Mississippi

Walker’s Drive In, Jackson, MS., 3/27/26

~ hsnixon ~ 1 Comment
building – 3016 N State St, Jackson, MS 39216-4203

Walker’s Drive In was taken over by Chef Joe Cravens in July 2025 after two decades under Chef Derek Emerson.  Originally from Memphis, Cravens worked under numerous award winning chefs and also for US Foods as a Territory Manager.  They offer lunch and dinner Tues to Fri (only dinner on Sat.).  It does look like a drive-in but now it’s only ‘walk-in’ with reservations.  They had a good-sized patio and an equal size interior dining room with booths along the wallks and nice sized tables in the middle.  The white cloths are under a hard plexiglass sheet and the lighting is dimmed.  Five stools are at the counter facing the window to the kitchen and service area in between.   There were a lot of daily specials in addition to the printed menu.and a large selection of half bottles of wine on their list.  Service was good and friendly and the place really had an energy but much of the food was too salty and blah.  Perhaps it was due to Cravens not there that night or we ordered badly.  It certainly had a steady stream of customers, so they’re doing something right. Continue reading →

Pulito Osteria, Jackson, MS., 3/26/26

~ hsnixon ~ 6 Comments
building – 800 Manship St, Suite #104, Jackson, MS 39202-2029

Pulito Osteria is the work of Chef Chaz Lindsay who grew up nearby.  After studying at the Culinary Institute of America he worked at numerous kitchens including NYC’s Eleven Madison Park and then headed to Rome, Italy to study Italian cuisine.   Now all the pastas at Pulito are made in house and Chef Lindsay combines these Italian dishes with a southern twist to make the food wonderful.  He learned in Italy that dishes don’t have to be complex and instead concentrate on the quality of the ingredients.  It’s a large place with both outdoor and several rooms of indoor dining.  You can see the kitchen from the entry room and the large pizza oven.  Tables and booths come in a variety of sizes with no tablecloths, music in the background and fairly bright lighting.  Service was friendly and efficient with several daily specials offered.  It was hands down my favorite dining experience in Jackson and hope you’ll get to go when in the area. Continue reading →

Brent’s Drugs, Jackson, MS., 3/26/26

~ hsnixon ~ 3 Comments
exterior – 809 Manship St, Jackson, MS 39202-2028

Brent’s Drugs opened in 1946 in the first shopping center in Mississippi.  Pharmacist Alvin Brent opened it as a pharmacy and soda fountain.   It was successful as both and in 1977 he sold it to a pair of pharmacists that had worked there since 1951.   Pharmacist Randy Calvert bought them out in 1995 and then sold the pharmacy business in 2009 and the soda fountain became the property of Brad Reeves.  The large kitchen was moved into the old pharmacy space but the fountain and bar stools remained where they had been since 1946.  The kitchen was separated by a low wood wall that you could look over when you walked back the bathrooms.  The large space now has booth seating on 3 rows opposite those stools.  In the back is the Apothecary, a classic cocktail bar which I didn’t explore but heard about from those we mentioned Brent’s to.  Service was friendly but slow.  They did offfer a number of custom shake flavors which could be fun to try.  It’s a piece of Jackson history with ice cream treats – don’t miss it. Continue reading →

Elvie’s, Jackson, MS., 3/25/26

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
building – 809 Manship St, Jackson, MS 39202-2028

Elvie’s has Chef Hunter Evans in charge of the kitchen.  He was a finalist for the 2024 James Beard Best Chef South award (a semi-finalist in 2025).  With his partner Cody McCain, they opened Elvie’s in 2020 and the Mayflower Cafe in 2025.  Elvie’s served seasonal cuisine highlighting local farmers and fishermen.  The building was a restored home in Belhaven and the food was highly influenced by by the Evans’s grandmother, Elvieretta Good, from New Orleans.  The good-sized place was longer than wide with counter seating at the bar and bench seating opposite small 2-tops along the wall.  Parking was on the street or there was a free lot down the hill behind the building.  The room was not highly decorated with dark wood windows breaking up the off-white walls.  Lots of light fixtures but the overall room was still fairly dim with a good amount of crowd noise.  They’d tried to dampen this with sound panels on the ceiling and cloths on some tables but it still can be noisy when full.  Part of the kitchen was exposed but most hidden by the counter and walls.   With a full bar it was surprising how limited the wine list was, offering mosly low or high price point bottles.  Of course the first wine we picked our server couldn’t find and so we ended up just buying by the glass, which all added to the time the meal took.  It was easily over 45 minutes to get our first glass let alone food.  I liked the concept and the menu read well but the food was mixed.  We were there for dinner but they are open Tues through Sat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Continue reading →

Mayflower Cafe, Jackson, MS., 3/25/26

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
building – 123 W Capitol St, Jackson, MS 39201-3095

The Mayflower Cafe began over 80 years ago, started by 2 Greek immigrants.  Their third generation owner took control in 1990 and some twenty years later, when he announced closure of the restaurant, Hunter Evans and Cody McCain instead purchased the restaurant in 2024 to keep it going.  This pair owns Elvie’s (review in a couple days) and was a finalist for the Best Chef South James Beard award.  They revamped the neon sign outside that was used in the film The Help and added a first floor bathroom.    It’s a long space with counter stools in the part of the space facing the street and booths along the long walls with tables in the middle.  Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sat. the front stools face the fresh oyster bar at dinner.  Otherwise the room had lots of mirrors and nautical decorations.  They offer a daily special, and all looked to be generous plates of food.  There is a dedicated parking lot in back of the building and street parking.  There were additional rooms that people were walking too but I didn’t go exploring as the dining room got pretty tight with patrons at lunch.  Service was friendly and fairly efficient, the food was fine and the Comeback sauce is on the table with crackers.  It’s a piece of Jackson’s history so go if you can. Continue reading →