Blue Plate Highways: Food, Fun, Fondren
Article by Featured Author
Posted June 2024When we received word a couple of years ago that my firm Jones Walker would be relocating its Jackson office from downtown to the Fondren area of Jackson, no one was more excited than moi. Since graduating from law school in 1996, I have lived in Fondren continuously, with the exception of a 7-year suburban mistake. I moved back to Fondren in 2014 after those years in the fog, and have lived in the same house ever since.
That house is exactly one mile from my new parking lot behind Duling Hall, where I’ve parked hundreds of times over the past 10 years for live music at Duling, meals at Saltine, and for food and drinks at the establishments f/k/a Caet and Babalu. So to say I was excited about working in my neighborhood and having the shortest commute of my life would be an understatement.
My excitement over the new location in Fondren though was matched only by the apprehension of a few of my coworkers. Several of them were skeptica — if not scared — of a Fondren I simply did not know.
Seven months later, I am happy to say that most of that uneasiness has faded. As I told my colleagues during one of our first meetings on the topic, on most nights there is actual law enforcement security in the parking lot. There is also more of a hustle and bustle in the heart of Fondren than there was in the heart of downtown, which adds to the overall feeling of safety.
That activity is due in large part to the abundance of restaurants in Fondren. We are flush with fooderies. From our perch at the corner of State Street and Duling Avenue, I can count at least a dozen places to grab lunch within a block. There are three places in our building complex alone. Saltine is literally steps from our back door. It offers a broad menu of lunch and dinner items, and has daily lunch specials as well as a nice Sunday brunch menu. Zundo is literally steps from our front door, in the old Caet location, offering ramen and other Asian dishes.
And further up the way, at the opposite end of the complex, is a fantastic new addition to the Fondren food scene. Long-time Jackson favorite Amerigo opened a third location in the old Babalu space. The service was a little off the first time I ate there last December, but I've been there 3–4 times since then, and they are now on their A-game. Food and service are both great, and what you would expect. On top of that, the bar area in this location is better than the one at the mother ship in Ridgeland, which is simply too small.
The variety in Fondren is also great. If you want to hold down cost, and get a standard meat and veggie plate, Corner Market offers a typical grocery store lunch in a Styrofoam box. Next door is Brent's, where a cherry Coke and an egg salad sandwich call out to those seeking a lunch counter vibe. Anyone going through a Keifer's withdrawal can walk down to Aladdin and get a gyro, hummus, or other Mediterranean fair. And although nothing will ever take the place of the original Thai House in the old Howard Johnson's in south Jackson, Thailicious is in the former Surin location, to satisfy anyone having the occasional hankering for drunken noodle or Pad Thai.1
Up in the heart of Fondren by our office at Duling and State, restaurants also abound. Pig and Pint is across the street and up about 60 yards. Two of the hidden gems on its menu are the fried bologna sandwich and the fried green tomato salad. Both are excellent options when not in the mood for BBQ, brisket, or chicken.
Directly across the street from the office is a relatively new restaurant called The Station. I have not sampled its food yet, but I've heard the pizza is really good, and I know firsthand that it has a decent beer selection. But that's not all. They have installed a nice music venue behind the building, where I saw Kurt Vile in April. Great show, great crowd, great event. I expect more great things out of this place.
Next to The Station you will find the Capri Theater, and Highball Lanes bowling alley. Both are connected to The Pearl, which is a tiki-themed bar and grill. If I understand correctly, The Pearl serves as the common food source for both the bowling alley and the theater. They are great additions to the neighborhood, and all-around excellent amenities.
A few doors up from The Pearl—past Campbell’s Bakery, which still bakes cakes and cookies—is another Jackson classic. Little Tokyo sushi restaurant now resides in the space formerly occupied by Barrell House. It is still going strong after all these years, and in this new location. The space is a bit big and in my opinion the décor needs to be updated a bit to reflect more of an Asian theme, but the sushi is still solid, as are the draft options.
Further up and across State Street, in the Fondren Corner building, are a couple of reasonably priced lunch options. Roosters has been around for some time now, and offers excellent prices on plate lunches, chicken sandwiches, and the like. I had not eaten there in years despite living in Fondren but have now been there several times. Basil's is also on the ground floor of Fondren Corner. Similar to the one in Downtown Jackson, it offers a variety of sandwiches, for those looking to escape a plate lunch and heavier fare. There is also a coffee shop called The Bean that serves sandwiches, in a little building next door to Fondren Corner. I have to confess though, I have not been there yet, but I've heard good things about it.
And finally, there is what I would call the beating heart of the Fondren food scene. Walker's has been around for ages and has consistently been my favorite restaurant in Jackson for 20 years or more. The salads are sizeable, the fish is excellent, and they have great weekday lunch specials. My only knock on Walker's these days is that like a lot of other restaurants, its prices have gone up so much since Covid that eating lunch there on a regular basis is cost prohibitive. It's great for taking clients though, and for the occasional nice lunch with friends or family. Taking my kids to lunch there when they're both home is basically a $75 outing after tax and tip, so that’s not happening more than once during a holiday visit. I'm “still not there yet” when it comes to regularly paying $20 for one lunch, much less $75 for 3.
That's okay though, because I live close and can eat at home whenever I want. Or, I can save money and go to Corner Market and get the meat and veggies, with tea, for under $10. Or, I can choose a slew of things in between. All-in-all, a lot of great options. The excitement still hasn't worn off.
- It appears Thailicious closed off half of the Surin footprint and condensed the space. This seems to be a smart move on their part, even though there is no bar.