Food & Drink

The Food Also Rises: Easter Dining

For some families and many Christian denominations, it's traditional to begin Easter Sunday with a sunrise worship service. Jacksonians without a particular church home—or looking to start the day with a more diverse congregation—can join together at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum at 7 a.m. March 27 with Dr. Dolphus Weary of Mission Mississippi as the speaker. Or, join The Journey at Smith Park at 10 a.m. for dance, music, worship and a free meal.

What Women Want

A friend of mine recently advised me about how to attract women. An authority on the subject, he is—in the vernacular—a "babe magnet."

More Ways To Skin A Catfish

Did you know that catfish accounts for 46 percent of the value of aquaculture production in the United States? That 660 million pounds were produced in 2003? That the catfish crop was valued at $425 million in 2003? Or that Mississippi accounted for the greatest part of that value at $243 million that year? Unless you raise catfish for a living, you probably don't really care, not as long as your favorite catfish place has plenty of the boneless filets to satisfy the craving that hits you regularly.

Cupid Has To Eat, Too

No pressure here. You have one night—a Monday, for crying out loud—to impress your sweetheart, whether you've been shacking up for years, or are just now starting to flirt a bit. So where do you take your sweetie in and around Jacktown?

Pears, Onions, and Truffles

Over the Christmas holidays, while Mama and I were in Portland, Ore., visiting my two 20-something sons who cook for a living, we dined out when they weren't cooking for us at their apartment. One of the best meals out that I had in Portland was at the 3 Doors Down Café, in the Hawthorne District, east of the Willamette River. And it wasn't good just because Lamont and Leland cook there.

[New Year's] Celebrate Good Times, Come On

Not sure what to do on New Year's Eve? Here's your guide to what many Jackson-area restaurants and nightspots are offering on the big night. If you're a venue and want to add your specials for the evening, just register and post it yourself under this story—or send the info to [e-mail missing], and we'll do it for you. Happy new year!

All Dry Rub, No Sauce

Lest we forget, eateries can also include those convenient places where one may stop in and pick up food to take home and enjoy in front of the fireplace or your favorite TV show. In that case, Sweet Daddy's Smokehouse at the Exxon, 366-6933, on the corner of Northside and McWillie, certainly qualifies as an eatery. For the past 16 years or so, Mr. Johnny has in charge of the tiny building with the smokestack right beside the store. That's where he gets the meat that's ready for customers, seven days a week, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. "It's all dry rub, no sauce," he told me recently, and the chicken is strictly rotisserie. On the menu: slab ribs, $13; half slab ribs, $6.75; whole chicken, $7.00; half chicken, $3.75; pork chop, $2.75; pork chop po-boy, $3.25; po-boy roll, $.50. Mr. Johnny says he's cooked for the company, meaning whoever owned the gas station. I asked if he knew Gene Methvin—"He was the first one, the very first one, and a fine man, too," he responded.

Her Divine Cooking Life

The first thing you notice about Barbara Michelson's "Leave Nothing on The Back Burner: My Happy Cooking Life" is the size and heft of the bright yellow hardback book. Then the title catches your eye, making you aware that this is a different sort of cookbook. That fact is brought home in the author's dedication: "This is my last will and cookbookament. It covers everything I would want everyone to know if I were suddenly struck by a bus and killed, including stories of many of the friends and family members who have nurtured my love of food—both preparing it and consuming it. Of course there are a few other people I have also loved. But since in their lifetimes they weren't able to produce one interesting, amusing or delicious dish, I'm sorry, they'll have to be in someone else's memoirs."

Dinner with Olga and Yuriy

Think about it. What's the least likely soup you could order homemade-fresh in a Flowood restaurant? In a million years, you'd probably never guess Russian borscht. That's the answer, though, and it's served Thursday nights—Russian night—at Olga's Restaurant at 1679 Old Fannin Road, 992-1092, in front of Winners Circle Park, one-fourth mile north of Dogwood Festival.

Fantastic Fall Food

Elixir Restaurant and Bar, 4800 I-55 North, 981-7896, gives female Jacksonians their very own present for its first birthday—Working Women's Wednesdays—throughout the month of November—from 5-7 p.m., the special is $5 cosmopolitans. Don't worry: those of you who are non-working women won't be turned away at the door.

A Time to Gain

Changes galore have taken place at BRAVO! in Highland Village—with a new menu, new grill, new wine tastings and new décor.

Up and Down the Avenue

On Bailey Avenue, from Woodrow Wilson to Northside, there's only one chain fast-food joint, McDonald's. And that's a good thing. There's plenty else to eat on Bailey. Here's the lowdown on what you can find to eat up and down the avenue. At the Woodrow Wilson end, Munches Restaurant, 2632 Bailey Ave., 981-3878, serves their Daily Lunch Special beginning at 11 a.m., Monday through Saturday, closing at 9 p.m. except on Friday and Saturday—their menu proudly proclaims: YES, We are OPEN until 1 a.m. Fri. & Sat. The Daily Lunch Special is $4.99. Wednesdays, when it's spaghetti, potato or green salad, sweet peas, rolls and fried chicken, is their biggest day. Now for the unreal savings. With a $20 Lunch Card, good for an entire year, the Daily Lunch Special price drops to $2.99, no matter how many times that fried chicken calls your name, and it's on the menu Monday through Friday. Plus, there's free delivery on four or more orders.

Pulling Double Duty

There's something about the Fondren area that is unique. No, I don't mean the colors of the buildings or the fact that neighborhood is so diverse. What I mean is this: Once a business is successful, it often spins off another success, sorta like TV shows used to do back in the day when the networks gave them a chance. The lead-off hitter in this game is Chane with his numerous establishments: Swell, soma-etheria, Studio Chane and who knows what else is coming. But, joining the game at a fast pace are the folks from Rooster's and Basil's with their new venture, right there in the Fondren Corner Building at the corner of North State Street and Fondren Place.

Attack of the State Street Sandwiches

If there's anything Jackson offers in spades it's a good lunch—particularly plate lunches and meat-and-veggie smorgasbords such as Collins' Dream Kitchen, Two Sisters, George Street Grocery, 930 Blues Café, Gloria's Kitchen, and many others. But what you may not be getting enough of are some of the city's best new sandwiches. In fact, returning students may not even know about some of these places as they've all opened their doors in the past year or less. And here's another odd fact—all three have opened within two miles of each other on State Street—biking distance for Millsaps, UMC and Belhaven students and only a short drive for Tougaloo's and JSU's sandwich fans.

A Vegetarian's Cafeteria Survival Guide

It's noon on your first real day of classes, and you can't remember a time you were this hungry. You could eat a horse, if eating horse wasn't against your personal dietary code of ethics. You approach the cafeteria with a dangerous sense of hope—excited to sample one of the many vegetarian options promised in your registration pamphlet. No more brown sack lunches, you tell yourself, you're in college, where they understand the needs of a vegetarian.

Ellington