Living Our Dream

More Memphis: More Eats

West Memphis, AR - Events of Wednesday, July 4 to Friday, July 6, 2012

On July 4th, instead slaving over a hot grill all day, we decided to let Texas Roadhouse grill our steaks for us. Texas Roadhouse has 10 early bird specials before 6:00 PM Monday through Thursday for $7.99 that include a 6 oz. sirloin steak and two sides. There are a couple of Texas Roadhouse locations around Memphis, and the closest one was about 25 minutes away in Southaven, MS. We headed there the afternoon of the 4th for lupper.

Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse has barrels of peanuts to munch on while you're waiting for your table. Since it was mid afternoon, we didn't have to wait, but they also have buckets of peanuts on the tables.

We started off with peanuts

We both had salads for one of our two sides. Their blue cheese dressing is delish! Margery had a baked potato for her other side, and Paul had mashed potatoes and gravy.

Paul digs in

As always, the steaks were tender, juicy and full of flavor. The 6 oz. steak isn't huge, but we got plenty to eat with a few peanuts at the start, rolls and cinnamon butter, and two sides.

Later in the evening, we went outside to look for fireworks. Looking up the river, we could see fireworks from at least three different locations, but they were all pretty far away, including the ones at the Memphis riverfront which we were hoping would have been closer. It's just as well because the mosquitoes are pretty ferocious after dark. We went back inside and just watched fireworks on TV from Washington, D.C. and from Boston.

A few days later after a sightseeing outing (we'll tell you about the sightseeing in an upcoming post), our timing was just right to stop for lupper at another barbecue joint. We had gone to Tom's Bar-B-Q when we visited Memphis back in 2008. Although we wrote that we liked Tom's Bar-B-Q, we couldn't remember it that well. Tom's was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, so after going online and watching the segment of Triple D about Tom's again, we decided to revisit Tom's Bar-B-Q.

Tom's Bar-B-Q

The first time we were at Tom's we had chopped pork sandwiches, but Tom's specialty is rib tips. They are the strips of meat and bone from the very tips of the ribs. They were featured on Triple D, and they looked so good that's what we both decided to have. A dinner plate is $9.99 and includes two sides and a drink. Margery had slaw and onion rings for her sides while Paul had slaw and potato salad.

Barbecue rib tips, slaw and potato salad

The original owner of Tom's was Greek, and all the meats first get a dry rub that include Greek spices as a base, then they add the more traditional dry rub spices like paprika and cumin. After marinating the meat with the rub in the cooler, the meat is smoked.

Although the sauce was good, we thought they put too much of it on our chopped pork sandwiches when we were at Tom's back in 2008. This time, they asked if we wanted them to put on the sauce for us or if we wanted to put it on ourselves. Naturally, we said we would put it on ourselves. We're glad we did because Paul liked the dry rub so much he used very little sauce. Unfortunately, the meat itself was a little dry and not too tender, but the flavor was excellent.

They also gave us a sampler plate (visible in the upper left of the photo above) with some of their chopped pork and several slivers of their barbecued bologna. Yes, they barbecue bologna. They cut ½-inch thick slices of bologna, cover both sides with dry rub, then put a dollop of barbecue sauce between the slices before stacking them to marinate. The chopped pork was not as moist as what we had at the Bar B Q Shop the week before, but the bologna was excellent. 

Back at the motor home that evening, we had some very unusual weather. Paul looked out the window as he frequently does to see if there are any boats going up or down the river, and he saw a big cloud coming down the river heading right for us. We weren't sure if it was fog, rain or something else.

Suddenly, the wind kicked up to about 30 mph, and we realized what was coming down the river was a dust cloud. We had never seen a dust cloud over water before. There hasn't been much rain in the northeast, and the river level is down. There are wide areas of silt-covered river bank that are exposed, and that is where the dust was coming from.

Barges going by as a dust cloud comes down the river behind them

The wind kept up at over 30 mph for at least half an hour (the maximum gust we recorded with our weather station was 38 mph), and the old motor home was rockin' 'n' rollin'. Fortunately, when the wind finally died down we saw no damage except that all the riverfront benches had blown over.

We still have that sightseeing outing to tell you about, so stay tuned.

Biloxi, MS Part II: Shrimping Trip

Biloxi, MS

The Gulf Coast area around Biloxi and Gulfport has a long heritage in commercial fishing. This area is known for its shrimp, so when we found out about the Biloxi Shrimping Trip, we knew we had to go.

The boat is a small excursion boat rather than a real shrimp boat, but it is fitted with a winch and a small trawl net at the stern.

The shrimping cruise takes place in Misissippi Sound. The area off the coast of Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico has a string of relatively small, widely-spaced barrier islands that are located 7 to 12 miles offshore. Because the islands are so small and far away, we tend to think of Biloxi as being located directly on the Gulf of Mexico. However, the water behind the barrier islands is known as Mississippi Sound.

There is one barrier island that is located less than half a mile offshore at its closest point, and that is Deer Island. The shrimping trip takes place only a couple hundred yards offshore in the protected water between the marina and Deer Island, which is shown in the photo below.

As the name suggests, Deer Island was once home to numerous deer. The first inhabitants of the area, the Biloxi Indians, used to hunt on the island.

As we left the marina, the captain started to explain how trawl nets work. The nets are dragged along the bottom, which is where shrimp tend to live. As we got a little farther out into the sound, the captain began deploying the net. The two flat objects hanging under the winch in the photo below are the trawl boards. These are attached near the opening of the net, and when dragged through the water, the trawl boards are mounted in such a way that they keep the mouth of the net open as they plane through the water.

Because shrimp live on or near the bottom, the yield can be increased by dragging a chain along the bottom ahead of the opening of the net.

Each spring, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources determines the starting date of the shrimping season in Mississippi waters. Shrimp must reach the minimum legal size of 68 shrimp per pound for the season to start. The usual date for Mississippi is around June 1, but it can vary. The season usually lasts until the end of December.

After we trawled for about half an hour, the captain began reeling in the net. As soon as the net broke the surface, we began to attract gulls.

The black rope to the left in the photo below is called the lazy line. It is attached to the bottom of the net and makes it possible to pull up the catch and release it from the bottom of the net without having to reel the whole net in.

The next photo shows our catch. One of the problems with a trawl is it is not selective. It will catch anything near the bottom in it's path. The shrimp are relatively small and brown-colored. There also were numerous varieties of fish in our catch. The large, round fish is a sting ray.

The captain carefully held the tail where the stinger is located so it wouldn't whip around while he held the ray up for photos.

With the sting ray out of the way, we could better see the rest of the catch. The captain went through all the catch and held up an example of each type of fish we caught. The captain then did what many commercial fishermen do - he stood aside and let the gulls come aboard. Gulls prefer fish to shrimp, and they'll clean out the fish first and leave the shrimp behind.

There are three varieties of shrimp in this area - pink, brown and white. The pinks are the predominant variety in the waters off Florida, and there aren't that many here. Browns are by far the most common variety. However, we were lucky enough to have caught a white shrimp because they are bigger and it was easier to see as the captain described it. White shrimp are actually brown, and they are named for light areas on the tip of the tail.

As we headed back to the marina, we were overtaken by a real shrimp boat. Since the Mississippi season hadn't started yet, we're guessing he was either over to the west off Louisiana where the season usually starts earlier or farther out in the Gulf in international waters.

It was almost 3:00 PM when we got off the boat, and we were quite hungry. We had read about a restaurant in Ocean Springs, which is the next town to the east, that was supposed to have good seafood. We headed there for an early dinner.

Aunt Jenny's Catfish Restaurant is in an old house located on Old Fort Bayou.

We started off with cole slaw and biscuits. As you can see, we had a nice view of some old live oak trees outside and of the bayou.

Margery had fried catfish, the house specialty, and after our shrimping trip, Paul was hungry for shrimp. We both had baked sweet potatoes, and the dinners were served with a hush puppy.

The cole slaw was so-so, but everything else was quite good. Dinners range in price from $10 for fried catfish and $12 for the shrimp to $13 to $15 for shrimp Creole and a combination platter. Prices may be just a little high, but you do get a lot to eat. They also have all-you-can eat catfish, shrimp and chicken for $1 to $1.50 more, but there was plenty with the regular dinner. Margery got 5 big pieces of catfish and Paul got 18 medium-size shrimp.

After dinner we made our way back to the motor home. We found even more to do in Biloxi, so look for our next post.

Darwell's Cafe

Biloxi, MS

As we said in our last post, the weather forecast was calling for a 60% chance of showers. However, when we got up in the morning, the sun was out, and there were only a few clouds passing by. When we checked the radar, there was only a narrow line of showers to the west, but it looked like they would pass before noon. Even though there were only a few showers, we figured sightseeing would be iffy, so we decided to run a couple of errands and end up at Darwell's Cafe in Long Beach, MS for a late lunch.

It rained fairly hard for about 20 or 30 minutes (we got an inch of rain) before we even left to run our errands. We were glad the rain was over because then we didn't have to worry about running in and out of stores in the rain. We got to Darwell's about 2:30.

We found out about Darwell's Cafe from the Food Network program Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Triple D). Darwell's is located about 13 miles west of where we were staying. The photo below shows the funky exterior of Darwell's Cafe.

We knew from the restaurant's website they had outdoor seating. When we decided to go to Darwell's earlier in the morning, it was sunny; and we were hoping the sun would come out again after the rain so we could sit outside. Unfortunately, after the rain passed, the temperature dropped about 10º, it became mostly overcast, and the winds kicked up to 15 to 20 mph. In fact, when we arrived, Darwell was outside having just finished folding up the umbrellas so they wouldn't blow away. Darwell is really outgoing and friendly. He greeted us as we got out of the car, then took us over to show us his newly-renovated outdoor area. The structure at the far end is a stage where they frequently have live entertainment.

Darwell ushered us inside and showed us how to order. The menu is posted on the wall and over the counter. After you order and pay, they bring the food to your table. That's Darwell behind the counter to the left in the next photo.

Darwell's specializes in Cajun and Creole food, but the item from the Triple D program that caught our eye was the prime rib sandwich. Yes, it's prime rib, not just any old roast beef. To cook the prime rib, they first drench it with soy sauce, then rub it with Cajun blackening spices, and cover it with chopped garlic and onions. The beef is cooked rare in the oven. To make the sandwiches, they slice the beef thinly and cook it on the flat-top grill while liberally splashing it with au jus. We both decided to have our sandwiches plain and pass on the optional fried onions and cheese so we could get the full flavor of just the prime rib. We ordered sides of baked potato salad and baked beans and shared them.

Look how high the prime rib is piled on these sandwiches - the lids won't even stay on! The sandwiches were outstanding. The prime rib was tender and so full of flavor, especially dipped in au jus which is served in a cup on the side. The baked beans were topped with pulled pork (they have a smoker out back and also serve pork barbecue), and the potato salad was also excellent.

Darwell's is a little expensive. The prime rib sandwiches are $7.50, and that doesn't include any sides. Sides range in price from $2.00 to $3.50 for small to $2.95 to $4.50 for large. Dinners cost $7.95 for red beans and rice to $17.95 for super-size portions of shrimp Creole or crawfish etofee ($13.95 for regular size). But the food is excellent, it's all made from scratch, and the ingredients are all fresh so you expect to pay a little more. The fact that Darwell's is close to the beach and that they have live entertainment most evenings probably adds to the price, too.

On our way back to the motor home, we drove along the beach again. Beach Road is four lanes wide with numerous live oak trees growing along the side of the road opposite the beach and in the median. Many of the trees were damaged by Hurricane Katrina and are missing branches and lopsided. Some of the trunks of severely-damaged trees were turned into sculptures by local artists. We caught glimpses of a couple of the sculpted trees when we drove along the beach the day before; but this time, we took time to look for some that had parking nearby so we could stop and take a few photos.

Back at the motor home, we relaxed for the evening with some TV. As soon as the weather clears, we hope to do some sightseeing.

Vicksburg, MS

We drove south from Little Rock and stopped at Ameristar Casino RV Park in Vicksburg, MS. Unlike many casinos that have RV sites at the back of the parking lot, Ameristar has a real RV park across the road from the casino. There is a free shuttle from the RV park and hotel to the casino.

The roads and pads in the campground are paved, and there is grass between the sites. The site width is decent, although the pavement of the pads is a little narrow. All the sites are pull-throughs so we wouldn't have had to unhook the toad if we hadn't wanted to. More about that later. The Ameristar RV Park has full hookups including cable, and they have Wi-Fi. Some sites have 30/50 amp electric, and some have 30 amp. The photo below shows our site at Ameristar Casino.

  

And the next photo is a view looking up the road from our site.

There is traffic noise from nearby I-20, and there is a railroad track down over the hill in back of the campground. You can't see the trains, but you sure can hear them. Fortunately, there is no crossing nearby, so there were no train horns, but there was a lot of rumble when the trains passed.

We only scheduled one night in Vicksburg. Although we usually don't go sightseeing when we only stop for one night, we really wanted to see the Vicksburg National Military Park. Besides, it was only about 2:00 PM by the time we got set up, and it was also a warm, sunny spring day, so we went ahead and unhooked the car.

The visitor center at the park has an excellent 20-minute movie that tells the story of Vicksburg. They also have a small museum that depicts what life for both the soldiers and citizens was like during the siege.

In the 1800s, the Mississippi River was a vital transportation artery for the entire country. When the Civil War broke out, the Confederates controlled the lower Mississippi from Cairo, IL, to New Orleans. In 1862, however, Memphis to the north of Vicksburg and New Orleans to the south fell to Union control, and by early 1863, the control of much of the Mississippi had returned to the Union forces - with the exception of Vicksburg.

Controlling the entire Mississippi River was important for the Union because they could use the river to ship supplies to its troops deep within southern territory. Controlling the river would also effectively cut the Confederacy in two.

On March 31, 1863, Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant began moving against the Confederates in the area of Vicksburg. The visitor center had a map with colored lights that helped us understand the troop movement. In the photo below, the red lights represent the Confederate defenses around Vicksburg while the blue lights represent the Union forces as they prepared to cross the Mississippi.

After several battles, one of which resulted in the Union forces capturing the Mississippi capital of Jackson located about 40 miles east of Vicksburg, the Confederate forces eventually retreated to the west to the well-fortified city of Vicksburg.

Grant had the advantage of greater numbers, but the Confederates had the advantages of terrain and fortifications that made Vicksburg almost impenetrable. Union forces surrounded Vicksburg and lay siege to the town pounding it with artillery.

Although the Confederates successfully repulsed several Union attempts to break through their defenses, the lack of rations, the almost constant Union artillery fire and sickness eventually proved to be too much for the Confederates. Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863.

The war continued another 21 months, but the surrender of Vicksburg combined with Gen. Robert E. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg the day before are considered to be the turning point of the war.

After we toured the museum and watched the informational movie in the visitor center, we headed out to drive around the battlefield. The next photo shows the Memorial Arch at the entrance to the road that traverses the battlefield in an elongated loop.

The eastern side of the loop follows the Union line. Along the road are scores of plaques and monuments. One could easily spend all day stopping to read all of them. Larger monuments, like the one in the photo below for Minnesota, honor all the soldiers from that particular state who fought and who gave their lives. There are also many, many smaller monuments that mark specific events that took place during the battle.

 

A little farther along the road, we came to Battery De Golyer, which is named for its commander, Capt. Samuel De Golyer. Battery De Golyer is the site of largest Union gun placement with a total of 22 canons. The spire on the horizon in the center of the photo below is the Louisiana monument over on the Confederate side. The Louisiana monument is adjacent to the main Confederate defensive position called the Great Redoubt. A redoubt is an earthworks fortification. 

The largest state monument is from Illinois. There are 47 steps leading up to the memorial - one for each day of the siege.

Inside, the marble walls are lined with bronze plaques listing every regiment, company and soldier from Illinois who fought at Vicksburg.

 

Adjacent to the Illinois Memorial is the Shirley House, which is the only original building of the period remaining in the park.

 

The Shirley family, who were Northern sympathizers, were forced out of their home during the siege. Like many civilians in Vicksburg, they dug a cave in a nearby hillside where they lived to protect themselves from the shelling. The house was so badly damaged during the siege that the Shirleys never again occupied it. The house, which was originally restored in 1902, is currently undergoing stabilization.

The next photo shows Thayer's Approach where Union soldiers under the command of Brig. Gen. John Thayer conducted one of the unsuccessful advances on the Confederate defenses. As you can see, the Confederates had an advantageous position on top of the hill.

At the far end of the loop road through the park is the USS Cairo Museum. The Cairo, which was named after Cairo, IL, was a Union ironclad gunboat that was sunk in the Yazoo River about 7 miles north of Vicksburg in 1862. The Cairo is believed to have been the first vessel sunk by an electrically detonated underwater mine (called torpedoes back in the day). The Confederates made inexpensive mines by filling glass jugs with gunpowder and anchoring them so they floated just below the surface of the water. Insulated wires ran to an electrical battery on shore where soldiers hiding in the bushes would wait for passing Union ships.

The wreck of the Cairo lay forgotten in the mud and silt at the bottom of the river until it was rediscovered in 1956. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1964, the vessel was finally recovered in 1965. The partially restored and reinforced Cairo is displayed in a covered, outdoor exhibit area.

 

An indoor museum displays photos of the recovery, models of the ship and thousands of artifacts recovered from the wreck.

You can walk onto the preserved boat (on new decking, of course - the original wood has deteriorated badly after over 100 years in the mud) and see canons...

...the original boilers, steam engines and the paddle wheel. The paddle wheel was located amidships and was enclosed in a wheel house to protect it from enemy fire.

Next to the Cairo Museum is the National Cemetery, which covers 116 acres and contains the remains of 17,000 Union Civil War soldiers, 13,000 of which are unknown.

The next stop along the park road was the site of Fort Hill at the top of the bluff overlooking the river. From this commanding position, and with the use of additional river batteries, the Confederates were successful at controlling the river.

 

The next photo shows Margery with one of the canons at the site of Fort Hill.

The next morning we got up and packed up the motor home, then we hopped into the car and drove over to the casino for the breakfast buffet. We normally wouldn't think of eating breakfast out on a day we planned to be on the road, but along with your first night's stay at the Ameristar RV Park they give you coupons for a free breakfast buffet over at the casino. They apparently hope you'll drop a few quarters into the slot machines on your way to breakfast, and then maybe decide to stay a while. The photo below shows the outside of the Ameristar Casino.

The buffet is fairly complete with all the usual items - ham, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, muffins, sweet rolls, biscuits, hot and cold cereals, fruit, pancakes, French toast and more. They also had chicken fried steak and made-to-order omelets. Although Paul thought a couple of the items were a little dried out (the home fries and the corned beef hash), everything else was quite good.

Back at the campground, we hooked up the car and hit the road. There are still many things to see in Vicksburg like the Coca-Cola Museum, the Vicksburg Battlefield Museum (separate from the Vicksburg National Battlefield Park), another Civil War museum in the old 1858 courthouse downtown, as well as several historic buildings in the old downtown area. We're out of time for now, but it looks like we'll be back someday. Stay tuned for news on where we're headed.