It's time for Matchbook Monday. Some real gems of Jackson's past are
posted below. Feel free to add your stories or any information about
them in the comments section as you enjoy these blasts from the past. Readers
can email copies of any old matchbooks to
kingfish1935@gmail.com.
First up is a watering hole remember fondly by a few:
Of course, what would the Jackson bar scene have been without Poets in the Quarter?
The Grillis family operated several restaurants over the years on Lamar Street. One incarnation was Grillis Grill.
This matchbook is off the restaurant roster but Odom's helped many people see over the years. Although there were several locations, most people remember the main store at the corner of Fortification and North State Streets. McDonald's now sits where Odom's once flourished. The Primo's restaurant burned down. Odom's was torn down along with the restaurant. Mr. Odom was a decorated combat vet in WWII who had only partial use of his arm due to his combat injuries.
It opened in 1959.
14 comments:
Wonder if Gary Neville survived?
The Recovery Room...my home away from home in the early to mid-seventies! Tommy and Teresa Alderman were the best. How I miss that place!
Does anywone remember a guy at the Recovery Room with a giant parrot? I remember seeing him outside on a payphone many times when passing by in the afternoons, probably in the mid to late 80s.
As the story goes, TGIF became the go to place for young hipsters and the serious drinkers needed a watering hole and they came up with Piss On Everything Tomorrow is Saturday. Several of the adjoining 2nd story “ offices” is where trust took place before heading home to their eastover families.
I think I remember The Recovery Room offering free beer in exchange for AA sobriety chips. The longer the sobriety, the more free beer.
@10:29. Wonderful thing to have trust before heading home!
@10:29 The story I heard, like so many legends had a slightly different twist.
As I heard it, The owner of Poets, Bubba Spencer had originally signed up to open the TGI Fridays in Jackson, as a franchisee. Supposedly Fridays corporate looked at the potential and decided to shove him aside and open a corporate owned store. That's supposedly when he uttered those famous words that became the acronym POETS
Kingfish, surely you didn't miss the "Billy Cannon Day" announcement at the Neshoba County Fair on that Clarion Ledger page... This was prior to the Halloween run!
Never set foot in The Recovery Room, but have very found memories of Poets from college days and after. Yet another Grillis family restaurant I never knew about! The cover says "Next to Post Office" so I wonder if, rather than Lamar Street where the others were, if this was on Capitol in the little two story building with the blue tile roof next to the old post office where Ridgway Realty offices are now? That would fit with the long, narrow look of the picture. Remember the old Odom's building well. They still run an excellent business in the hands of the founder's son.
I remember the giant parrot at the Recovery Room, too. Didn't they have green shag carpet on the walls? My older brother, now deceased, worked at UMMC and often went there after work. He was the reigning Foos ball champion there for quite awhile and got free beer. RIP, big brother. Thanks for the memories, KF.
Poets had some great food, too. My favorite was the scampi - nice big shrimp in a thick, garlicky white sauce and served in a small, piping hot cast iron skillet. Mighty fine! The Steak Marinade was good, too.
I think they tried to recreate these dishes at the Poets reunion last year, but don't know how that turned out.
After Mr. LeFleur's speculation about the location of the Grillis Grill, I asked a member of the Ridgway family about the history of that building. It was built in 1927 by members of that family and the Grillis Grill was, in fact, located there, followed later by an S&L. The address is 233 Capitol Street, right next to the old post office.
I used to hang out at the Recovery Room. .. you are right about the AA chip thing. I saw it happen on several occasions.
We went to the rec room in med school to play illegal video poker. There was a barfly named max that ranted incoherently. Miss that place.
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