Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Greenville, Mississippi, Eats

The Daughter and I spent a night in Greenville, MS, last month. It took us 3 hours to get down there and we would only be there a day, but during that short time we experienced some fun food. The night we got there we ate at Frostop because I remembered the Frostop that used to be here in Memphis:

photo from OvertonHighSchool1965.com

The one in Greenville is a combination of Frostop and Pasquales:


We each ordered a calzone:


and it was the largest calzone I'd ever seen! Much too big to eat, even though it was very good. If we are ever there again we will order the burger that Frostop is more known for.

The next morning we ate the free breakfast at the hotel. The Daughter was involved at a work event over lunch, so I was on my own for that meal. I found Jim's Cafe, an old-fashioned diner downtown:


I had the Thursday special, which was a wonderful tuna salad on lettuce with pickle and tomato (see my coffee?):


I took a photo of the front and one of the back of the menu:


Yelp gives it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars with 3 reviews. Trip Advisor gives it 4 out of 5 stars with 5 reviews.

There was street art around this restaurant:



On our way out of town late that afternoon, my daughter treated me to dinner at Doe's Eat Place:


I had driven past it and had no idea this would be anything other than fun local color. This was the interior viewed from our table in the back of the restaurant:


It turned out that this place specializes in expensive steaks. Very expensive steaks. There's no hard copy menu, and the waitress listed the offerings and prices for us, adding that it was permitted to split any of the entrees. We split their smallest steak (a 10-ounce filet) with iced tea, and then we had cheesecake and coffee for dessert. The total was almost $78, not counting the tip. Wow! But now we know how steak is supposed to taste. The restaurant is famous and has won awards. There's a Wikipedia entry here that discloses the history, including why you enter through the kitchen.

Trip Advisor gives it a score of 4 out of 5 with 151 reviews, with dissenting reviews focusing on the steep prices and rough neighborhood and lack of fancy decor. Some people don't appreciate atmosphere. Yelp gives it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, and bad reviews here also focus on the restaurant's "shabby". atmosphere. RoadFood.com says,
Located on the wrong side of town in the back rooms of a dilapidated grocery store, Doe's does not look like a restaurant, much less a great restaurant. ...the steaks are some of the best you will eat anywhere. 100% Approval Rating
Visit the Delta has a 3-minute video showing the owner cooking steaks and greeting customers in the kitchen:



I got a big kick out of all of my Greenville dining experiences.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog is having a party to celebrate 2 years of T Stands for Tuesday gatherings. I've been researching Artist Trading Cards all week, reading web sites and watching youtube videos, and I have made a few ATCs so I can participate in the trade. Elizabeth may have created a monster, though. These little pieces are fun to make!







24 comments:

  1. Wow, that must have been a really good steak. Can't wait to see your ACT's.

    Darla

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    1. I can only hope my ATCs get better with time ;)

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  2. It had better have been the best steak ever at those prices :) One of these days I'm going to save up and splurge at a super expensive restaurant. Sounds like you had a nice trip and lots of good food ♥

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    1. It was the best steak I'd ever had. Now admittedly I don't get out much, but it gets praise from near and far for its steaks. I have trouble paying so much for food, but I got such a kick out of this.

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  3. That was an interesting history about Doe's, although from looking at the place, I would never have thought any meal inside would have added up to $78! The old "can't judge a book by its cover" certainly applies!

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    1. It's a history lesson -a piece of the past that remains much as it ever was. I certainly didn't expect it be be an expensive restaurant when we parked lol

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  4. Now I hope I HAVE created a monster. I look forward to your ATCs. I'm sure there will be several who will want to trade with you.

    Before we get to the steak, I'll comment on the calzone. That DOES look big, and with fries, too? Who gets fries with calzone? Apparently YOU did.

    The tuna salad looked good, but the coffee cup reminded me that you were definitely in the south!!

    As for the steak, I enjoyed seeing the wonderfully integrated Does Eat Place. I enjoyed seeing how and why you enter the restaurant from the kitchen. Yes, it's shabby, yes, it's tacky, and yes the decor is BAD, but it sounds like the steak was to die for. As was the price, I'm sure. I bet your daughter's daily allowable expense account was severely tested with that order. But again, it shows how the south thought back in the day, and many still do. Glad you enjoyed the experience.

    Thanks for sharing your Greenville, MS eating experience with us for T this Tuesday, and thanks for learning how to make ATCs.

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    1. The fries came with it. It was overwhelming to look at, just sitting there looking back at us. We could have split it and had leftovers enough to carry out.

      The Daughter picked this up herself. She didn't want to even go there trying to claim that meal lol

      Thanks for the ATC encouragement :)

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  5. Gorgeous photos!I love calzone"Yummy yummy

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    1. We'd never had a calzone like this! It was good, though.

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  6. so interesting...I love finding local eateries that turn out to be a pleasant surprise! and Doe's sounds fascinating! That giant mug of root beer reminds me of the A & W Root Beer stands we used to have here in Ohio....good times! happy T day!

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    1. I hadn't realized Frostop was a chain or that there were others still open. I felt like I was seeing a piece of my childhood :)

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  7. What a wonderful off the beaten path sampler of places to enjoy eats!
    Since my Mr Magpie is a Jim that place struck an extra cord with me ;-)
    Great street art too.
    Sounds like you both made the most of that getaway.
    Happy T Day to ya oxo

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    1. There's more to Greenville than I expected. I did make the most of it :)

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  8. I love reading about all your dining experiences and seeing the areas and places-always interesting! Happy to hear that your steak was worth the price-so often that is not the case(so I hear as I don't eat meat-only on a rare occasion). Enjoyed the street art! I know too well how addicting ATCs are-I have boxes with hundreds of them from various swaps!! And although I haven't done a trade or swap in awhile I still make them:) Sooo, if you will kindly email me your snail mail, I have one for you! neenfrance(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks! I'm so looking forward to seeing what an ATC looks like when made by somebody who knows what they're doing :)

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  9. Fantastic photos.. Wow.. what a yummie Calzone!
    Happy T-Day!
    xxx
    Susi

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  10. What an amazing eating place; such ambience! We took the niece and nephew to a similar local steak house last week (old and un-fancy, but famous for the quality of food), and they had two sizes: 100g and 200g, which is about 3.5 and 7 ounces. Can´t believe the size of Doe´s "smallest" steak, no wonder they allow you to split it. Looks and sounds like you had a really wonderful trip!

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    1. Steaks around here are always big. There's sometimes a 6-oz steak on the menu, but sometimes 8 oz is the smallest. Not that I'd have had trouble eating the 10 oz by myself... ;)

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  11. Fascinating post. Do es is really very unassuming for its reputation, what a fab way to end your mini road trip with your daughter!

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    1. We were afraid at first that we had come in the wrong door lol

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  12. What a fun peek into your road trip dining adventures.

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  13. I enjoy out of the way places such as those. Thanks for sharing!
    Happy T day!

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