I'll make a short list in order of visit.
Sunday Afternoon -
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis - Fun place and killer chicken. The after-church rush came after we sat down and it was fun to observe.
Monday - Attempted to go to
Bryant's Breakfast but 4 inches of snow caused chaos and panic and Bryant's was closed. Did some errands and went to the
Germantown Commissary for lunch.
I got the ribs and pork shoulder combo. Karen got a pork sandwich. I liked the shoulder but really liked the ribs. This place seems to lightly season their meat so you can admire what they turn out in terms of pork and smoking technique. They have plenty of rub, bbq sauces and hot sauce on the table for you to adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Lemon Icebox pie and a piece of Coconut cake (both were great) were taken in to go boxes.
Rowdy's Family Restaurant (a Catfish joint) in Vicksburg was the dinner stop. We planned on hitting the
Cock of the Walk in Natchez in another day or two but Vicksburg seems lacking in places to eat so we went to Rowdy's.
Rowdy's was very good. I was impressed with the fried catfish, excellent cornbread, black eyed peas and turnip greens. The blackened catfish was not so good. Not enough seasoning or sear to be truly blackened.
Tuesday - Hotel provided bagels and fruit was breakfast. We toured the Vicksburg Battlefield until 2 and then went south hoping to hit the
Old Country Store in Lorman in time for a late lunch/early dinner. When we got there it looked closed so we proceeded to
Cock of the Walk.
I do like catfish so 2 nights in a row of excellent fried catfish, cornbread, greens and sweet tea was no hardship. Neither place makes good hush puppies IMHO.
Wednesday - No breakfast. Did a guided tour of the town and visited the Natchez Indian Grand Village then made a beeline to
Mammy's Cupboard where we picked up Caramel Banana pie and Hummingbird cake and then hurried to McComb for the
Dinner Bell.
Everything was excellent from both places. At the Dinner Bell we sat next to some older locals who were amazed that we had heard of the place and they told us how the roundtable restaurants used to be much more common in Mississippi. I told the owner that we had learned of the place via Roadfood books and forums.
After travelling to Starkville MS that evening we decided to split a chicken and ribs combo from the
Little Dooey. It was very good but not outstanding. The next morning we spotted
Petty's Barbecue and thought it looked well worth trying but they were not open.
Thursday - Breakfast, I had wanted some ham biscuits and grits since we arrived but had not had any so we went back to the Little Dooey and they turned out a good breakfast that satisfied the craving.
Lunch was at
Bill's Hamburgers in Amory. The covered sidewalk is gone now so I thought they might have moved. Bill's was quite tasty.
After visiting Shiloh Battlefield (and planning to return the next day) we went to Savannah TN were we had the only truly bad meal of the trip. La Positina (or something like that) is a terrible excuse for a Mexican restaurant and should be avoided at all costs.
Friday - Breakfast at the Whirleybird (or Worleybird, owned by country singer Daryl Worley) was OK. I would look elsewhere next time.
"Lunch" was at the
Pie Folks in Olive Branch and I really enjoyed the Coconut pie and the Smack Yo Mama Chocolate pie.
Dinner was at
Leonards Barbecue and it was excellent. Karen got the wet ribs and I got the dry. I prefer dry ribs but both were great. Excellent beans and rolls came with the meal, I could not get excited about the mustardy coleslaw.
Saturday -
Bryant's Breakfast got a second chance and it was well worth trying a second time. Excellent biscuits! I make a mean biscuit but these are better than mine so I have to figure out what I need to do.
In the airport before the trip home I resisted the temptation to try the Interstate Barbecue in terminal B.
We really enjoyed our trip and appreciate all the tips on places to eat.