Jackson Jambalaya

Had forgotten about this. Made me smile.

I remember her columns and agree with her opinion of every one of the mentioned restaurants. It would be handy to have a trusted critic tasting dishes and commenting before I go spend $$$ to try some place new.

We have so few nice things in Jackson anymore. Thanks for the memories of times long gone.

And Jack Sunn would answer the type questions you would Google the answer to nowadays. I understand Jack Sunn was not one person, but rotated among the CL/JDN staff.

I waited on her table at House of Wong and got an A for service a hundred years ago. Many years later, my neighbor was writing that column and he panned a new steak place on Old Canton near the intersection of North State and they complained. The Clarion Ledger was afraid it would lose advertisers and ended the column.

How wonderful it must have been, to live in an era when the taste of food, was not overshadowed by worries about TIP ANXIETY (please waitstaff with a big tip, or risk criticism for overtipping ...or wondering how to let waitstaff know that you'll tip big, in order to not have your food sabotaged with poo or pee or spit), fears of which bodily products have been secreted into what one has ordered, and wondering from what criminal nation the (potentially toxic) food has been imported.

What a bygone era for Jackson, the CL, and newspapers in general.

I looked forward to Epicurious each week.

I didn't always agree with the reviews, but still enjoyed it.

The longer it ran, the more the critics seemed to take on a snobbish tone.
God Lord, they were reviewing Mississippi restaurants ...not Paris, New York or even New Orleans.

That iteration of Chesterfield’s (maybe between fire #1 and fire #2) was easily the best. That old building had partitions everywhere, so it was quiet and private. The bar was cool. The current one on 98 west shares the name but not nearly the vibe.

I always enjoyed reading the Epicurious column. However, I never understood why "Quantity" was one of the 5 review factors.

Remember Epicurious well but did not it was a female. I figured it was a crusty, old white dude who was balding. He/She was a kick-ass reviewer, for sure, who I found to be on target all the time.

Unlike that other person who you constantly give space to, who is more about his personal pursuits and worldly experiences, Epicurious was a superb entertainer and a valued addition to a long-forgotten newspaper.

It was several people over the years.

at the same time as epicourious there was actually someone who did wine reviews of wines sold in the liquor stores at the time.
whoever it was knew about as much about wine as i know about the backside of the moon.

they made a huge fuss over white zinfedales.

I miss the days of Widow Watsons, Swensens , Bennigans, Gridleys and Ralph and Kacoos… just to name a few. Jackson had a little bit of everything then and we were proud to live there.

We had the Clarion Ledger and Jackson Daily News delivered every day. Too bad one went out of business and one is not worth the price of subscription.

@5:48 PM you literally just listed a bunch of bankrupt chain restaurants. Why not add Chi-Chi’s, Steak & Ale, and a bunch of others that existed everywhere in American long before they came to Jackson!

i own a retaurant in jax for 38 plus years , she would as well as anyone else would probably skewer me but i wish they would bring that back. i loved reading it . somtimes right and sometimes wrong but allways intresting , prob get sued nowdays if you did it.......

It doesn’t matter smart ass. Jackson was safe and we had a sense of community.Those are my memories of wonderful places in the 80’s.

"they made a huge fuss over white zinfedales."

They probably even knew how to spell it correctly......

Seem to recall that Leatha’s BBQ in Columbia was the only restaurant in the state to receive the highest rating.

This comment has nothing to do with food, but 6:43’s memories of Jackson’s newspapers prompted me to say that in addition to those mentioned, there was also The State Times. Some folks even had a special mailbox for it, complete with the paper’s logo on it. So, at one time Jackson had three good news papers instead of the pitiful USA Clarion-Ledger that's now offered.

Epicurious - the original - Ms. Betty Jolly, did a great job with her column in the CL; one of the columns worth reading every week. And at that time (unnoted by you KF, but probably understood by many) she was an 'unknown' for many years as she visited many of Jackson's fine dining places with her husband, the Hon. Judge Grady Jolly (one of Jackson's prizes).

I plan to go back and read all of these old reviews, as they are certainly enjoyable. Started with the first (Walkers - still one of the best restaurants in the state) and brought back memories of the great Charlie Hyneman, a gentleman in every form. Yes, his bringing Walkers forward for a nighttime fine dining ( carried on tothis day by another great gentleman and restauranter ) was only one of his achievements. But in addition to his talents over a fine kitchen stove, I had the immense pleasure of having pan fried bream taken off the hook and into the pan; breakfast omlets with crawfish (boiled the night before at our campsite); and many other fine dining experiences at his other ventures prior to his leaving the metro area. Like so many others (toasted by Epicurious, and those that came after) he was one of the fine individuals who faught the tough life of operating a restaurant in our fine city.

Appreciate your repeating these columns; I'm sure I will find memories amongst the others as well.

Related to Judge Grady Jolly?

Leatha's was famous for 'dry' ribs. Took dry to a new level. At a bare minimum, ribs should at least be moist and tender when you bit off a mouthful. Those ribs were as dry as a rice-cake.

I have never taken a fish straight from the hook to the pan.

I always spoon-scale or filet my bream after taking them off the hook and BEFORE laying them 'into the pan'. May I suggest that for your next attempt?

From the earlier post: "'unknown' for many years as she visited many of Jackson's fine dining places with her husband, the Hon. Judge Grady Jolly"

If you know where to look you can still visit the slab of the burned-down Schooner's on Highway 18

I never ate at Leatha's in Columbia, but the Leatha's in Hattiesburg is nothing special. Good, but nothing special.

Not a fan of walkers anymore. IYKYK

How would you think "IYKYK", anyone in hell would possibly know why you are not a fan of Walkers anymore? What a stupid, leading nothing question/statement you posted? (And, no, I'm certainly not a regular or supporter of them, per se.)