My head's in Mississippi

Hello BB............

You are doing a fine job as usual. The chocolate cream pie still looks delish, even if it was not homemade. Hope you are having a good time.

buffetbuster - No more holding out...let's see what you've been up to!

CTD-
Yeah, I know I am falling way behind. I can tell you the meal I ate right after I talked to you yesterday, will undoubtedly be one of the real highlights of the trip. I can't wait to write about it!

blinky193-
Thanks as always for the kind words. I really am having a great trip. Now, get back to work!

susanll-
That was too bad that The Pie Folks were closed. I was going to ask for a slice of pie and a story!

Saturday November 29, 2008 

For breakfast, my plan was to cross the river to the small town of Lake Village, Arkansas and eat at Rhoda's Famous Tamales. From the review here on Roadfood, it looks like a great place.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1373&RefID=1373

I called last week and got their hours (they open early for breakfast), but didn't ask if they would close for the entire holiday weekend. But, since I wanted to see the place regardless, I just got in my car and drove over.

Of course, with an attitude like that, you know what happened!

What a great looking little hole-in-the wall! The only sign of life was a dog tied up in the yard. Looks like I will have to return on another trip.

On the drive back to Greenville, I was hoping to find a place open for breakfast and was soon rewarded. It was so dark out, the building was completely hidden. But, the bright open sign caught my eye and I pulled into JJ's Lakeside Cafe.

I seemed to be their first customer of the day and a woman who looked like late actress Anne Ramsey greeted me. I was very happy with the big chunks of sausage in my biscuit gravy,

but my country ham was not good at all.

It was really hard and most of it was left unfinished on the plate. On the way out, I snapped this photo of the place.

Hey, there is a lake in Lake Village!

I want back to my room in Greenville and checked out. Leaving my hotel, I got my first daytime glimpse of the road I drove in on. It was one small step up from a goat path. This has to be as bad a road as I have ever seen. It is astonishing they would leave a road in such poor condition.


Driving down the main drag, I noticed a place named Jim's Cafe that is mentioned on another site.

I asked if they had any homemade pie and they said they only make cake and it won't be ready until lunchtime. So, I tried more biscuits & gravy.

These, I did not care for. Too thin and watery for my taste.

The highlight of my visit here was when the owner came over and chatted with me. I had asked about the horrible road in front and we ended up discussing all kinds of things. Really nice man! On the way out, he gave me a persimmon. He also mentioned it was a Fuji. I didn't know there was such a thing.


I spent some time driving around Greenville. While there are some beautiful old homes here and it is obvious there used to be some money in town, the city has seen better days. It has lots of character, but I never really felt comfortable here. I did like the courthouse

and the rusted sign on this donut shop.


Much more to come.....

Saturday November 29, 2008 cont.

Just a few miles east of Greenville is the town of Leland. The most famous resident from here is Muppet's creator Jim Henson. So, they have a little museum dedicated to him and his creations.

Although I certainly don't dislike them, I'm not a particularly big Muppet fan, either. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even aware that Jim Henson had passed away. This was a pleasant little museum. The woman who was working here was a retired librarian from the local high school and was very knowledgeable. Nice place to spend an hour.

Just to double check, I called my next destination and they were indeed open. So, I drove north to the little town of Rosedale and the White Front Cafe.

Gee, I wonder how it got it's name? In what obviously used to be a house, right on the main street through town, this is the home of great Delta tamales. The menu:

Sure can't complain about those prices!

The very soft spoken woman who took my order, fished a bundle of tamales out of the big pot on the stove behind the counter,

put them on a paper plate, used scissors to cut the string holding the husks together and handed it to me.


As far as I know, this was my first experience with tamales in this part of the world. I don't know what I was expecting, but I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed these. All beef, mixed with cornmeal, along with some spices, these were fantastic! I quickly ordered another bundle and started regretting I had eaten that second breakfast. I was also wishing that I didn't have such big dinner plans. Along with my Dr. Pepper and the Reese's Cup I had for dessert, this was a great Mississippi meal. The White Front Cafe gets a big thumbs up!

Oh, one more thing on this place. Joe Pope was the long time owner here until he passed away a few years ago. While driving into town, they had a sign saying the main road is now called Joe Pope Boulevard.

It may be too small to see, but that is what the second (blue) sign says.

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1371&RefID=1371

Time to head for Greenwood. Once I reached town, my first stop was Crystal Grill.

A full service family type restaurant, I would have loved to have eaten a full meal here. But having 5:30 dinner reservations at Lusco's prevented that. But there is always room for a slice of pie! I chose the lemon ice box

and it was wonderful. Smooth, creamy, with just the right amount of lemon taste, I enjoyed it very much.

I checked into my hotel to relax for a while and watch some college football.

Much more to come.....

BB: I have spent quite a bit of time in this area of MS: Greenville is sort of a poor place and I can understand why you never really felt comfortable.

Tamales are very good around this part of MS.

I recently leased some property in Greenville for the pharma company I consult with. I have drive the River Road all the way from Baton
Rouge to Memphis. It is interesting to notice the agriculture and the intense poverty.

On a another note, I see that you had two breakfast's and a tamale stop before you had lunch. How did you do that?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

There are parts of South Carolina that are just like the poorest sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Lousiana and it still surprises me when we go through them. It's not quite the third world but it certainly isn't the first either.

Cliff practices second breakfast, elevensies, and afternoon tea. He just slotted those things right in. Lovely pictures and descriptions--I would have liked that donut sign too.

quote:

Originally posted by Nancypalooza



Cliff practices second breakfast, elevensies, and afternoon tea. He just slotted those things right in. Lovely pictures and descriptions--I would have liked that donut sign too.

I was wondering if he was part Hobbit too!?!


BB

the lemonbox pie looks great, did you try any of the Shipley Donuts??

buffetbuster - Did you try Shipley Donuts? I see it has a drive thru and looked open.

The White Front Cafe appears to be a residentail kitchen. What other menu items did they have? Waxs it crowded?

The lemon ice box looks like a winner!

CajunKing-
No, I did not stop at Shipley's Donuts. Two breakfasts were enough to hold me for a while. Besides, I don't want wanderingjew upset at me for eating something as regional inappropriate as doughnuts in Mississippi.

Actually, when I was sharing my round table with a family at lunch on Sunday, they told me I should try the Shipley's Donuts when I am in Starkville in a few days. So that will now be included.

CTD-
No, that was the entire menu for White Front Cafe. Just sodas and some candy on the counter. When you make only one thing and have been in business as long as they have, then you know it is going to be somethings special! I was their only customer during the time I was there and I arrived just after noon.

Lakeside's biscuits and gravy definitely look better!!!

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Just in case people are wondering about the title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip_yql5vx8w

I recognized it immediately as a reason to read your report.
Why doesn't anyone have a song about Connecticut?

mark

Because only bad words rhyme with Connecticut

Man, Some of those Towns looked like something out of Easy Rider.

Sorry I am falling behind on this. It seems I have an issue with the internet connection in every hotel I stay in.

Saturday November 29, 2008 cont.

At 5:20 I showed at Lusco's

for my dinner. When I called and made my reservation last week, I had a nice conversation with the owner and told her how excited I was to be eating there. She greeted me warmly and remembered our conversation. Throughout my meal, I feel like I was being treated as a special guest.

I checked out the specials board

and was taken into the back to my curtained booth.


Being a Bucco fan, I immediately thought of Willie Stargell. The inside of the booth is an awful green color and the poor lighting doesn't help.

Still, you couldn't help but feel you were at a 1920's speakeasy. I loved eating in this environment. The fact that my waiter Derek

did such a wonderful job certainly helped. There is a buzzer in your booth to summon your waiter, but I never needed to use it.

I started my meal meal off with a fine cup of gumbo.

Next up, was an appetizer of broiled shrimp.

As good as the shrimp themselves were, the sauce (a worcestershire based sauce, I was told) was the star. Dipping the wonderful homemade bread into that sauce was a slice of heaven!

You can't eat at Lusco's without trying one of their salads, so I got a house salad, with the house dressing, which is an Italian vinigraitte.

Delicious!

I had a hard time deciding what to have for my entree. I was tempted by the porterhouse, but having just eaten at Doe's Eat Place the night before, I wanted something besides a steak. They are also famous for their pompano, so I settled for that.


This tasty fish comes in a yummy lemon pepper vinegary sauce. More bread came on the side, so that none of the sauce went to waste.

There were some desserts, but I had more than enough to eat. Besides, I still had dinner reservations for later. On the way out, they photographed me holding a sign by the front door.


A security guard was standing by the outside door and watched me reach my car. If you haven't guessed, Lusco's is not in the best part of town.

Lusco's was an outstanding, unique experience and I highly recommend eating here at least once in your life. This place is a true Roadfood classic and I was so happy to finally eat here!

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=204&RefID=204

Much more to come.....

Wow...what a most unusual dining experience...those curtained booths are something else...as is that great looking food!!!!

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...

Were you flying single on this adventure? Curtained booths, etc?

Saturday November 29, 2008 cont.

I relaxed in my hotel room until it was time to leave for my 9:00PM dinner reservations. Since I was staying at The Alluvian Hotel and I was dining at Giardina's,

all I had to do was walk downstairs.

Believe it or not, this is another restaurant in which you eat behind a curtain in a private booth.

Even though this one is more upscale and was painted a much more agreeable color, it didn't have the charm of Lusco's.

I ordered a glass of Shiraz and looked over the menu. There were striking similarities with the menu I had seen earlier in the night. So, I purposely tried different items. My meal started with a fine cup of okra black-eyed pea soup.

Unusual and quite good. For an appetizer, I made a mistake. Thinking some more tamales sounded good, I should have known better.

There was nothing wrong with these tamales, but they were no match for the ones I had at White Front Cafe.

My main entree was a dozen of the Oysters Bienville.

These I really enjoyed, although they were still a notch below the ones I enjoyed at Wintzell's in February. Must have been the company, right Poverty Pete?

The bread, which they brought with the entree, was outstanding!


Since the hotel holds their own cooking classes, it was no surprise they serve high quality food here. But atmosphere-wise, it couldn't match Lusco's. But Giardina's still comes highly recommended.

http://www.thealluvian.com/restaurants.html

Much more to come.....

susanll-
Yes, I am by myself on this trip. Although my cousin Johnny is calling me often to get updates on what he is missing!

Okay, I've lost track--are we still in Greenville, and Lusco's and Giardina's in the same town? Also, I am really jealous over the shrimp--if they taste half as good as they look, geez.

Sunday November 30, 2008 

I don't usually eat the breakfasts that are offered by hotels. But here at The Alluvian, I made an exception. Lots of fresh fruit, cheddar cheese grits and ham & cheddar frittata were the highlights. Easily the best free hotel breakfast I have ever had.

As you may have gathered, The Alluvian is quite a hotel.

What a fancy, boutique hotel is doing is Greenwood, Mississippi is another matter. The beds were especially impressive and comfortable and I can't remember the last time I slept as deeply and as well.

http://www.thealluvian.com/alluvian_hotel.html

Before I checked out, I ate my chocolate pie from Crystal Grill.

You didn't actually think I could order only one piece of pie, did you?

Within easy walking distance of the hotel were some interesting buildings worth checking out. The old city hall is an art deco beauty,

that also doubles as a fire house. And the county courthouse is equally impressive.


Lunch was at Stub's in Yazoo City.

I arrived just after they opened at 11:00AM and most of the other customers seemed to be coming from church. This place has a comfortable family restaurant atmosphere.

When I first saw the service line,


I thought it was a buffet. Instead, it was a very short cafeteria line. They do have a piece of paper on your table letting you know what is available.


I chose the meatloaf, green beans, squash casserole and fried okra.

The meatloaf and green beans were forgettable, but I enjoyed the delicious crunchy fried okra

and soft, flavorful squash casserole.


Dessert was a just so-so chocolate chess pie.


Stub's seems to be popular with the locals, but the food was just average. I would not go out of my way to go back.

Much more to come.....

Nancy-
Until I got down here, I would get Greenville and Greenwood confused, too. Does Eat Place is in Greenville, while Lusco's and Giardina's are in Greenwood. The towns also have completely different feels to them.

One other complaint. I was sitting in a corner, pinned in by large parties at big tables. My waitress couldn't even get to me. She had to ask me from 15 feet away if everything was okay. And it would have been tough to get up and look around the place.
The difference this time will be that we will be at the large, rowdy table and making the single diners envious.

PP-
I much prefer it that way!

Thirty bucks for Pompano! I three back 300 bucks worth back in the ocean last week!That sauce looks good.

BB -

I don't think you were eating in restaurants. I think you snuck food in to the dressing rooms of a TJ Maxx and a Marshall's!

I keep reading, hoping to hear that you've been to The Friendship House to eat catfish and hushpuppies near Aberdeen and Amory. If you go, be sure to order the whole fish, not the filets. You don't want to miss Coontail and Little Coontail Roads! :)

Now for the real reason for the curtained booths:
Mississippi was the last state to repeal prohibition; we were (technically) dry until 1966. The curtains were to conceal your "brown bag" which was the preferred method of transporting spirits.

Many restaurants provided set ups, which were actually mixers for the liquor the customer brought in. With the curtains closed you could put the bottle on the table without being seen by the Baptist preacher of the sheriff.

Travelin Man-
Okay, you are on to me! Even though I won't eat at chains, I will shop at them!

mimicooks-
Sorry to tell you that I won't be able to make it to Friendship House on this trip. As good as it sounds, I just couldn't fit it into my plans. Wish I could have, though.

Sunday November 30, 2008 cont.

Here is where my vacation turns into an episode of Cops. While driving from Yazoo City to Vicksburg, I saw something really strange. Just north of the town of Redwood, I was drivng on Rte. 61, which is a four lane divided highway. In between is a large grassy area. I came around a bend and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a white pickup truck barreling backwards in the grass into a deep drainage ditch.


The tan SUV in front of me slammed on it's brakes, so I had to also. We both doublebacked to check and see if the driver was okay. Well, there was no driver in the pickup. Instead, there was an incredibly drunk man by the side of the road, with cuts on his hand, side and legs.

Several other cars stopped to see if they could help, including one older man who had been keeping an eye on this guy. Seems the drunk stopped at a gas station three miles down the road, got out of his truck and promptly peed right in front of women and children in the middle of the driveway. That is when the older guy called the police, who were now looking for him.

Interestingly, the older guy said the pickup didn't have the dents on the front when they was back in town. So we have no idea how that happened in such a short distance.

We did piece together what we think happened. The drunk pulled over to pee again and didn't put his truck in park. It started rolling backwards and knocked the drunk down, which would explain why the young guy in the tan SUV ahead of me saw the drunk rolling in the highway, which is where his cuts came from.

Needless to say, the drunk was belligerent and showed signs of being hostile towards us. We were just making sure this idiot didn't walk into traffic in a 65 MPH area. We told him a tow truck was on it's way, but the old guy had called the police. After just a few minutes, the police showed up and presumably arrested the drunk.

We told the police what we saw and left.

I am still amazed that this bonehead didn't kill himself or even worse, someone else. Here is hoping he won't be driving again anytime soon.

Much more to come.....