Pleasant’s BBQ, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

I need to get back down to Mississippi more often. Back in my working days, I probably drove on every paved road in the Delta and half of the rest of the state. Recently I’ve lived vicariously through our Senior Mississippi and Idaho Correspondent, Doug Herbert, a son of Mendenhall, Mississippi, home of the legendary Revolving Tables Restaurant. You’ll recall Doug from his report on … Continue reading Pleasant’s BBQ, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Have You Ever Had a Pig Ear Sandwich?

I have. I first had a pig ear sandwich at the Tired Texan, a food truck in Birmingham.  My good friend and then-vegan, Jean Webb, had recommended the Tired Texan to me — specifically their Damnit to Hell sandwich: pork barbecue with a whole lot of Tabasco sauce.  (Jean was a strict vegan at the time, although he continued to eat barbecue.)  I had the … Continue reading Have You Ever Had a Pig Ear Sandwich?

The Rebel Barn, Water Valley, Mississippi

UPDATE:  Alas, the Rebel Barn has closed.  The COVID restrictions have killed scores of barbecue places.  This is another.  Was hoping to swing by for more barbecue and some tamales during an Ole Miss football trip.  It will be missed. When you think of Water Valley, Mississippi, and I grant that you may not think of it often, you probably think of Casey Jones, the … Continue reading The Rebel Barn, Water Valley, Mississippi

Lindsey’s Chevron, Oxford, Mississippi

I’ve never reviewed a gas station.  I visit gas stations fairly often, but I do so to get gas, use the restroom and, if I do the latter without the former, buy two packs of two-for-a-dollar peanuts or some local specialty.  Many gas stations also sell food, usually hot dogs and the like.  Some also sell fried chicken.  I try to stay away from those foods, … Continue reading Lindsey’s Chevron, Oxford, Mississippi

The Montague-Tanner Rehearsal Dinner at Southern Craft Stove + Tap, Oxford, Mississippi

The reason we were in Oxford, Mississippi, was the wedding of my youngest nephew, David Tanner, to the lovely Taylor Montague.  The bride and groom to be had reserved Southern Craft Stove + Tap for their rehearsal dinner.  I’ve written about Southern Craft as a restaurant, and just loved it, especially the turnip green and artichoke dip and what I have decided is the World’s … Continue reading The Montague-Tanner Rehearsal Dinner at Southern Craft Stove + Tap, Oxford, Mississippi

Bouré, Oxford, Mississippi

Back to Memphis…and then to Oxford. After the three days of the Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour, I headed to the Memphis Airport to pick up Liza, Michael, Ella, and Lily, and headed to Oxford, Mississippi, for the David Tanner-Taylor Montague wedding.  I’m an easy-going guy, and I didn’t want to insist on a continuous diet of barbecue places for everyone else.  Also, or perhaps … Continue reading Bouré, Oxford, Mississippi

Abe’s Bar-B-Q, Clarksdale, Mississippi

I flew into Memphis on a Tuesday morning, several days ahead of a stay in Oxford, Mississippi for the wedding of my nephew, David Tanner, to the lovely Taylor Montague.  Upon landing, I headed straight down US 61, the Blues Highway, past miles of level cotton fields, to Clarksdale, Mississippi, and began the Great Memphis Region Barbecue Sandwich Tour. Clarksdale is the center of the … Continue reading Abe’s Bar-B-Q, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Southern Craft Stove + Tap, Oxford, Mississippi

After lunch at SAW’s, Nancy and I drove from Birmingham to visit the Oxford, Mississippi, Tanners — my nephew Griffin, his wife Molly, their children Anne Douglas and Henry, and my younger nephew Dave.  If you haven’t visited Oxford, you should.  It’s a lovely town with an even lovelier college campus, and, of course, Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s home.  Definitely visit Rowan Oak. The heart … Continue reading Southern Craft Stove + Tap, Oxford, Mississippi

The Elvis Tour

My friend Charley reminds me that tomorrow will mark “39 years since the King left the house.”  Garden and Gun offers a timely travel guide for Elvis fans, of whom I am one. The tour includes his birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi — a plain shotgun house that I visited many years ago while on the way from Birmingham to Blytheville, Arkansas to visit my grandmother, … Continue reading The Elvis Tour