My head's in Mississippi

Sunday November 30, 2008 cont.

My first destination in Vicksburg was Walnut Hills. Located in a residential neighborhood, the building obviously used to be a house.


As you can see in the sign, this is one of those round table restaurants where you sit at a large table with a lazy susan in the middle.

I was the first one seated at the table, so this gave me plenty of time to snap some photos without bothering the other diners. They also had a list letting us know everything that is coming.


Cole slaw

Fruit Ambrosia

Creamed Spinach and Purple Hull Peas

Candied Yams and Rice

Green Beans and Sweet Potato Casserole

Shrimp Creole and Smothered Squash

Mustard Greens and Grilled Chicken Breast

Macaroni & Cheese

Fried Chicken

Bread Basket


Here are the items I really enjoyed:

Here are the items that ranged from forgettable to just okay:
Everything!

The food here just tasted like it was mass produced. Not one single item was awful, but nothing stood out, either. Although, the cinnamony peach cobbler for dessert was pretty good.

For over $20.00 per person, you would expect more.

My visit here was not a total loss. I sat with a family who was very friendly and talkative. They asked me about my trip and had plenty of good dining suggestions. I really enjoyed getting to meet them. Here is a photo of our table.

The young couple in the back were especially nice. And they were also living proof that mixed marriages really do work. He graduated from Ole Miss and she attended Mississippi State. She told me that other than football season, they get along just fine!

Much more to come.....

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster
Needless to say, the drunk was belligerent and showed signs of being hostile towards us.

BB,

By any chance, this wasn't the same guy from the Brewpub in Mobile?

WJ-
With the way that drunks seem to follow me around, maybe I am to blame for what happened in Mobile after all!

Sunday November 30, 2008 cont.

Being a history lover, I had to visit Vicksburg National Military Park,


where a significant battle during the civil war took place.

Lots of beautiful monuments here, dedicated by different states.



One really cool feature here is they have the U.S.S. Cairo, a Union ironclad on display.


I would have enjoyed spending more time here, but it was very windy out and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I should. I made the short drive to Jackson and checked into my hotel, hoping to see the Steelers game. But, they were showing the Broncos-Jets instead.

Roadfood poster mbrookes and I had exchanged emails about possibly getting together for a meal while I was in Jackson. So, I called Marilyn and we agreed to meet at Sal & Phil's for dinner.

When Marilyn and her husband Sam showed up, they had a present for me.

It is a gift basket full of Mississippi treats, like Pecan Turtles, a Pecan Log Roll, Southern Praline Pecans and more. That was extremely generous of them!

Sal & Phil's is a seafood restaurant. Because Sam and Marilyn eat here regularly, they helped me decide what to order. I started with a fine cup of gumbo.

A shrimp Po Boy


was my entree. The fried shrimp were quite tasty, but the bread was especially good. Sam mentioned that it is brought up from New Orleans.

Marilyn got a fish dinner, but I can't remember what kind it was. Hopefully, she will post more info.

Sam got the fried shrimp, with a side of pasta.

Everybody seemed quite happy with their meals.

Sam and Marilyn were extremely easy to talk to. He is an archaeologist, which has always been an interest of mine. And they are both art deco lovers and they gave me good tips of some buildings to see. And, we may have talked a little food, too. Here are the three of us, with me holding up the gift basket.

I didn't even realize until seeing the picture that all three of us had on light blue!

Anyway, it was a genuine pleasure to meet this wonderful couple. We talked about me coming back to Jackson next year for a weekend and Sam taking me to the Onward Grocery Store for a great cup of gumbo.

On the way back to the hotel, I spotted a frozen custard stand called Bop's.

I ordered the Katie's Crunch concrete, which was heath bar, butterscotch and roasted pecans.

Since they are called concretes, this made me think of Ted Drewes in St. Louis. So, I asked the girl handing me my concrete if she would pose holding it upside down. She was shy, but this girl with a pretty smile stepped up and did it for me.


I went back to my hotel for the night.

Much more to come.....

And it keeps coming...oooohhh that gumbo looks great!!!!!

Oh, you are trying to put me in an I Can't Get No Good Shrimp shame spiral. That po boy looks lovely, and what a cutie with the concrete!

Hi BB

Greg was in Vicksburg a few months ago and brought me back a lovely pair of sald and pepper shakers. I don't think he had time to visit the Militray park though, and I am sure he would have loved that. He is in Huntsville, Alabama now and has eaten at the Dreamland BBQ 3 times this week! lol... Have you ever been there? I know, I know, time to get back to work.

BB

Unfortunately the drunks are usually not the ones suffering through the havoc they create.

Your trip so far looks awesome, wish I could have arranged the tail end of my trip to FL better and could have met up with you somewhere.

Great report! I love the pictures and that shrimp po' boy is just what I would have ordered. All of you look extremely happy.....nice Roadfooder's meet.

It is nice to be along for the ride BB.
Thanks.

Last leg of your report looks excellent, BB.Question for you and all-i was told that when it comes to statues, the way the horse sits, or rears up, etc....is how the soldier died.Anyone know the answer to this??

blinky193-
No, I have never been to the Dreamland BBQ in Huntsville, only the Tuscaloosa and Mobile locations. Glad to hear that Greg enjoyed it as much as he has. As for getting back to work, ahhh, its a Friday, go ahead and screw off!!!

CajunKing-
I am still astonished that the drunk didn't kill himself or someone else. It is frightening to know there are people like that out there.

It would have been great to met you someone during this trip. We will get other opportunities.

annpeeples-
You are right, there is something to the statues and how the person died. It depends on whether how many legs the horse is on. I will try and look it up later.

buffetbuster - I just love a bowl of gumbo and a po boy...did you guys coordinate the shirt colors for the evening?

I like the Bops sign...might be one for the signman to check out!

Excellent report and loved the pictures. Brought back good memories of that area.
I have never been to Doe's but have read about it for yeas and always wondered what it looked like. Interesting, and, thanks.

BB, It's always a pleasure to tag along on your trips.

CTD-
When Marilyn and I were talking on the phone, to help us recognize each other, we both said we were wearing blue. That should have been a tip, huh?

BTW, that light blue shirt I am wearing in that photo is a U of Buffalo Bulls shirt. After their big upset win last night, I will have to wear that today, too.


I'm sure I don't say this nearly enough, but I genuinely appreciate all the nice comments and feedback from everyone.

BB:

This is an excellent trip report, and I am glad to have read it. Do you have plans to eat again in Jackson?

Slim Strummer-
Thank you for the compliment! No, I am done with Jackson for this trip. Since Southwest flies into Jackson and I have seven free flights waiting for me, I purposely did very little that area. This way, I will have plenty to do when I fly into Jackson for just a weekend. I know wanderingjew will be disappointed, as am I, that I didn't make it to Two Sisters. But, I will be back!

Monday December 1, 2008 

Happy birthday cousin Johnny!

I arrived in downtown Jackson and found a parking spot right in front of my breakfast destination, The Elite.

Since it was fifteen minutes before they opened at 7:00AM, I walked around the corner to check out the lovely Standard Life Building.

I checked out the lobby and was rewarded with some really nice art deco touches.



Time for breakfast and The Elite had opened. The menu was well worn and had food stains on it, which made it look like a true Roadfood menu.

I ordered ham, eggs and grits, which were all fine.

The highlight of the meal, though, were the warm, fluffy biscuits.

Sam had clued me in the night before, so I knew to ask for their homemade syrup, which was molassesy (is that even a word?) and went well on the biscuits. I have no idea if they would have brought me the syrup if I hadn't asked.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1299&RefID=1299

The first stop while sightseeing in downtown Jackson was the Alamo Theater. That was okay, but what caught my interest was this wonderful looking little soul food cafe next door called Peache's Cafe.

I walked in and asked if they had homemade pie. The man who answered me had such a thick accent, I had a very hard time understanding him. But, he was shaking his head and I heard something about Wednesday or Thursday, so I was apparently out of luck. Has anyone been to Peache's Cafe? I would love to pay a call on my next visit.

The War Memorial Building is a beautiful art deco building, honoring those who have died for our country.


Beautiful building!

Much more to come.....

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples

Last leg of your report looks excellent, BB.Question for you and all-i was told that when it comes to statues, the way the horse sits, or rears up, etc....is how the soldier died.Anyone know the answer to this??

Gettysburg was where this started, and only applies to Gettysburg only, was horses all four legs on the ground survived, one leg raised wounded in battle, two front legs raised, died in the battle. Practice can be used elsewhere but no codes to conform to.
http://petruzzi.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/horse-hooves-and-myths/
http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.asp

BB that molassas you speak of, is this like Pa table syrup(Amish use in there pies) or a southern 'Bisquit Lassas',thick not thin. Have to thank you since have gotten two new places for weekend hits.

And it's still only Monday morning...thta's a mighty fine looking biscuit!

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster
I know wanderingjew will be disappointed, as am I, that I didn't make it to Two Sisters.

You missed one of the highlights of my trip from 2005. Probably the best banana pudding I ever had was at two sisters....

As far as Peache's cafe, it was one of the places I was researching for my 2005 trip, however someone , I believe it was on this forum, said it was "ok" but that Two Sisters was much better- I'm going to try to find that thread...


Here it is.


sturockoff




Posts
Posted - 01/14/2005 : 23:15:40
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regarding lunch in Jackson...

The African American neighborhood is Farish Street, and the best soul food restaurant on Farish is Peaches, a local institution since 1961. You pick an entree, two sides, and get corn muffins and dessert for about $5, tax included. The food is good, not great. I would go more for the history and ambience. The best lunch place is Two Sisters Kitchen, a buffet place on Congress St. just North of the Capitol. They serve the best fried chicken and grits in town. Everything is fresh made and tastes like it (it's pricier: about $11 for all you can eat).

CTD-
If it wasn't for the fact that I have been having internet issues in just about every hotel room, I would be much further along in the report. It has been very frustrating!

wanderingjew-
Thanks for the info. If anyone would have already researched my answer, I knew it would be you. Looks like I will have to hit them both of my next visit.

CurbsideGrill-
The syrup at The Elite was definitely on the thick side. So, I am guessing the latter.

If any of you guys have had both, is the syrup anything like the sorghum they serve with the biscuits at the Moose Cafe?

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples
Last leg of your report looks excellent, BB.Question for you and all-i was told that when it comes to statues, the way the horse sits, or rears up, etc....is how the soldier died.Anyone know the answer to this??

Ann; Dearfolk,
You know, I heard the very same thing when I lived in Richmond. All down Monument Avenue there, there are statues similar to those on this thread. Sounds logical, anyway.
Our only "statue" in Athens is the original Double-Barrelled Cannon. It sleeps on the lawn of City Hall, pointing due north, just in case we're ever attacked again. (When I was a little kid, I told the mayor that I thought it should point straight up. "Why should we do that?" he asked petulantly. "In case the Martians attack us," I replied matter-of-factly. -- Poor Ralph M. Snow: he went to his grave all worried about that impending Martian attack.
Out Of The Saddle Again, Ort. Carlton in Ride 'Em Busboy Athens, Georgia.
P. S. My puns aren't up to usual today. It must be my endless sniffle. Snifth.

quote:

Originally posted by Earl of Sandwich
... I have never been to Doe's but have read about it for yeas and always wondered what it looked like....

Earl,
Regarding Doe's (the original Greenville location), I've heard quite a great many yeas and not a single nay, so they must indeed be doing something right down there on Nelson Street.
Steaking My Reputation, Mistypo Ort. in Lovely, Chilly Athrns, Geprgia.

It's been 23 years now, since I've been to Doe's in Greenville. To say I was looking forward to this trip would not be untruthful.

quote:

Originally posted by jellybear
Man, Some of those Towns looked like something out of Easy Rider.

jellybear; Dearfolk,
Maybe somebody here will know the specific location, but the cafe in Easy Rider was on U. S. 90 in Louisiana, between Lafayette and Lake Charles... Rayne, maybe? Or Jennings??
Curiouser, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Ga.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster
... They are also famous for their pompano, so I settled for that.

Buffetbuster; Dearfolk,
There is a famous Ole Miss graffito: "The world is coming to an end! Lusco's is out of pompano!!"
Dearfolk, I believe that really sums it up. -- I hope I make it there someday.
Lusconically, Ort. Carlton in Distant Athens, Georgia.

My dear Ort, having researched the horse thing-seems to be alot of hooey to me.
Forever Ed the talking horse,
Annie

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples
Back in the heyday of the Delmonico restaurant (famous for the delmonico steak)curtained dining areas were the norm.What a charming aspect to a restaurant. Also, according to legend,the curtained rooms, were, um, to allow other types of activities in addition to eating...

Ann; Buffetbuster; Dearfolk,
As a matter of fact, Lusco's WAS a speakeasy in the 1920's! Hey, you could make Mississippi go dry by law (in theory, that is), but the practice was indeed a whole nother thing.
Mississippi didn't have legal liquor until the governor's mansion was raided sometime along about 1966. Obviously, it was staged, but you get the idea... voters finally got around to approving whiskey and mixed drink sales by county option. Oklahoma didn't go "wet" for liquor until 1957 and Kansas didn't until 1948; all three states still have "dry" counties.
Georgia has only two totally dry counties (Echols and Union), but you can buy what you want across the county line and bring it in in your trunk with impunity. You still can't possess in a dry Mississippi county, but only a couple of sheriffs still enforce the law strictly for small individual amounts (be careful in Poplarville in Pearl River County!).
Speaking Easily, Ort. Carlton in Legally Totally Wet Athens, Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples
My dear Ort, having researched the horse thing-seems to be alot of hooey to me.
Forever Ed the talking horse, Annie

Dear Annie,
Of course!
Frontally Backusly, Ort. Carlton in Ever-Amazing Athens.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Buffetbuster; Dearfolk,
Looks like normal small-town driving to me. Why, there ain't no traffic down the ditch... Ah kin go as fast as Ah want....
Driving Y'all Crazy, Ort. Carlton, Barrelling Along in Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Or, as Nervous Norvus once said: "Outta my way! I don't drive with my horn!!"

Buffetbuster; Dearfolk,
Your trip segment in Jackson, Mississippi reminded me of something that a few of you might find interesting... it isn't about food, 'cause you can't eat radio; but it's amusing nonetheless.
A group of businesspeople got together in the late 1950's with designs on building a 50,000 watt (AM) station in Jackson. The late, great consulting engineer Ralph J. Bitzer was called in; he located a hole on 1550 kcs that, if sufficiently directionalized, would provide that power daytime, with 10,000 watts at night. The construction permit was finally approved and the six-tower-in-line directional system was built just south of what is now I-20, east of Bolton and about ten miles west of Jackson. The owners went broke in the mid 1960's and sold the station; its calls changed from WJAQ (I think it was) to WOKJ, and the format switched to rhythm & blues. In its heyday, I could receive WOKJ clearly at night here in Athens, although the station ran a tight minimum toward WAAY in Huntsville, Alabama.
The pattern kept shifting. Bitzer came back repeatedly, trying to address the problem. He had forgotten one thing: the towers were built on loess, and it destabilized the directional! The system was a nightmare from start to finish; over the years, I've heard dozens of stories from engineers and broadcasters alike telling me about "trying to keep WOKJ on pattern."
I was sorry to see the station leave the air, but genius that he was, Ralph had never attempted building a critical directional on loess before, and it ended up being a disaster that may well have hastened his death.
WOKJ sent 37,500 watts of effective power at 90 degrees and 290 degrees on its night pattern; the six-tower axis was 10 degrees.
Does anybody out there know more about this interesting, legendary debacle? I know it's waaaay off-topic, but the shots of Jackson made me think of this.
In Tune, Ort. Carlton in Undirectional Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Thanks a gazillion for the Art Deco shots! I had never seen the Standard Life Building before, and it's a humdinger! Standard Life Insurance Co. had its own radio station for a time: WSLI, 930 AM. The old station on 620 AM was owned by Lamar Life Insurance Co.
P. P. S. You never know what I'm gonna post next, because I never do, either!

Actually the raid that ended prohibition was not at the governor's mansion, but at the Jackson Country Club. Most of the legislators were there. The sight of all that lovely whiskey being poured out was more than they could stand. Within a few days we had county option legal liquor.

Mississippi probably has the most convoluted and just plain strange liquor laws of anywhere, but at least we can drink. In fact, in some counties cirrosis of the liver is listed as natural causes.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Slim Strummer-
Thank you for the compliment! No, I am done with Jackson for this trip. Since Southwest flies into Jackson and I have seven free flights waiting for me, I purposely did very little that area. This way, I will have plenty to do when I fly into Jackson for just a weekend. I know wanderingjew will be disappointed, as am I, that I didn't make it to Two Sisters. But, I will be back!

When you do, something to consider is to stop in at a couple of places: Bravo Italian Restaurant and Bar; Broad Street Bakery; Sal and Mookie's New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint. None of which types of cuisine you are probably looking for when you are passing thru Jackson, Mississippi (not are they necessarily "roadfood" in the classic sense), but I ate at Bravo and liked it and I am curious as to whether the other places are good too. Just a thought.

Keep the reports coming. As I said, I am enjoying them very much.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

P. P. S. You never know what I'm gonna post next, because I never do, either!

And that is just the way we like it! Ort, you can ramble off topic anytime you want, because I know I will end up learning something. Thanks for the story.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples
Last leg of your report looks excellent, BB.Question for you and all-i was told that when it comes to statues, the way the horse sits, or rears up, etc....is how the soldier died.Anyone know the answer to this??

Our only "statue" in Athens is the original Double-Barrelled Cannon. It sleeps on the lawn of City Hall, pointing due north, just in case we're ever attacked again.

Ort, when you say attacked, I hope you don't include us Yankees who come down there and eat all your great Southern food!

Monday December 1, 2008 cont.

One more stop to make in Jackson and it was the one I was most looking forward to: the state capitol building.

My poor photos don't do the gorgeous rotunda justice.

Here is the stained glass ceiling in the House chamber.

This was one of the most beautiful state houses I have visited.

With plans to eat lunch in Natchez, I quickly got out of town and headed south and west. I was just a few miles away from my lunch destination, Mammy's Cupboard, when someone on the radio mentioned it being Monday. That is when it occurred to me that Mammy's was closed on Mondays, and I was right in the middle of pulling a major bonehead move. This mistake would cost me later in the trip.

With some time to kill, a take-out place called Belemont Shake Shop caught my attention.

Some interesting looking items on the menu, but I settled for a fine cherry milkshake.


Needing a new place for lunch, I arrived outside of Cock of the Walk in Natchez.

Since I arrived a few minutes before they opened, I took the opportunity to walk behind the restaurant and enjoy the view of the Mississippi River going by.


According to legend, the toughest man on a boat was called the cock of the walk and wore a red feather in his hat to denote his status. This would explain this sign.

The inside of the place is made to look like a Mississippi riverboat.


The thing to order here is the catfish. It automatically comes with fries, cole slaw, hushpuppies and cornbread.

I really enjoyed the cornmeal breading to the sweet catfish fillets.

As you can see, the meal is served on a metal pie pan. Of the sides, the cornbread was by far the best.

It had a faint sweet taste and I could have eaten a whole lot more of it. The rest of the sides were forgettable. I am starting to think that I just don't hushpuppies, because I don't like them anywhere.

As Bruce & Sue say in their review, I was hoping to see them flip the cornbread up in the air, before serving it, but it didn't happen. Maybe that is just something they do at dinner.

If you are looking for good catfish in the Natchez area, this place is worth the stop.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1317&RefID=1317

Natchez is a lovely city, with plenty of antebellum homes. Seeing a brochure at the restaurant, I decided to go see Longwood. Here is what the driveway looks like on your way in.

When I got to the security shack, there was a stop sign. I rolled down my window and waited for a minute. Since there didn't appear to be any sign of life, I got out of my car and could then see that the security guard was asleep in his chair. I gently tapped on the winow and he woke up. I paid my $10.00 and headed in.

Longwood was built by an ancestor of football coach Houston Nutt and is the largest octagonal house in the US.

Unfortunately, Mr. Nutt was only able to finish the first floor, due to the outbreak of the Civil War. Only the first floor is finished. Very strange, but well worth seeing.

Much more to come.....

BB,

I went to Cock of the Walk in Natchez too in 1999, I'm pretty certain it was at dinner time, and they did serve a generously sized pan of cornbread which they flipped up in the air. I also remember touring Longwood, I also did one other house tour, don't remember the name of it, I would have to check out my old photos (35mm back then). Did you go to Natchez Under The Hill, is it still there?

Cliff, good hushpuppies are hard to come by. My friend Cathy makes the best ones I know of. Clemson grad too.

http://flickr.com/photos/nancypalooza/2981728065/

The thing is, the time between coming out of the oil and going into your mouth needs to be blissfully short.

Nancy-
I don't even have to taste them and I already know they must be great hushpuppies. And it has nothing to do with her being a Clemson grad!

I forgot that I did the hushpuppies at the late great Hocutt's in West Virginia. So there is hope after all.

wanderingjew-
If I had known that they only did the flipping cornbread for dinner at Cock of the Walk, I would have ate then instead. Natchez under the hill is still there and is a cool little area. I didn't make any stops, though.

quote:

Originally posted by mbrookes
Actually the raid that ended prohibition was not at the governor's mansion, but at the Jackson Country Club.

mbrookes,
Thank you for setting me straight... I was relying on you to correct me if need be, and I'm glad you did!
Used to be that the eastern half of Hinds County was wet for beer and wine and the western half was dry. I wonder if that ever changed. There are a couple other counties that have two seats that are half wet and half dry... the one Laurel's in is one, because Ellisville is dry.
Can you still not buy beer on Sunday in Jackson? -- We can't purchase packaged ANYTHING on Sunday; you can only drink in a restaurant, but you don't have to order food, as used to be the law in Indiana.
Things like this get me savagely curious.
Unsnockeredly (but wait until tomorrow: $2 Pint Night at Copper Creek Brewing Co.!), Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples

Ort, when you say attacked, I hope you don't include us Yankees who come down there and eat all your great Southern food!

Buffetbuster,
Naw! God bless y'all; you helpin' us get rid of our leftovers. We'un's like to EAT down thisaway.
Face it... you ain't never had no chicken mull. Hoo-WEE! Good enough to make you want to smack yer maw.
Idiotically Colloquially, Ort. in the 30601-Scape.

Buffetbuster,
This is one interesting thread. Keep the good work coming.
Succinctly, Ort. "Mr. Word Economy" Carlton in The Usual Squeaking Chair.

As I said, we have strange liquor laws. Thhis is just a sample
Hinds county is wet for everything. Restaurants can't serve alcohol until after noon on Sunday.

Rankin Co. (next door) is beer only, and then not on Sunday.

County with Miss State Univ you can only buy hot beer, but the convenience stores sell styrafoam coolers and ice.

The strictness is determined to a great exyent by the sheriff. During prohibition Coahoma Co (that's Clarksdale, blues fans) was totally dry. The next county south(Bolivar) was pretty much wide open.

Many places that are normally wet are dry on Sunday.

Strange laws, but just a price you pay to live in one of the best places in the world.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

Buffetbuster, Face it... you ain't never had no chicken mull. Hoo-WEE! Good enough to make you want to smack yer maw.

Ort., what's "chicken mull"? As a born and near-lifelong Southerner, I ought to know, but I've never heard of it. Please enlighten me!

BB, great stuff as usual, man! You have a wonderful talent of balancing the food, architecture, sports, narrative and an ability to come across some really odd stuff. That pickup truck is a classic one!! I think I could go for some of those tamales from the White Front Cafe right about now.

BB,

That is truly an inspirationally trip. The pictures were great and you tell a great story with each one! Take a bow!

Monday December 1, 2008 cont.

Have you ever spotted something while driving down the road and wonder, "Did I really just see that?" I had one of those moments shortly after getting on the Natchez Trace Parkway headed north.

There was a small dog trotting next to the road and as I drove by, it looked like it had a large number nine painted on it's side. Either that, or it had one really unusual birthmark or coat. Unfortunately, I was talking to my mother on the phone and didn't pull over to take a photo. That would have made a good one!

My next destination was Old Country Store in Lorman, but my GPS took me in the complete wrong direction after getting off the main road. Eventually, the lady at the laundromat, the only business I could find, pointed me in the right direction.

The Old Country Store

is in a building that is approximately 130 years old and it looks like the outside hasn't been touched since the day it was built. There are rusty, weather-beaten Pepsi signs on both sides.

The outside sign that I really took notice of was the one declaring it the world's best fried chicken.


The inside is shockingly big, since I was expecting a little place. A menu board advertised the buffet.

MMMMMMMM, blackberry cobbler!

The buffet area is on the small side,

but I am always more concerned about quality than quantity. The owner told me to grab a plate and help myself. "Don't feel sorry for the cook," he told me, "Make sure you get enough." Oh, I think I can manage that!

Here is my first plate,

with fried chicken, dirty rice, green beans, greens, macaroni and cheese and a jalapeno corn muffin.

Delicious crunchy skin, along with juicy tender meat, this was excellent fried chicken!

But, I liked the pork infused greens

and green beans even better. The other items were also good, but not on the same level. My only complaint and it is a mild one, is that the food could have been hotter.

And dessert was absolute cobbler perfection!


As good as the food was, the best reason to visit is to meet Arthur Davis, the owner. While I was paying at the register, he broke out into song.

Not just a few lines, but a good five minute long song, apparently titled, Grammy Was a Cornbread Woman! I know this might sound a little odd, but it was extremely enjoyable. Mr. Davis is a very lively, fun and interesting man. He was still singing to me on my way out the door.


If you are ever in this part of the world, you really need to stop in and visit this wonderful place. Old Country Store was one of the highlights of my trip.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1320&RefID=1320

As I was driving, I saw a sign pointing towards Alcorn State University, so of course, I had to stop in and buy a shirt. I also made a quick stop at the Windsor Ruins. This used to be a beautiful mansion that was destroyed by fire, with only the columns remaining.

Combined with the remote location, this place is a little spooky!

In the quaint little town of Port Gibson, I visited the church with the gold hand pointing towards heaven on the top of a church spire.

Cool!

Dinner was back in Vicksburg at Goldie's Trail Bar-B-Que. Again, I had trouble finding it. Casinos are now where the restaurant used to be. A nice lady at Subway gave me pinpoint directions and I was soon pulling into the parking lot.



Unfortunately, I shouldn't have bothered, because the food was not good. The baked beans were straight out of can. The pork bbq was flabby. The only two items worthwhile were the sausage

and the garlic bread.


I drove back to my hotel in Natchez for the night.

Much more to come.....

I want Mr. Arthur Davis to sing 'Grammy was a Cornbread Woman' to me now. :(

I assume chicken mull is the same thing as chicken bog? Ort., what exactly did you mean by that? (And we've talked about this eighty times before but chicken bog is a chicken and rice stew and may be wet and may not be wet and may have sausage in it and also may not; it depends a lot on how your relatives made it. It also may be called burgoo or something like that.)

Nancy-
The line after "Grammy is a Cornbread Woman" is "And I'm a Fried Chicken Man"! How can you possibly resist that?

You can't. This is the guy Alton Brown got chicken from on his show, right?

buffetbuster - Mr. Davis singing has got to be a great part of American history...that would make the trip worthwhile for me! Very, very cool!

I wish I had known you were headed to Windsor and Alcorn. I could have told you to notice the steps at the chapel at Alcorn. They were originally the front steps to Windsor.

Also, the huge live oak in front of Windsor was the sight of the filming of part of Raintree County with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Cliff. In mid summer, they had a hard time with Miss Taylor's makeup, which kept melting off.

There is truly a story aroung every corner here.

In Port Gibson, just down from the church with the hand, is a Cathilic Church with really unusual blue windows. When the sun shines, the air inside the sanctuary seems blue. With no chemicals, you seem to feel, taste and smell blue. Awsome!

mbrookes-
I would have loved to have seen the steps at Alcorn Chapel! But you and Sam had already given me so many great tips, you couldn't possibly have told me everything!

ChiTownDiner-
Old Country Store is the restaurant I arrived at when you and I were on the phone. I almost called you back to tell you how much I enjoyed the place.

Nancypalooza-
Arthur Davis did have the Feasting on Asphalt book and showed me the section on his place.

Tuesday December 2, 2008 

My original plan for this day was to spend it exploring northern Louisiana. But because of my misstep with Mammy's Cupboard, I had to scrap those plans. There was no way I was coming to Natchez and not eating at Mammy's!

My first stop of the day was at Stanton Hall, another of Natchez's beautiful antebellum homes.

This place was even nicer inside than the home I visited the day before. Maybe tourism is slumping even more than I thought, because on both tours I was by myself. The guide also recommended I go see St. Mary Basilica in the downtown area, so I made that my next stop.


Good tip, because this place was gorgeous!

Walking around downtown Natchez, I was lured inside a store by their bakery sign.

I bought some cookies, which weren't very good and also a piece of red velvet cake. Since it was almost lunch time, I decided to save that for later. Nothing like having a spare piece of red velvet cake for reserves.

For those who aren't familiar with the place, Mammy's Cupboard is a restaurant shaped liked a large skirted woman, specifically, a mammy.

Now the face is painted a neutral color in keeping with the times. What a unique little slice of Americana.

Want to know why I made such a big deal about eating here? This should give you a clue!

There is a big board with all of the day's available desserts listed as you walk in.

And just to taunt me, the waitress sat me at a table with another list inches from my head.

That's just cruel!!! Don't worry, I'll make them pay!

The regular menu consists of sandwiches and a list of daily specials.

Since it was Tuesday, it was Brazilian Black Beans, which didn't interest me. The waitress bragged up how good their sandwiches were and that the bread was homemade. So, I got a ham and cheese, which came with a bowl of homey vegetable soup.

(Sorry about the photos from this place. I took dozens of pictures and these are the best of a bad lot). The waitress was right, this was a really good sandwich.

And a small scoop of fresh potato salad completed the plate. To drink, blueberry lemonade!

This meal had the feel of a ladies' lunch.

Okay, enough screwing around....let's get to dessert! In Bruce and Sue's review, they raved about the banana caramel pie, so I went with that.

And it was spectacular! The bananas were cut in long lengths and there were big pockets of gooey caramel. I loved this pie!

Unfortunately, the chocolate ice box pie was just a mess.

Somewhere under all the whipped topping is some chocolate filling, but I don't think I could have found it with my GPS. Very disappointing. But after that banana caramel pie, I wasn't about to complain.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1316&RefID=1316

I did take many photos to show what the inside looked like, but they turned out supbar. One interesting little feature I noticed is that they don't have the bathrooms labeled men's or women's. They just put appropriate hats by the doors.


I got back in my car and headed towards Louisiana.

Much more to come.....

Mammy kinda looks like a big dude with a skirt on. :) That banana caramel pie is gorgeous.

BB
Sorry to read of the negative review of Goldie's Trail BBQ. We ate there a couple of times about 4 years ago and liked the place...but times are changing !!!