Café Olé

2752 N State St
Jackson, MS 39216
(769) 524-3627

That's right, it says Jackson, Mississippi. I've had the joy task of working in Jackson for the past few months and it's getting harder and harder to find new lunch spots - especially good ones.

Last week's adventure took me just over 2 miles north of the central capitol complex to an "up-and-coming" neighborhood known as the Fondren District. It's sort of like the Northern Liberties of Jackson, but with nearby residential housing that's more like the Main Line. Think rich, middle-aged women with boutiques driving Lexus SUVs. No doubt their husbands are all doctors working at one of seven nearby hospitals...

And then there's Café Olé. Run by a Venezuelan transplant, it's housed in what looks like an old gas station on the main strip. Come to think of it, a lot of the Fondren establishments seem to be in old gas stations...

The food is authentic and was a welcome change from the standard "southern fried" options that permeate the market down here. I tried the al pastor torta first. Each entree comes with a side of fresh tortilla chips and choice of salsa. I decided to go with the pineapple version, it seemed like the proper match for the chopped, marinated pork.

The sandwiches are all served on Cuban bread, so I guess they're not 'technically' tortas. That said, it was delicious. Hot off the press, it was warm and still fresh with crisp iceberg laced throughout the tender cubes of seasoned pork.

Second lunch included a beef empanada and a barbecue pork tamale.

Definitely the highlight of the meal was the authentic Venezuelan tamale. Filled with a mixture of masa harina (corn meal, think polenta) and tender shreds of a Latin American-style barbecue pork, this was delicious. It was tender, juicy and full of spicy-sweet chipotle flavor.

The empanada's shell was more like an arepa than the (thinner) crisp, flaky wrapper that I'm used to. It was good, but a little too thick and spongy for my liking. Maybe that's just how they do it for real in South America.

The beef was spot on, and the cheese added a mild tang.

Needless to say, while I'm stranded in Jackson for the indefinite work-week future, it's nice to have some authentic Latin American cuisine in the mix.

Downtown Cafe

224 East Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 592-5006
Website

I have been traveling for work a lot and I try to eat what the community eats – when working in Mississippi, it ends up being fried chicken quite a bit. As this wasn't calorie-centric enough, I decided to throw in some waffles as well. After lunch productivity be damned.

Downtown cafe is pretty nice inside, with an open kitchen and exposed brick walls. You will definitely see a lot of military personell here, as their physical activity makes it reasonable to eat the type of fatso diet I tend to stick to.

Fried chicken and waffles, sizzurp and butter. Hell. Most people wouldn't want four whole wings for lunch, and almost certainly wouldn't drizzle them in hotsauce and (maple?) syrup. Luckily I am not most people. Note the lighting was crap in there, so the pictures are washed out. Ah well.

The breading was well seasoned, and the chicken was moist and tender. There was plenty of crunch that stood up well to the rain of sticky sugar I glazed it with. For the record, syrup and hot sauce are amazing together.

In true over-indulgence, I got a side of the recommended mac and cheese. It was good, but I could barely waddle back to work after this feast.

Krystal

3502 U.S. 80
Jackson, MS 39208
(601) 939-8520
Website

I have always wanted to try the "White Castle of the South," but circumstances had never enabled it. Mostly because I live in Philadelphia. On a recent business trip, I had a chance to check it out. Keeping in mind I was dead sober, and in order to fully compare this place to White Castle as it is usually enjoyed, I would have to had been drinking for a substantial period of time. Needless to say, I gave it a go anyhow.

It looked rather similar inside, with stainless steel and a variety of crappy choices.

I got a four 'Krystal burger with cheese' pack, with fries and an additional fried chicken sandwich for good measure. There were a couple of construction workers next to me, and one of them had at least a dozen burger sleeves littered around his tray, so I didn't feel too fat. God bless Mississippi.

These burgers are steamed in onions, with the buns on top, resulting in a flavorful patty, and a fluffy/moist bun. Obviously, they are slapped together hastily, but they aren't too bad.

Pickles, onions, cheese, and yellow mustard are all that you get. But it works well enough.

The fried chicken slider is basically a chicken finger on a bun, and was okay as well. It seemed like I was lucky to get mayo and a pickle, even though it's supposed to come standard.

Krystal burger is exactly what I expected it to be. The pickles are pretty key, but I wouldn't run back. Unless, of course, business takes me down south once again – but that time, there will definitely be booze in the equation.

Two Sisters Kitchen

707 N Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39202
(601) 353-1180

I was recently down in Mississippi, and in my search for fried chicken, this place came highly recommended.

It's literally an old, run down house that had the bedrooms converted into small dining rooms. Very promising...

You serve yourself at a buffet. Nothing fancy, but plenty of fat and salt to go around.

You are pretty much on your own, nothing is labeled, but you can always ask the Southern belles that work there.

The fried chicken was the star, and I waited for a fresh batch to be delivered, straight out the fryer.

A bit of Louisiana hot sauce added some vinegary kick to the savory plate I had assembled.

The one thing I had never heard of was the "angel biscuit," a light and airy puck of dough that you could literally wring the butter out of. Delicious. Deadly. Decadent. From twelve o'clock, you have pickle, collards, fried chicken, grits, fried vegetables, angel biscuits, chicken fried steak with gravy, and a corn bread biscuit. Under the pickle are some black eyed peas. This is not the type of thing you can eat every day. But I would if I could. What the food lacked in color, it made up for in cholesterol. Delicious.

The chicken was crispy, with a well seasoned crust.

The chicken fried steak, while appearing as a gray mass, was salty, tender, and generally awesome. This is like a homemade version of eating at Cracker Barrel, without the discrimination.

These angel biscuits, though, were the star. They get their name from the folded design, you know, like wings. Smothered in gravy, they were incredibly addictive.

While the chicken wasn't the best I have had, it was still very good.

You also receive a complimentary dessert of choice. I asked what the pretty, young server recommended, and she said, "the bread pudding with bourbon glaze." Hot damn! This is one way to roll out of a restaurant.

This is some real-deal Southern food, and I wish I could eat like this more often. Unfortunately, the allure of the great Northeast hoagie is like a siren call, and I had to return home.