Wanting to celebrate a special occasion, we decided to dine at a restaurant called Saltine in Jackson in Mississippi. The last time I was in Jackson was years ago when I received a special gift of the complete set of the authentic FWHA series of typefaces which was given to me by an employee of the department of transportation of Mississippi and is currently on my computer. I felt like a kid in a candy store — and I still do.
Saltine in Jackson: Restaurant Review
Saltine is a restaurant which is located in what was once known as the Lorena Duling School, of which substantial additional information of the extensive history of the building is available. The front door is indeed open to customers; but other than a small chalkboard, no indication of the restaurant is in the front of the building. Rather, customers typically enter from the parking lot in the back of the building.
The circular area near the ceiling at the top of the bar where drinks are served is decorated with oyster shells is of no surprise at a restaurant which is self described as a modern oyster bar and restaurant featuring Southern cuisine, fresh seafood, and craft cocktails. I thought that was a rather clever decoration idea.
Vestiges of the interior of the historic building are evident. Not much is needed for one to imagine this building once being a school. Orders for food were taken by the server.
In addition to the unusual water glasses, one thing with which I was impressed was that a carafe of cold water was brought to the table — and only once was the server asked to replace it, as she otherwise automatically replaced the empty carafe with a full carafe.
Being in the Deep South, the Fried Green Tomatoes with blackened shrimp and topped with crawfish étouffée was practically required. Étouffée as a type of gravy covering fried green tomatoes and shrimp instead of in a cup or bowl by itself was rather unusual, as I had never seen that before.
The Blackfish & Brussels consisted of roasted potatoes, bacon Brussels, and a crabmeat Worcestershire sauce. The funny part was when the server explained that the blackfish is a type of redfish that was blackened. That was not too confusing; but it did sound fishy.
Goat cheese grits, fried kale, three shrimp, and a cup of garlic Chile sauce comprised the Cajun Seared Salmon.
The Low Country Boil included Gulf shrimp, “Country Pleasin’” Andouille sausage, corn, and new potatoes generously sprinkled with a savory creole spice.
A side of Hushpuppies was ordered for the table as well: it came with fresh lettuce and tartar sauce…
…and it was supposed to come with pickled red onion. The server brought a cup once she was aware that it was missing. It all went well together.
Topping off the conclusion of the dinner was S’mores Cake, which is chocolate cake covered with burnt marshmallow cream, crumbled graham crackers, and cayenne chocolate ganache. It was quite close to being the perfect ending to a wonderfully delicious meal.
Final Boarding Call
I highly recommend dining at Saltine. We all truly enjoyed our meals, as evidenced by the disappearance of the food. One diner was full and brought the remaining few bites of the dinner home.
The restaurant is the right combination of a modern take on traditional Southern cuisine with a stylish, mildly eclectic, and fun atmosphere.
One strange part was when one woman came by and cheerfully exclaimed — among other things — about how sexy I was. My face immediately turned a deep shade of beet red. I think she was a manager in the restaurant. I know she was having some fun and we all laughed — but I both appreciated it and wanted to crawl under the table at the same time.
Another strange fact: when dining at Saltine, you can consider yourself dining on top of an extinct Cretaceous volcano, as I also stayed overnight on top of this volcano.
The restaurant is conveniently located in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson just shy of one mile west of Interstate 55 and approximately 5.5 miles north of Interstate 20.
Saltine
622 Duling Avenue
Suite 201
Jackson, Mississippi 39216
601.982.2899
Restaurant Hours:
- Monday through Saturday: 11:00 in the morning through 10:00 in the evening
- Sunday: 10:30 in the morning through 9:00 in the evening
- Christmas Eve: 10:30 in the morning through 3:00 in the afternoon
- Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day: Closed
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
