Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

How about adding them, please?

[jhlurie]

I assume you mean to the description of the forum.

Kentucky has a pretty good case for being a contributor of note to Southern food, but do Arkansas and Mississippi share this distinction?

This is just ignorance talking... I'm asking about their food history, not saying that they don't rate it. :)

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Certainly they can all stack up with Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee!

Catfish farming began in Mississippi, and many of the redfish, schrimp and oysters cooked in NO, are caught in Mississippi waters.

[Rail Paul]

Bolivar -

where do YOU like to eat in those states (and your mom;s house doesn't count unless she invite me to dinner...)

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Don't think that's anything to worry about...

Try this for starters:

http://www.gulfcoast.org/mcrba/

(Edited by Bolivar Petit Corona at 7:15 pm on Dec. 24, 2001)

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Click on On-line Dining Directory, next on Seafood & Local Fare

[Nola]

 The Mississippi Gulf Coast has wonderful food, especially seafood. I like a few places in Mobile, Alabama too. I love Kentucky Derby Day pie and have had nice meals in Louisville the 2 times I went for the Race.  I often drive to the Mississippi Gulf Coast just to eat.

[Nola]

I left out Arkansas by accident. I ate at the Front Porch in Yellville it was the weekly buffet, the brook running along the side of the outdoor porch was great. The catfish in Mountain View was excellent and the food at the Ozark reception center with it's emphasis on local food was good. Never had a bad meal the week I spent canoeing the Buffalo River, but it wasn't New orleans food.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Thank you Nola, Kentucky Fried Chicken is grown in Arkansas and Mississippi, as are the Pecans in those Christmas pies.

If there's ham on the table, it's likely Bryan "the flavour of the South".  West Point, Mississippi.  The also produce all manner of meats.

Coca-Cola (Coke) was first bottled in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Barq's Root Beer originated in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The Eastern part of Mississippi is the Dairy State of the South.  If you want Mississippi State Cheese, better get on next year's waiting list soon...

(Edited by Bolivar Petit Corona at 11:52 am on Dec. 29, 2001)

[Holly Moore]

A couple of years ago I had the good fortune to stay at the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg KY

Within the Beaumont Inn is a dining room straight out of the Ante Bellum south.  And on the menu, along with great fried chicken, is country ham.  Aged country ham.  Twice aged country ham.

The miserly proprietor ( I refer to him as miserly as he would neither sell me a ham nor offer his source) purchased one year aged country hams from a local ham-monger.  He would then age them for another one to two years until the ham's interior took on a rich maroon hue and the flavor matured to a level I've never tasted before or since.

The proprietor did allow that taking the first slice from each twice-aged ham was akin to opening a bottle of fine aged wine.  You know it will be great, but you don't know just how great until you taste it.

Beaumont Inn

(Edited by Holly Moore at 5:38 pm on Dec. 25, 2001)

[Rail Paul]

"local ham monger"

There's a lot of that in western and southwestern Kentucky. We ordered Thanksgiving business gifts from Meacham Hams ( http://www.meachamhams.com/) for  years. Very good stuff, but the shipping costs really drove up the price.

One of my colleagues, who has a cabin near Hickman, sends us hams in boxes scavenged from auto parts shipments. Private label stuff, made up for friends and families only. I think they went into that after they left the moonshine business...

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Here's a couple of local favorites of mine:

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar....ls.html

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/Afici...Bars/ticos.html

(Edited by Bolivar Petit Corona at 11:49 am on Dec. 28, 2001)

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

And another local spot:

Name Address City State / Country Zip Phone

Shapley's Restaurant

(Restaurant)

868 Centre St.

Ridgeland

Mississippi

USA

39157

(601) 957-3753

Allows Smoking: Cigar room, patio, and one private dining room.

Humidor: Keeps 3 humidors, each with the capacity to hold 100 cigars. Brands available include Ashton, Punch, Macanudo, La Gloria Cubana, Hoyo de Monterrey, Bauza, and others.

Cuisine: upscale steakhouse with a variety of seafood

Credit: Accepted

Entrees: ม. 95 & up

[Ron Johnson]

Kentucky definitely has been a major contributor to Southern cuisine, not to mention bourbon whiskey.

I live in Louisville, Ky and have travelled throughout the state enjoying great country ham, fried chicken, barbecue in Western Kentucky.  

I have also toured two of the best bourbon distilleries: Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve.

I also lived in Memphis, TN for several years and can vouch for the cuisine of Mississippi.  They say that Memphis is the armpit of Tennessee but the capital of Mississippi.  The City Grocery in Oxford is excellent, as is the Hollywood Cafe in N. Miss.  

[Steve Klc]

Ron--how about those rolled, deep-fried oysters while you were in "Louaville?"  They alone put Louisville on the Southern map of culinary distinction, though I realize some of you from NO might take exception.  I had the very great pleasure to date someone from Louisville for a few years and we visited quite often--often enough, in fact, that I'd make sure we had to drive down Taylorsville Road just so I could stop in to Mazzoni's.   This was circa 1995 and you're so right about the barbecue in and around that part of the state.  We ate alot at Mark's Feed Store but I liked the shack's on the outskirts of town even better.

The only problem I had was with the fine dining.  very conservative, unremarkable and unevolved.  I tried--I really did--to climb on board the "Kentucky Fine Dining" bandwagon and never could.  I haven't been back since 1997.  Though then there was alot of energy along Bardstown Road and Shelbyville Road and in Middletown, in the arts, small entrepreneurs, some edginess and interesting food creeping in among the antique stores.  Who knows, perhaps by now it's a full-fledged foodie heaven.  It was certainly leaning that way.  And who would of thought that I'd find pretty good dim sum in Louisville?  But I did.

While you were in Memphis did you ever at Raji?

(Edited by Steve Klc at 8:19 pm on Jan. 11, 2002)

[Ron Johnson]

Steve:  sorry so late in replying, but forgot about my post here.  If you liked the rolled oysters at Mazzoni's you would love the ones at Check's Cafe in Germantown. 1995 would have been right before I returned to Louisville from Memphis, but I have found some quite good fine-dining here, namely Lilly's, Jack Fry's, Equus, Le Relais, Oakroom, and English Grill.  Maybe things have improved since '95?  If you want to see how things have progressed go to www.louisvillehotbytes.com there are reviews and a pretty lively forum.

While in Memphis I did eat at Raji, and got to know Ms. Jallapelli fairly well.  I was the bartender at Cafe Society and responsible for the wine list.  Many of the distributors conducted wine tastings at Raji.  Amazing food, and a super nice lady.  Actually lots of good food in Memphis, the barbeque was far superior to anything found in Louisville.

I take it you are no longer dating a Louisvillian, but you ought to stop in for a visit sometime anyway.

Maybe if we talk about Louisville enough, Kentucky can be added to the "American South" in this forum!

Cheers.

[Rail Paul]

Ron -

Is Lilly's the small house with Mexican / French cusine, located on a side street? Brilliant wall coverings, looks like an updated, hip tearoom...

I recall a wonderful business lunch there in 1998, but haven't been back to town since. (Didn't get the sale, either)

Paul

[Ron Johnson]

Paul: I must admit you got me puzzled on that one.  Lilly's is run by Kathy Cary, she is known for cooking with regional ingredients indiginous to Kentucky and surrounding areas.  She has been invited to cook at J. Beard house repeatedly.

Perhaps her lunch menu could have had some Mexican type thing on the day you were there, but I wouldn't describe her restaurant as a small house on a side street.  Probably was not Lilly's. Hmmm, I want to figure this out.   Could you give me a few more clues about this place?  What part of town was it in? Expensive or cheap?  Mexican-French?  that part really has me puzzled.

So what brought you to my fair city?

[Ron Johnson]

Paul:  Was it Lynn's Paradise Cafe?  Lots of kitschy decoration and somewhat retro?  She is know to cook with a slight Mexican infuence.

[Rail Paul]

let me go back and find the reimbursement voucher, that should tell me the name. I don't recall it to have been expensive.

I remember it was a house, with several rooms, very intimate (4-5 tables in our room).

[scaustin1]

If you are looking for great restaurants in Mississippi, there are in Jackson: Bravos (Wine Spectator Award), Huntington Grille, Schimmels.  Cleveland, MS is the home of KC's (James Beard Chef - Wally Jo), Oxford MS is the home of zCity Grocery (Chef John Currence studied under Bill Neal and the Brennans), and Hattiesburg has Purple Parrot.  It has a growing culinary community aside from soul food, fried food, and BBQ.

[Bolivar Petit Corona]

Well, they still aren't added to description, dunno why?

[joiei]

Mississippi - Cleveland - KC's, the Beard House dinner there last year was great, Michael did the dessert course.

Clarksdale - Madidi, Morgan Freeman's restaurant. Excellent food and Mr. Freeman was dining there that night.

Arkansas - Fayetteville - James at the Mill, the chef is doing great stuff and has just opened a new place by the university called Ella's. I am going over tomorrow for lunch and to catch the farmer's market on the downtown square. I only had average meals in Little Rock. I have heard about a place in Bentonville that I plan on checking out.

Kentucky, i have never been there so I have no opinion.

[erraticninja]

I have heard about a place in Bentonville that I plan on checking out. 

what place in bentonville? I live in fayetteville and would love to know of a new interesting place. NW Arkansas (fayetteville, springdale, bentonville, rogers, eureka springs) definately has the best dining in the state from what i can tell.

as far as the other states listed i have no experience but there are several places of note in arkansas. chef james is doing some great things. one of my latest faves is picasso's pizza. an unassuming strip mall pizza joint with a cia trained chef doing some interesting food (this is in fayetteville)

[joiei]

oh god, it looks like I am going to have to eat two lunches.

Northwest Arkansas is a happening place. I just would avoid it during the War Eagle Craft show.