Jim Reeves was one of my Dad’s favorite singers. Carthage (I learn after getting to Nashville and internet access) was Reeves' home town. He died in a plane crash in 1964. He was flying the plane and evidence is that he was disoriented, flying upside down, so that when he tried to fly over a storm cloud he actually flew the plane into the ground.
I also learn that Carthage is home to the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. If I’d known that, I’d certainly have stopped. First year's inductes (1998) included Reeves, Tex Ritter (also from this county), Willie Nelson, and Gene Autry. Pretty impressive. Bob Wills didn't get elected until 2000. That's an outrage!
After gassing up, diesel for Tuzi (it seems like diesel prices so far are about 25cents less than regular gas -- which seems unusual, but hey, we've only been in Texas so far), junk food for us, our plan is to cross Louisiana on I-20 to Vicksburg, MS, then plot a route to Nashville from there. But, I-20 is just a boring tree tunnel, nothing to see but the same thing mile after mile. Moreover, the trees are tall enough and thick enough to cut off the XM satellite radio signal. Oh, woe is us. We have a book on roadfood – good places for travelers to eat – so we stop and do a little research. There’s a place called Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, MS, not too far up the river from Vicksburg. We can make it there by late afternoon. Heidi says, Oh, I’ve heard of that restaurant; it was just selected a prize winner by James Beard, (the late) big-time chef. (We confirm this when we get to Nashville and internet access.)
Here’s the Beard Foundation’s America’s Classics citation:
Doe's Eat Place (502 Nelson, Greenville, MS); Owner Doe Signa, Jr. Located in Greenville on Nelson Street, this family-owned and operated restaurant is an icon of the culinary and cultural landscape of the Mississippi Delta. Doe’s Eat Place grew out of a 1940s grocery store that sold homemade hot tamales, eventually transforming itself into a casual steak joint that served both the African American and white communities in segregated Mississippi. Pivotal in the Civil Rights era, Doe’s Eat Place has become a symbol of the region’s multiracial culture.
Our roadfood book notes the restaurant’s unassuming appearance and outstanding steaks. It says, "This unique combination of top-drawer steak and downscale atmosphere is priceless Americana." Here's an exterior view -- sneak preview.
After gassing up, diesel for Tuzi (it seems like diesel prices so far are about 25cents less than regular gas -- which seems unusual, but hey, we've only been in Texas so far), junk food for us, our plan is to cross Louisiana on I-20 to Vicksburg, MS, then plot a route to Nashville from there. But, I-20 is just a boring tree tunnel, nothing to see but the same thing mile after mile. Moreover, the trees are tall enough and thick enough to cut off the XM satellite radio signal. Oh, woe is us. We have a book on roadfood – good places for travelers to eat – so we stop and do a little research. There’s a place called Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, MS, not too far up the river from Vicksburg. We can make it there by late afternoon. Heidi says, Oh, I’ve heard of that restaurant; it was just selected a prize winner by James Beard, (the late) big-time chef. (We confirm this when we get to Nashville and internet access.)
Here’s the Beard Foundation’s America’s Classics citation:
Doe's Eat Place (502 Nelson, Greenville, MS); Owner Doe Signa, Jr. Located in Greenville on Nelson Street, this family-owned and operated restaurant is an icon of the culinary and cultural landscape of the Mississippi Delta. Doe’s Eat Place grew out of a 1940s grocery store that sold homemade hot tamales, eventually transforming itself into a casual steak joint that served both the African American and white communities in segregated Mississippi. Pivotal in the Civil Rights era, Doe’s Eat Place has become a symbol of the region’s multiracial culture.
Our roadfood book notes the restaurant’s unassuming appearance and outstanding steaks. It says, "This unique combination of top-drawer steak and downscale atmosphere is priceless Americana." Here's an exterior view -- sneak preview.
To get there, happily, Magellan soon takes us off I-20, angling across NE LA and SE AR. We traverse lush Mississippi bottomland and then cross the Mississippi on an old, narrow bridge, adjacent to a new bridge being built. (Note to self: I should try to make a list of all the Mississippi bridges I've crossed.)
Magellan winds us wierdly through Greenville and we arrive at Doe’s about 4:30. We’d skipped lunch and just snacked, planning on a late afternoon early supper before driving on a ways. Well, they don’t open until 5:30. There is an RV park at Warfield Point State Park -- a few miles away on the banks of the Mississippi -- so we decide to head there to set up, then go back to the Eat Place. The campground is largely deserted. We’ve been assigned one spot, but Susie says that if we park on the other side of the road we will be facing the river – will have a nice view through the front window. A drawback I find, though, is that they just have 30 amps electrical on that side of the road vs. 50 amps where we were assigned. It’s fairly cool, though, which means we shouldn’t need a lot of electricity, so we decide to go for the view. We set up and go back to Doe’s. I’m a little concerned, though, because the appliances aren’t coming on the way they should – e.g., the refrigerator is supposed to automatically switch from gas to electricity when you’re connected to external electricity, but it doesn’t. But the view is great.
Magellan winds us wierdly through Greenville and we arrive at Doe’s about 4:30. We’d skipped lunch and just snacked, planning on a late afternoon early supper before driving on a ways. Well, they don’t open until 5:30. There is an RV park at Warfield Point State Park -- a few miles away on the banks of the Mississippi -- so we decide to head there to set up, then go back to the Eat Place. The campground is largely deserted. We’ve been assigned one spot, but Susie says that if we park on the other side of the road we will be facing the river – will have a nice view through the front window. A drawback I find, though, is that they just have 30 amps electrical on that side of the road vs. 50 amps where we were assigned. It’s fairly cool, though, which means we shouldn’t need a lot of electricity, so we decide to go for the view. We set up and go back to Doe’s. I’m a little concerned, though, because the appliances aren’t coming on the way they should – e.g., the refrigerator is supposed to automatically switch from gas to electricity when you’re connected to external electricity, but it doesn’t. But the view is great.
When we get back from Doe’s, to continue the campground story before getting to the eating story, after some experimentation it becomes clear that we’re getting no electricity externally. That row of sites must have the power turned off. And, it’s gotten hot and sticky. We run the generator a while and run the fans off of that, but that’s not an all night solution. Susie says, Let’s move to the other side of the road. This means backing into the space in the dark and I’m not too keen on the idea, but she convinces me. Heidi stands at the back of the parking slot holding two flashlights in outstretched arms, like the landing officer on an aircraft carrier. I can see her in the rear TV monitor once I get lined up. Susie coaches me – STOP! STOP! TURN! TURN! -- and with a little back and forth I do get backed in OK. We connect the electricity, hold our breath, and find that yes, Houston, we do have power.
Back to Doe’s Eat Place: When we get there around six a crowd has assembled and it’s quite a scene. There's even a policeman directing traffic. Doe’s is in a former grocery store in a rundown part of town. It’s been there since 1941. You enter through the kitchen and can see and feel the heat from the large stove where the steaks are cooking. Next room, below, is part kitchen, too, where the salads, soups, and fried food are prepared. There are some tables in that room, too, and other dining rooms off of this room. Décor is standard downhome stuff – pictures and posters and newspaper clippings. Old diner-type tables and chairs. But I notice a signed picture of Peyton and Eli Manning, which you don’t see everywhere.
There's no printed menu. Waitress describes our choices. Susie and Heidi order steaks, the headline fare. I go against the grain and order shrimp and gumbo. We order tamales as an appetizer – another item they’re known for. They’re not NM-style tamales – thinner, like a cigar, and in a paper wrapping, not a corn husk, and gray, not red, maybe not pork – but they’re tasty. From where we’re sitting Heidi can see French fries being cooked the old-fashioned way in a huge black skillet, not a basket. They’re very good. The steaks and gumbo are outstanding; my shrimp is a little more ordinary (my bad), but we enjoy the whole experience quite a lot. We think it's history and atmosphere that are the highlights here, as highlighted in the Bear citation. Fine steaks, too, but not that unusual, at least at $31 per. Anyhow, if you’re ever within a half-day’s drive of Greenville, MS, go to Doe’s Eat Place.
Next morning I check out the river traffic. This string of barges seems awfully close to shore.
As I watch, the riverboat connected to all of this executes a 180 deg. pivot, then pushes the barges upstream into a channel where Heidi has seen empty barges being collected.
We get an early start -- 400 miles to go-- avoid Memphis and angle NE to connect with I-40 at Jackson, TN, then hit Nashville at rush hour (great timing). One nice town along the way, with county courthouse square, stately homes, where we try to find a place for lunch is Holly Springs, MS. Didn't see anything with parking space. Should have looked at the Roadfood book again -- Phillips Grocery there has famous hamburgers. So, if you're ever ... . We ended up eating Hardee's takeout in TuziTwo at a Love's on I-40. Bummer.At any rate, we slowly get through bumpertobumper Nashville traffic intact -- three interstates intersect there and there's one jammed up merging-lanes intersection after another -- and get to Mandi and Paul's place on the NE side of town. We'll be here a few days, washing clothes, hanging out, sleeping indoors.
Cheers,
Rob and Susie
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