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.