Crossroad Eats: Your Menu Guide to Clarksdale
Published in Delta Magazine
by JOHN FINCHER BOBO
Exactly 60 minutes lie between Oxford, Mississippi and my hometown Clarksdale. It’s an absolutely straight drive west that requires no turn of tire. While I was at Ole Miss I’d make this drive several times a semester with a little load of laundry in my trunk. But sometimes I’d be brought home just to silence a longing in my heart—which is to say my stomach—for some hometown eats outside of Mom’s kitchen. We all have those places, our places, that we have to visit when we’re home. The “where everybody knows your name” kind of corners that help make the Delta the most southern place on earth.
But this is not that list. This is entirely, perhaps obsessively, about the food. This is the unequivocal, most delicious, winner’s circle, best things to eat when you come to my hometown list—with no honorable mentions or prize for participation. Cheers.
Kibbe Sandwich || Rest Haven 419 S State St
When in Clarksdale, do as the Lebanese do: eat kibbe. With no less than 4 different spellings, kibbe (pronounced: “ki-bie") is prime beef mixed with bulgar wheat, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. It’s fried or baked and sometimes stuffed with things like pine nuts and golden raisins. The Kibbe Sandwich is more wrap than sandwich. Rest Haven wraps the kibbe in a chewy paper-thin homemade bread along with tabasco and lettuce. The real secret is on the inside which is drenched in an impossibly delicious lemon vinaigrette. The tart sting of that dressing is so addicting you’ll ask for extra after your first bite.
Fried Shrimp || Ramon’s 535 Oakhurst Ave
You’ll be ok I promise. But once you taste the fried shrimp at Ramon’s, you’re going to need a few minutes to yourself. Take your time, re-examine your life, shed a tear, hey—maybe even give your mom a call. After you pull yourself together, enjoy the perfection. These shrimp have been made the same way since Ramon’s opened in 1948: same homemade batter, peeled, deveined and butterflied by hand. I crave this shrimp. The golden fried crust they achieve is like nothing I’ve ever had. Since my first time, I have vowed to never order fried shrimp at any other establishment as long as I live.
Ricotta Ravioli || Levon’s Bar and Grill 232 Sunflower Ave
Handmade squares of pasta are filled with fresh ricotta and covered in a mushroom roux that’s earthy and creamy. It’s a killer dish. If that wasn’t enough reason to visit (and it is, trust me), you should go for the live music. Johnny Cass and Naomi Caseceli moved to Clarksdale from Sydney, Australia last year and opened up Levon’s to much success. In May they moved a few streets over to a bigger building and had a grand reopening to celebrate the expansion. They’ve got a full lineup of performers to get the summer kicked off. www.levons.net
Tacos Alambre || Atzimba’s Mexican Restaurant 706 S State St
Any time I eat at a Mexican restaurant, I look for a dish that comes close to this. I never succeed. So I usually give up and order the chicken, cheese, and rice like a self respecting redneck should do, because anything blanketed in salty white queso is delicious. But Tacos Alambre is something special. The tortillas are covered in grilled chicken, chorizo, onions, and fresh bright green jalapeños. Think of it as a Philly Cheesesteak on Spring Break just south of the border.
Jukin’ Blues Burger || Ground Zero 387 Delta Ave
The fraternity men of Kappa Alpha would host our annual Bid Day party at Ground Zero Blues Club, chartering buses to Clarksdale for the evening. I relished the reactions my out-of-state friends would have when they walked in. I don’t know if they were more surprised that this was Morgan Freeman’s bar or that they could smoke cigarettes indoors. Regardless, I’d watch the mesmerized facial expressions of my buddies from Sea Island, Athens, and Charleston surveying in disbelief this strange juke joint wonderland in between sips of their “electric bluesman,” a highlighter-turquoise beverage in a styrofoam cup the size of a paper towel roll. But it was my disbelief that needed reckoning when I, the seasoned local, decided to eat something off the menu for the first time. This burger is a top 10 best burger in my book. It’s served steaming hot with hand-battered fried onions and jalapeños, melted mozzarella, and a tangy “Getback” sauce. Just look at it. You’ve got to eat this burger.
Lemon Ice Box Pie || The Dutch Oven 100 Blues Alley Ln
This pie is my “birthday cake” most years. It’s just the right shade of cold that makes the side of your fork sink slowly through each chilled creamy bite. The lemon filling is made with only a few ingredients, and the graham cracker crust is toasty and sweet. With temperature, texture, tart creamy citrus, and buttery crust all at play, there’s a whole lot going on here that somehow comes together in a perfectly simple bite. It’s the ultimate comfort dessert. Buy it by the slice for here, and get a whole one to go. Put it in your freezer and look forward to the summer day when you serve this just slightly thawed to sun-weary friends. Or be like me: tell no one what’s in your freezer, hide it under a DiGiorno pizza, and attack it with only a fork in the hush of night.