and I hit post but the internet was down and I lost it all.  So if you still need it, let me know.

Want something really good and REALLY southern and unique, there is a joint in Oxford that makes a sandwich with chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, and butter beans on it - maybe even something I am leaving off.

I haven't taken off for Mississippi yet.Still wading through a bunch of work but I need all the help I can get.I'd love to read your post once it's up.

I'm on a long vacation in Jackson right now. I haven't been to every place on your list, but I have some suggestions:

Crechales is a must-visit. The only aspect of the place that has changed at all since the 1950s are the prices, which are decent considering all you get. The entrees tend toward steaks and seafood and are all fairly fancy (I like the red snapper), but don't be afraid to order a side of their perfect onion rings. The giant bald man who will likely greet you enthusiastically at the front door is Mr. Crechale, and he's a real character. Service is friendly and very relaxed, so don't go if you have somewhere else to be. If you want to look like a regular, be sure to clap along when they play the Happy Birthday record on the jukebox - and they inevitably will.

Stamps serves a superb burger, thick and fatty and seasoned to perfection. The sweet potato fries dressed with sugar and cinnamon are not to be missed.

Keifer's is quite good, but it's not soul food. They serve pita wraps and Americanized Greek food. Worth a visit if you're looking for something lighter, but don't expect anything particularly Southern.

For peerless soul food, however, there's no place like the Two Sisters Kitchen in downtown Jackson. Perfect fried chicken, catfish, collard greens, and absolutely wonderful homemade rolls (among a constantly-changing array of other things) served up buffet-style in an old Victorian house near the capitol building. Make sure to finish off your meal with a serving of banana pudding, which while not the best I've had (that honor goes to Dreamland in Alabama) is plenty good.

TinaTwice

For peerless soul food, however, there's no place like the Two Sisters Kitchen in downtown Jackson. Perfect fried chicken, catfish, collard greens, and absolutely wonderful homemade rolls (among a constantly-changing array of other things) served up buffet-style in an old Victorian house near the capitol building. Make sure to finish off your meal with a serving of banana pudding, which while not the best I've had (that honor goes to Dreamland in Alabama) is plenty good.

Hands down, I couldn't agree with you more about Two Sisters Kitchen, except the part about the banana pudding. Two Sisters' banana pudding is up there with one of my favorites, unfortunately as much as I love Dreamland, I was dissapointed with their banana pudding, in fact I suspected it was "instant"
Welcome to roadfood!

No one has mentioned two of my favorites for catfish: Fat Tuesday (on Old Canton Rd) and Sal and Phil's (also on Old Canton) 

Two Sisters is riding, to a certain extent, on reputation. Yankees who don't know better love it, but they lean heavily on canned vegetables.

Mayflower is too wonderful... just be sure you go to the bathroom before you go!

I am not a fan of Stamps (aka Cool Al's) The burgers are so thick that they are dried out before they are done. The sweet potato fries are exceptional.
 
For some really good country cooking try Hamil's on HWY 51 in Ridgeland... just north of Jackson. Buffet of the first order.
Y'all have just reminded me how very lucky I am to live in Jackson!

mbrookes


Two Sisters is riding, to a certain extent, on reputation. Yankees who don't know better love it, but they lean heavily on canned vegetables.

Not when I was there back in 2005 they didn't. In fact I asked the owner if everything was homemade, and she replied that it was.  Everyone dining there with the exception of myself had a southern drawl. I found Two Sisters Kitchen (which is in  the new Sterns Book  BTW) much better than the much beloved Twin Willow Inn in Georgia which was just "ok"

mbrookes
I'm jealous of your Jackson residency.Your comment about canned vegetables set me to thinking. I love the Greek run meat and 3's of Birmingham as well as that city's soul food scene.The places that I visited most frequently used fresh vegetables from Bhams enormous farmer's market out on Finley Blvd.Does Jackson Ms have such a resource.What country cooking places are most noted for their vegetables?If they care enough to scrape the corn off the cob that usually means all their breads and desserts are scratch too.It speaks to the philosophy of the house,which to me is really important.

Slightly off topic.How is Peggy's in nearby Philadelphia? I'll be driving west coming into Mississippi.Is it worth the veering off the highway?

Thanks for your time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/nyregion/06soulfood.html?pagewanted=all

an article from New York Times that should remind Jackson residents how good they have it;Lots of healthy,long running soul food restaurants.

scrumptiouschef-
I visited Peggy's in December and give the place a big thumbs up.  Unfortunately, I visited on a day when they did not have the fried chicken.  There are some photos of my visit from my trip report.  The pics from Peggy's can be found on page 6:
 
 http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/My-head39s-in-Mississippi-m460594-p6.aspx
 
Please remember, they are only open for lunch, weekdays only. 

Buffetbuster
That's the best report I've read on roadfood. Pulled out my legal pad and took a full page of notes.It's going to be interesting once I hit Mississippi as I have a list of about 15 must-visits.Looks like I'll be investing in a turkey feather somewhere on the road.