This Saturday, April 17, Mama Jo’s Country Cookin’ is holding a Family-and-Friend Fundraiser for the Apostolic Sanctuary of Praise. Stop by anytime after 8 a.m. if you’d like to help Mama Jo’s owner Jo Ester Brassell support the church.
All plate meals include two sides, drink and dessert:
Hot dogs – $1.50, Hamburgers – $2.00, $2.50
Whole pies and cakes from $10 to $25
There’s a proliferation of food venues popping up all over town lately. It could have something to do with spring renewal, warm weather or the coming football season. Or, maybe we’re all just really hungry! Whatever it is, I’m loving it!
We can add Olivia’s Food Emporium to the list, which will open April 21st and is located in the little blue and white house across the street from Abner’s on South Lamar (415 S. Lamar Blvd.) that used to house a law firm. You have to admit, the thought of an “emporium” of food gets you a little excited, right?
The original Olivia’s Food Emporium, started by Olivia and J.W. King, is based in Madison, Mississippi. When the Kings saw a need in Oxford for their take-home family- and individual-sized ready-to-eat meals and catering services, Olivia decided to open a second store here, asking her mother, Mary Catherine Guest, to run the operation. “In addition to a variety of homemade dishes such as lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, and spaghetti and meatballs, we’ll have Delta-style hot tamales, a full range of specialty foods, assorted gourmet desserts and grab-and-go cheese plates packaged on their own cutting boards,” says Olivia. “We also have plans to use three-wheeled bikes to deliver game-day orders to The Grove and around The Square.”
In addition, if you’ve walked past the store during construction in the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably noticed cement being poured out front. This is not for a parking lot; the area is designated for sitting back and enjoying specialty sodas, snow cones, gelatos and sorbets that can be purchased from a walk-up side window. A perfect summertime treat.
Hours will be Monday through Saturday 10-6; be sure to stop in for a free sample! For more information visit Olivia’s website.
UPDATE 5/4/10: Starting next week, Olivia’s will remain open late Thursday-Saturday nights, when they’ll serve three-tamale plates with garlic cheese grits and corn salsa. For those dining in, imported beer and Mexican soft drinks will also be available.
Photo: Olivia's Food Emporium
I thought it would be fun to periodically share recipes from the restaurants around Oxford. You might want to try your hand at some of your favorite Oxford dishes and impress your friends on a Sunday evening or at a potluck.
I’ll start with a dish I saw recently in The Oxford Eagle—Rotel Chicken Spaghetti from Mama Jo’s Country Cookin’ on North Lamar.
If you know a local restaurateur who would like to share one of their recipes, please have them contact me at foodie@eatingoxford.com.
Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
Recipe by Jo Ester Egerson Brassell (Mama Jo)
Preheat oven to around 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti, drain and set aside in a buttered casserole dish. Using the spaghetti pot, mix soup, cheeses, Rotel, onion, peppers, celery and salt and pepper and cook gently until vegetables are crisp-tender and cheeses have melted. Pour this mixture over the spaghetti in the casserole dish, add chicken pieces, and stir together. Sprinkle bread crumbs or cheddar cheese on top. Bake just a few minutes until cheese melts or crumbs begin to brown.
Photo: Plein Air
It’s a beautiful day to be outside, and a great excuse to get out there is the Taylor Farmers’ Market Preview Party held in conjunction with Tin Pan Alley’s Spring Garden Show. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, you can get a preview of some of the spring produce, baked goods, seafood and more that will soon be a regular weekend occurrence when June rolls around.
Perusing all of that food is bound to make your stomach growl; luckily, Emileigh’s Table is right next door to feed the hunger. Open for lunch from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. today, the menu includes poppy seed chicken, barbecue, hamburger steak and a veggie plate.
When you’ve finished up in Taylor, head back to the Square to check out the Oxford Artist’s Guild Spring Show taking place on the Courthouse lawn from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. View artwork from 35 different artists and possibly find that perfect item you’ve been searching for to complete your decor. And when you do, why not celebrate over dinner at your favorite Oxford restaurant!
By now I’m sure you’ve made it out to Abbeville to dine at Yocona in Exile. But, did you know that there’s another restaurant, kitty corner to Yocona, that opened in February? The Abbeville Grill is owned by Stacy and Tim Warren and offers plate lunches, catfish, steaks and pork chops as well as the option to brown-bag your beverages. The restaurant boasts an open-flame grill in the back where you can watch your food being cooked to order; I imagine the smell from the grill will serve to entice many a local during the warm months ahead.
Breakfast and lunch are served Monday through Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m and dinner is available Thursday through Saturday 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
UPDATE 4/25/10: Abbeville Grill now serves crawfish every Saturday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tallulah’s Kitchen is officially opening back up on Tuesday, March 2, but owner Laurie Stirratt says she’s going to attempt a soft opening with a limited menu this weekend if at all possible.
Below are some highlights from the new menu (as well as new hours). Visit the Facebook page here if you’d like to see the complete listing.
New Spring Hours (as of 3/26/10)
Tuesday-Saturday 11 AM – 8 PM
Fried Catfish With Fries, Hush puppies & Slaw
Small – $6.99
Large – $8.99
Fried Chicken $7.99
Seafood Gumbo
Small – One Side & Bread $6.50
Large – Two Sides & Bread $12.99
Bacon, Garlic & Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Peach Chutney $9.99
Vegetable Plate: Three Vegetables And Bread $7.00
Sides – 5 Or 6 Sides A Day – They Vary Day To Day
*Indicates Vegetarian
Mashed Red Potatoes*, Fresh Turnip Greens, Fresh Wilted Garlic Spinach*, Butter Beans, Purple Hull Peas, Fried Okra*, Sweet Potatoes*, Onion Rings* And Fried Pickles*
Swiss, Cheddar And Butter Burger, Fully Dressed With A Heap Of Grilled Onions $7.50
Fried Catfish Poboy With Lettuce, Mayo, Tomato And Pickles On Gambino’s French Bread $8.99
Black bean Chipotle Burger Fully Dressed With Fries Or One Vegetable Side $7.50
Extras:
Homemade Corn dogs $4.00
Onion Rings $3.50
Fried Pickles $2.50
New menu items: Homemade candy and deep-fried Twinkies, Oreos and hot dogs
Don’t be alarmed when Catfish One and Tallulah’s Kitchen close at the end of this week. Tallulah’s Kitchen will be reopening; Catfish One officially closed the window of its Oxford location this past Saturday.
Below is the official word from Tallulah’s Kitchen owner Laurie Stirratt (taken from the Tallulah’s Facebook page):
“Starting this Tuesday, Tallulah’s will be the sole operator out of the Catfish One Kitchen. The Oxford Catfish One store is officially closing their doors on Saturday February 6th at 8:00 PM. We will be open Tuesday-Thursday from 11AM-4PM and Friday-Sunday 11AM -8PM this week. We will then close to regroup, retool the menu just a bit and change over the space officially. Tallulah’s official grand opening will be on March 1st. We will still serve our present menu but will add some new entrees and bring back some old ones, too. I will post a menu for the official grand opening when it’s complete. I want to thank everyone for their continued support. I have big plans for the spring and summer! Come see us next week and keep in mind our March 1st official grand opening.”
If you’re a fan of Emileigh’s Bakery on University Avenue, you’ve no doubt eaten at Emileigh’s Table in the Plein Air section of Taylor, Mississippi. Open for nearly two years now, Emileigh’s Table serves up plate lunches such as prime rib, chili mac, fried chicken, meatloaf and chicken tetrazzini Tuesday through Sunday. Taylor residents and visitors alike have welcomed having the new restaurant in the community.
Now the plan is to add dinner service to the restaurant’s lineup beginning on Valentine’s Day weekend. No word on what the dinner menu will include yet, but updates are being posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page here.
UPDATE 2/4/10: Dinner service is now scheduled to begin Thursday, February 11.
UPDATE 2/21/10: Made it out to Emileigh’s Table this weekend and have only one word to describe my visit: Yum! A picture tells a thousand words, so check out my lunch photo above. The cornbread stuffing with caramelized onions was beyond good. I’m a bit ashamed to say that this was my first visit to Emileigh’s Table, but now that I’ve been exposed to its charm and changing menu, I know I’ll return. While there I picked up a dinner menu and added it to the EatingOxford.com restaurant guide here (lunch specials change daily and are usually updated on the Emileigh’s Facebook page).
After more than 10 years with virtually no Web presence, one of Oxford’s most popular tourist destinations, Ajax Diner, has unveiled its official website at ajaxdiner.net.
The site provides visitors with Ajax Diner’s full menu, hours/location and its most recent press clippings.
Now if we could just get some other restaurants in Oxford such as Two Zero Eight (208), Volta Taverna and Two Stick Sushi Bar to jump on the website bandwagon, we’d be set.
Catfish One is now sharing its kitchen with Tallulah’s Kitchen, the brainchild of Laurie Stirratt.
According to Tallulah’s Facebook page, found here, Tallulah’s offers fresh and delicious home style recipes made from scratch everyday. (Catfish One’s fried seafood and chicken will still be available every day.)
Tallulah’s strives to purchase locally grown meat and vegetables, believing in buying local whenever possible to support Oxford’s growing small farm industry. Tallulah’s also offers large servings of its menu items such as homemade red beans and rice and gumbo in quart,1/2 gallon and gallon bags for busy folks on the go. Other items such as Italian meatballs, casseroles and trays of baked chicken are also available. Requests are taken with two days advance notice.
Below is a sample menu taken from Facebook the week of Jan. 11:
PERMANENT MENU: Entrees come with 2 sides
ENTREES:
Seafood gumbo $10.99
Chicken and sausage gumbo $7.99
Red Beans and rice $7.99
Chicken and sausage Jambalaya $7.99
Sage and bacon roasted pork tenderloin with peach chutney $9.50
Vegetable plate-3 sides and corn or French bread $6.50
ENTREE SPECIALS:
Tuesday: Rosemary garlic baked chicken $7.99
Saturday: Crawfish Etouffee $10.99
SANDWICHES:
1/4 lb. Cheeseburger with fries $7.00
Black bean chipolte burger with fries or veg side $7.00
Pork tenderloin sandwich with horseradish sauce $7.50
Catfish sandwich on white bread with pickles and mayo with fries $5.00
SIDES:
POTATOES AU GRATIN, MASHED POTATOES, PEAS,SWEET POTATOES, BUTTER BEANS, SAUTEED FRESH SPINACH, GREENS AND FRIED OKRA
(SIDES WILL VARY DAILY)
UPDATE 12/16/09: I’ve been to Tallulah’s a few times now and the food has been delicious every time. If it’s too cold for eating out on the picnic tables, grab your food to-go.
UPDATE 2/2/10: Be aware that Tallulah’s winter hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
UPDATE 2/8/10: Tallulah’s Kitchen replaces Catfish One; see post here.
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