Article by Featured Author
Posted September 2024“If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?”
“Pilgrims!”1
Or in Jackson’s case, hungry customers and hopes of visitors to downtown. Lots of adjectives have been used to describe “our” Mayflower over the decades. “Beloved.” “Classic.” “Iconic.” “Retro.” “Tired.” And many more, all apt. Thus, apprehension set in over the past couple of years as downtown regulars faced the possibility that the beloved and classic Jackson icon with the retro feel, bordering on tired, would fade into memory, as word circulated that owner Jerry Kountouris was ready to retire and shut it down.
That unease turned into anticipation and excitement when word leaked that the owner of Elvie’s, backed by investors, was going to acquire the Mayflower and give it a bit of a facelift, while keeping the same overall vibe and culinary focus. For once, it seemed there was actually some good news on the horizon, and something to look forward to in downtown Jackson.
That optimism was warranted. The Mayflower reopened on Monday, August 26, after significant remodeling and updating that has eliminated the worn look and aura that had enveloped the downtown shrine, while preserving the classic retro ambience. The art deco façade and lighting remain, but the front counter and cash register are gone. The front window has been expanded at the top to allow more natural light, which adds to an overall fresher feel. The old lunch counter in the rear has been removed in favor of additional booths, all of which have been updated for looks and comfort.
These are all welcome additions to not only the restaurant itself, but to Jacksonians looking for a reason to have lunch or to dine out, and to have a reason to go to downtown. As you’d expect, people will have to accept some tradeoffs in the name of progress. The most glaring loss, in my limited experience thus far, is the ability to “brown bag it” and bring your own bottle of wine or three for dinner. Instead, the place now has a liquor license, and a full bar. Beer, cocktails, and wine are all available, but of course come at the expense of being able to bring your own.
I am by no means a wine critic, even by amateur status, and in fact confess to being spoiled by having a close friend who is a genuine wine critic, whose judgment I rely on when faced with pairing challenges. Unfortunately for me, rather than really learning anything, I have developed more of a crutch in leaning on him through the miracle of text messaging while perusing a wine list. That said, from a rube’s point of view, the wine selection appears to be reasonable, and does not try to do too much. Same with the bar options – not overwhelming, but perfectly sufficient, with a nice list of craft cocktails. Still, it is unfortunate that having a liquor license prevents Mayflower redux from continuing the brown bag tradition, even for a night a week. I was thinking a “brown bag Tuesday” would be a great way to tap into the nostalgia that we Gen X-ers and others in the regular customer base so desperately love. Alas, not to be.
Experiencing the new Mayflower and trying to describe it in a meaningful way reminds me of how I described bankruptcy court years ago to an insurance defense friend. “What is bankruptcy court like?” he asked. I thought about it for a minute and said, “It’s like a cross between federal district court and chancery court.” That seemed to satisfy him. My bankruptcy friends agreed with the description.2
So when asked “What is the new Mayflower like?” here’s what I would say: it’s like a cross between fine dining and a lunch-counter diner. After letting that description gestate for a couple of weeks, I stand by it. The food is excellent. I had always remarked over the years that the fish at the Mayflower was as good as you could get anywhere in Jackson. The tradition continues. During my lone dinner excursion so far, I had the Akropolis Special, which is listed as broiled redfish, shrimp, oysters and sauteed crabmeat. Out of necessity, they substituted red snapper for the redfish, which was fine by me, since snapper is my undisputed favorite catch o’ the sea. I didn’t realize there was a $7.00 upcharge for that, which might have made me think differently, since that put the entrée at over $50.00, which – as good as it is – still seems a bit much for dinner there.
A friend who joined me had the broiled flounder and French fries, which he devoured. For an appetizer, we split the marinated crab claws and some broiled oysters, and each had a salad. The salad is a significant upgrade from the old days, when a few pieces of pallid iceberg and pale tomato wedges passed for a side salad. The modern incarnation is an actual real plate of greenery, with grape tomatoes. A definite improvement. Even though I never order dessert, we sampled the bread pudding in the name of culinary criticism. It paired quite well with a pistachio espresso martini.
One item that might warrant a small dose of criticism is an apparent change in the comeback sauce recipe. It looked and tasted different. In this case, “different” means “not as good.” Some friends having dinner there seconded our impression, but we all wondered whether it was our imagination. Whether the recipe has changed has not been confirmed. That actually presents a nice challenge: people should go to The Mayflower and judge for themselves whether or not they think the recipe has changed, and if so, whether it is better or not.
One upgrade to the entire Mayflower experience is something I’m sure everyone is pondering: what about the bathrooms? Glad to say, there are now real, actual restrooms, which are available for public use within the restaurant itself. No longer are people required to go around the corner3 and up the stairs, or to grin and bear it through dinner.
To round out the dining experience, I took a downtown lawyer friend to lunch there about a week after I had dinner. We went on a Tuesday, a/k/a Feta Brined Fried Chicken day. Yes, it is as good as it sounds, if not better. Golden brown, with a light crispy touch, but deep flavor throughout. Having had the salad for dinner, I skipped it, and opted for three vegetables: eggplant, squash, and butter beans. The vegetable choices appear to have been slimmed down a bit, and only list three selections per day. The eggplant was especially good.
If someone wants a vegetable plate, apparently rice and gravy can be ordered at any time, though I’m not sure how that works on Mondays (fried pork chop day), when it is one of the listed options. Unfortunately, the turnip greens are only offered once a week, on Fridays, with the fried catfish. I hope they are as good as they were under the ancien regime.
Other lunch specials remain, including pot roast on Wednesday and hamburger steak on Thursday. I asked whether you could still get mystery fish for lunch.4 The waitress had an interesting response. If I understood her correctly, she said you could still get fish, but that the mystery fish had changed with the march of time. Originally, it had been the leftovers from whatever fish the restaurant had cooked the night before. Over the years though, it had evolved into simply frozen fish nuggets – she couldn’t recall whether it was tilapia or mahi. That struck me as sort of a metaphor for the whole decline from the heyday of yesteryear. But I digress.
I’m sure the new incarnation of The Mayflower will continue to evolve. At some point, they may have to decide whether the evening experience is going to be more fine dining, and less diner. The food says fine dining; the service says diner. The same cast of characters still seems to be working there, with the same habits and practices. I’m OK with that, but that’s me. I can see other folks thinking the service needs to be a little more organized and formal, since they are paying fine dining prices ($52.95!?) and cannot bring their own wine. Time will tell.
I’m going to try to go there for lunch or dinner at least once a month. Here’s hoping that the buzz continues, and that its customer base grows organically. It would be great if the new MF could be the jumpstart that downtown needs. I think we all agree that people in Jackson will support a restaurant with great food and service, whether casual or fine dining. I’m going to hazard a guess and suggest that downtown real estate may be at the point where it could attract some risk capital from someone with a great idea and a commitment to the city. Maybe, just maybe at some point, another investor with a clear vision and a little moxie will buy the old Elite and turn it into a modern downtown destination.
There would have to be some sort of hook though, something that makes it distinctive. A good restaurant cannot rest on its laurels and run on its reputation – exhibit “1” being Babalu. It started off great, then got stale. First, the service went downhill. Then the food got worse, and before long, no one I knew still went there. On the other hand, Walker’s, Bravo, and Char continue to go strong for fine dining, as do Keifer’s and Primos on the casual side.
Could Jackson support another high-quality restaurant in the old Elite? With the right management, yes, I think it could. I’m thinking a steakhouse with a decent bar, at the high end. Or maybe a really cool deli concept, like Carnegie Deli in New York, or Saul’s in Berkeley, or Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. Or, closer to home, an entrepreneurial Pilgrim looking to establish a new life in downtown Jackson could tap into our love of nostalgia and resurrect Olde Tyme Delicatessen from decades ago and bring a real Reuben back to the city.
Regardless of the concept, they would need to resurrect the rolls.5
All that’s needed is money, vision, energy, and labor. Simple formula, right? I think the new Mayflower has the right recipe. Let’s hope it continues. And that it grows.
