Jackson Jambalaya

Another reminder that bleeding heart liberals render every city uninhabitable.

The last time I was in the restaurant was a few weeks ago. The food was not good. I felt like I was eating at my great aunt's house and she hadn't emptied her litter boxes.

That's a good space. Someone will make something work there.

The Elite was never what I would call fine dining, but it was very good when we at there a few weeks ago. I remember the days when there were lines outside at lunch time. Those were the days before some of the law and accounting firms went north. I’ll miss the Elite and will always remember it fondly.

The Elite was never "fine dining"
Nor did it pretend to be.

The Elite was Jackson.

Just like the Zoo was Jackson.

Although It hadn't been what it once was for a long time. it was still a little part of Jackson many of us will always cherish.

God help The Mayflower.

I hope they can survive a few more years,

I’ve been eating at the Elite for 40 years. I’ll miss the fried veal cutlet and the classic booths. My grandfather used to ask if I wanted to eat at the E-Lite. Thanks for the memories.

What January 4, 2020 at 12:58 AM said. Ten Times.

I will miss the EE-Light. Where's the teardrop icon?

It's not so much that the ELight got old and went away. It's that most of its true, real customers did. Sure, it became trendy for high-fashion young male and female lawyers, but they were just Johnny-Come-Lately customers. The real customers, those who made the place what it became, are resting in Greenwood Cemetery after passing through Wright & Ferguson.

R.I.P.

The notice regarding the w e gore coffee club is part of legend it refers to Attorney weaver Ellis gore who practiced by law into his 90s .

Several new restaurants in city of Jackson. Lou's just recently expanded plus addition of manship parlor market saltines... all of these places are slammed with young clientele and the elite was poor on service and food quality. It doesn't attract young people.

@10:04
What does your comment actually mean? The new additions of restaurants in city of Jackson such as Lou's, manship, saltines, even parlor market and Estelle wine bar downtown attract young people. These people no longer want to eat at places like the Elite.

My wife and I both worked at the Paramount theater in the mid 60's, just out of high school. The Elite was where we spent our break and lunch times each day. We continued to eat there occasionally, even after leaving the Jackson area in 1977. Wonderful memories of the veal cutlet, as well as the great staff back then.

Best rolls on the planet.

Good riddance.

that hurts to read. I loved that place. I fault every Mayor and Council person in the city of Jackson for the past 25 years.

I loved the enchilada and rolls. Sadly, The Elite has been circling the drain for a while now.

8:11 am Why? The Mayflower still thrives because the menu still delivers without any variation. The same is true for Crechales on hwy 80.

The problem with the Elite is that even the rolls weren't as good as they once were. When I last ate there in 2012, the rolls tasted "day old" not the fresh from the oven . And, instead of fresh vegetables, it was clearly, canned or frozen.

The problem was in the kitchen, not in government.

This has nothing to do with crime or poor city leadership. It has everything to do with poor service and mediocre food. Over the past few years, service at the Elite had gotten to the point of critical mass. The Mayflower is still blowing and going, same with the Parlour Market.

yes it is definitely the fault of liberals that a family-run restaurant went downhill after the death of its founders...

Can’t say I really enjoyed the food there, but I do hate to see it go. It was a piece of what Jackson once was and what many (yes, including me up in Madison County) wish that it could be again. Maybe it’ll happen in another generation.

The E-lite was the first restaurant my parents took me to in the late ‘40s. It was a great place for many years and had terrific food, especially the secret recipe rolls. Mr. Jimmy and Mr. Pete were good people and made friends out of their customers. I am sorry to see it close down, but that is just the way things are going in what was once a great city. I was born and grew up in Jackson. We lived on West Capitol across from Barr school and you could walk to Calvary Baptist church and even to downtown safely. Jackson has become such a lawless place that now I wouldn’t even drive through that area. Our once great city has become a shameful disgrace to the state.

Then Elite closed IMHO, because the offerings never changed with the times. They were using the same menu that they had when it opened decades ago. Women don't want veal cutlets, mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch, accompanied by super high carb rolls. (Or enchiladas, for that matter). It has been painful watching her slow death, and watching a frantic Toula nervously handle the cash register.

Whoever has the enchilada recipe please post it

Reply to 10:23 AM
Enchilada recipe from the Elite.
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes
1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. 2. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
3. Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
4. Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
5. Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. 7. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

I too hate to see the Elite close up. My wife used to work at the James O. Eastland Federal Courthouse and we would often meet at the Elite after she got through for the day. I never had bad service at the Elite. Charlene and his sisters always took great care of us. No, the food was not fine dining, but the club sandwich with fries was great. Toula’s was the only place in town that used real turkey on the Club and not pieces parts. The meatballs and spaghetti and come back dressing and, of course, the rolls will all be missed. I always enjoyed the gumbo and the shrimp cocktail as well.

Best to Toula and Chuck in the future.

The Elite was all about location and paucity of competition. It had the rolls, which were genuinely wonderful, but not much else. The enchiladas were, shall we say, unique, but you didn't want to be in close quarters that afternoon. One could call them "Death by Tex-Mex."

Mr. Pete had the personality of a New York traffic cop, but one always had fun complaining about him. For me, I would mostly keep walking to The Mayflower. Even so, I will miss the Elite in the same way I will miss Al's on the Half Shell and the Jolly Roger. Where are the Shamrocks of yesteryear? Gone to graveyards every one.

Pete was 98.

Nothing to do with political changes, safety etc. as some of the jackasses here like to immediately assume. (Downtown Jackson remains very, very safe.) I have worked on Capitol Street for 40 years and eaten hundreds and hundreds of lunches at the Elite. Mainly enchiladas (hold the onions) and veal cutlets. The quality went seriously bad the past 5 years, thus less and less patronage, including mine. The Mayflower continues to pack them in at lunch as well as weekend nights. Likewise, Parlor Market, Kiefers, Hal and Mal’s and Martin’s. Fresh, quality food is the difference.

So Many wonderful Memories. Seems like so many things in my life that brought smiles to my face just by mention of their name all are ending up the same way. Its like losing an Old Friend. It can depress you but I will not I will embrace change in 2020. I will be about finding the next Elite.

Thank You Mr. Pete and Family and those many many wonderful waitresses and cooks, Thank you Elite I will always smile when I think about the numerous wonderful meals and fellowship and stories I experienced there. Rest In piece my old friends you Ran the race very well.

January 4, 2020 at 1:47 PM here
CORRECTION:

Charlene and HER sisters.

The poster regrets the error.

Maybe Jackson will finally get an authentic, artisan, small batch, farm to table restaurant where I can sit on my MacBook, sip free trade coffee, smoke weed and wear my fake work boots, scarf and wool cap to!

TOTALLY Man I hear you

Toula should have begged Anthony to come back and given Chuck the boot1

They finally posted notice of the closing on Facebook a little while ago. The comments are all positive but it seems most of them are from old people or from those who ate there a long time ago. Not too many current experiences are mentioned. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I always made a point to eat there when I was working downtown. With so many businesses, law firms, etc. leaving downtown Jackson, it is not surprising.

While it was not gourmet, it was a good place for a good meal. It will be missed.

During the mid 1970's the Elite almost burned down.

When the Zouboukos brothers were rebuilding, it was decided to leave the exposed brick wall on the East side of the restaurant. Prior to the fire, that wall was covered by wallpaper that reflected a panoramic ocean scene. This can be seen in the photos KF posted above.

My question (to any old fart like me), wasn't there a second "wallpapering" that had a similar, albeit more Greek/Mediterranean panorama ?

Yeah, I know, that sounds like a goofy question.

But as a child, for some reason I was always mesmerized by that scene as I ate those famous
veal cutlets.

Currently the best plate lunch downtown is at Martin's. Y'all should check it out. Hell of a lot better than whatever I ate at the Elite over the past fifteen years.

I am sorry to see the Elite close. We at there a couple months ago and the food was the same. I have been eating there since high school in the late 50's. BTW, Weaver Gore still practiced law up until a year-or-so before he died. He would come by our office and we would help him with his clients. When Ms Edith made him stop driving is when he stopped lawyering (sp).

5:52. Agree. Joseph has worked magic with he total re-do, from aesthetics, to food, to no smoking, etc. Great food (and really great burgers).

Does anyone have the recipe for the veal cutlets and cream sauce? And the rolls?

I agree... I go to Martin's for the blue plate. It's amazing the quality.

My Elite memories go back to childhood, so I am really sad to see this news. If you've been around long enough, you'll remember back when Mister Pete and Mister Jimmy were firmly in control of the helm --- lines were out the door, and the joke was that Mister Pete would snatch your plate from under you as the last fork of veal cutlets were lifted because they had to clear the table to accommodate the crowd waiting outside. Literally EVERY table and booth in the house was full every time I went there in the 1980's & 1990's. After Mister Jimmy passed away, the quality of the food started to decline and by the time Mister Pete passed away, the long term trajectory was set in motion. Sadly, this closure was a long time in the making, but was not a surprise. I do believe it could have been prevented if the food quality and reasonable price structure of yesteryear had been preserved. It doesn't matter that downtown changed because people will find good food at a good value. Somehow those core restaurant principles were lost along the way. With that said, my family and I remained faithful patrons of the Elite until the very end and will miss Gail, Charlene, Toula, Chuck and the others. Good luck all and take care.

This place is an example of why absentee owners cannot run a local restaurant.

The heirs should have sold it years ago and made some money.

Now it’s just a building with bad decor and a bad reputation.

Best for chuck to crawl up in a nursing home and pester nurses while he shits himself

Who cares where the fashionista attorneys eat lunch? Young people? What young people? Oh..all those who live in the downtown lofts? Nobody goes 'into' downtown Jackson to eat lunch, much less the evening meal (supper). Saltines? Nowhere near downtown Jackson. The best food is at the Holiday Inn Southwest...wait, it closed years ago. Well, how about the Holiday Inn North at Woodrow...Wait, it's being bulldozed.

Where have all the boarding houses gone, with the lazy susan full of vegetables and Chicken 'n Dumplins? Or the Krystal on the downtown corner where we'd stop after leaving the coast, headed up into the Delta? Where's that great restaurant at the old Farmer's Market, The Rotisserie, downtown Primos, Dennery's? All are casualties in one form or another. And I've left out twenty others.

No; government nor liberals are directly responsible for The Elite closing down, but both are damned sure responsible for turning the entire city into a shit-show of decay and ruin.

You Unicorn-Worshipers can talk all day long about Parlour Marquette, The District, a soul food kitchen in a raunchy neighborhood and the existing remnants of The Mayflower. Continue right along with your deception, delusion and white guilt.

E-Light? Geez, have rural people have always been stupid?

12:10 pm

Your ignorance is shining

It was called E Light from day 1

Only later did elite come into play

Before you open mouth ask a few questions

" Where have all the boarding houses gone, with the lazy susan full of vegetables and Chicken 'n Dumplins? Or the Krystal on the downtown corner where we'd stop after leaving the coast, headed up into the Delta? Where's that great restaurant at the old Farmer's Market, The Rotisserie, downtown Primos, Dennery's? All are casualties in one form or another. And I've left out twenty others. "

Very well said 8::40.

I remember he twenty others you didn't mention.

To quote the opening scene of a famous 1939 movie . . .

" Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind."

I only ate there a few times, what I remember most is that the food always gave me the runs.

8:40 well said

Wished I had known this was coming. I would have liked to go there one last time. I have many memories of eating there with my Dad. And I, like January 4, 2020 6:26 PM will miss those heavenly veal cutlets and of course the rolls too.

Eating with my parents at the Elite is one of my most cherished memories. My daddy loved it and introduced it to me and both of my boys! We had the best time there EVERY Thursday night. It makes me very sad to see the Elite has closed. But, the Jackson that I grew up in and the one that both my parents grew up in is gone! It was the most wonderful place to grow up. I have grieved over what it has become! I want it back!!

I applaud everyone who loved the Elite/ EeLight..and the Jackson we were born and raised in!! It was wonderful, whether you were rural, city, or whatever. And yes Jackson has been so very mistreated just like the malls, restaurants, schools, neighborhoods, and everything else there. I do miss the life it had in it. And the beliefs that people had then...