Posted by Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on February 04, 2008
A "Mississippi boatman"-themed restaurant, situated above the banks of the river: this Cock of the Walk is the original, and is now part of a small chain. One would expect this sort of place to be a tourist magnet, and it is, but it's apparently a local favorite, too. And kids love it.
There's a swagger to the waiters and waitresses who patrol the dining rooms, and that's part of the show that is dinner here. When your server arrives, she will come bearing a cast iron pan of cornbread which she flips in the air (the bread, not the pan) before resting it on your table. Don't be fooled by the showmanship; this is outstanding cornbread, crunchy and buttery-rich. Pickled onions arrive, too.
The menu is limited, and is also your placemat. The onion rings are good, the fried dill pickle chips are odd, in that they are sliced paper thin and fried crunchy through and through, resulting in a briny-flavored chip unlike the juicy fried dill pickle spears you'll find throughout the Delta. Ice water is served in metal cups, and food is served in aluminum pie pans.
The reason for coming, besides the great cornbread, is the fried catfish (you can also get yours, heaven forfend, grilled). A plate of cornmeal-crusted fillets, salty and satisfying, is accompanied by good hushpuppies and coleslaw, and french fries. This is excellent catfish. There is dessert, but we have no idea what it is.
Overall: Worth planning a day around
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Reviewers "Must Eats" List
"These are very crunchy-crusted catfish fillets."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"We took this picture maybe 3 minutes after the cornbread arrived. Another 3 minutes, there'd be no picture. Note the tin cup of ice water. Those are pickled onions to the right."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
