Oxford, Part I: Put Some South in Your Mouth!

The first weekend in April brought exciting fodder for the Southeast in the Pacific Northwest blog, so much so that I have difficulty in pruning down the events for a single blog post. 

One of my oldest friends, and co-Portland inhabitant married her Alabama-born fiancé in a pastoral setting outside of Oxford, Mississippi. The wedding congregants consisted of largely three groups: Portland family (with some overlapping Georgia folks), an Athens, Alabama family and an Atlanta, Georgia contingency. The mixture was fabulous, and an affirmation, in my mind, that certain elements of The South and The Pacific Northwest dovetail nicely together.

For me, the two main themes were Blues City Cafe's Motto, "Put Some South in Your Mouth!" and William Faulkner's line, "Nothing ever happens and is finished." So this first post will address the culinary delights we put in our mouth

Let me first make plain, that I have never been to Oxford. I associate it mainly with Faulkner's writing and a 2008 article from Garden and Gun magazine. It has been, for some time, a place I wanted to visit. To get to Oxford, the Portland contingency had to fly to Memphis and rent a car for the hour and half drive. Our Portland party consisted of two Georgia affiliated, two Nebraskans, and two Californians. We all shared a penchant for good food and drink and discovering a quality sense of place. 

Our first stop? Beale Street and some lunch. After finding our way from the airport, we were all struck by how wintry it looked. It seems Portland, way up in the Pacific Northwest was much further along the spring trek than the heart of dixie. Who knew? We were also struck by the bleakness of the city. Memphis has seen some hard times.

Ghost River Golden Ale

I was the only person who had been to Memphis, and while we consulted our iPhones and networks, we ended up going to Blues City Cafe (rather than BB King's Restaurant & Blues Club across the street; I had been there in 2002) based on the awesome sign that told us to put some South in our mouth. Done.

Portland Family in Memphis

The six of us shared some delicious ribs, coleslaw and baked beans. Two of us opted for a local brew called the Ghost River Golden Ale.  What do you know, they tout that great water makes great beer. Exactly what we say in PDX. They also say think global, drink local. I love these guys.

We threw back the last drops of golden nectar, gnawed on the remnants of cow bones and hopped in our rental mini-van. Oxford, onward! One thing we were warned about: Mississippi does not sell cold beer, and we should pick up some before crossing the border. Even to me, a native southerner, alcohol regulations are a mystery to me. Why? Why can't an American buy cold beer in MS? I mean, it's unAmerican. In any event, I thought there would be all kinds of crazy carnival signs proclaiming, "Buy Cold Beer Here!" as we approached the border. Like firework shops on the border between Georgia and South Carolina. Alas, I was wrong. We seriously thought we were going to get shot, mugged or worse in our search for cold beer.

Eventually we picked up a 12 pack of Budweiser and got the heck out of there. No Ghost River Ale to be found. Colt 45, yes. Craft brew, no.  Ok, Oxford, onward!

The Garden & Gun article I referred to early, states that, "The Square of Oxford is studded with good bars and restaurants like jewels in a crown, and you can have big fun and great meals without ever leaving it." Too true. We didn't stray far from our VRBO which was just a few blocks away from the crown.

We ate at four locations on the Square: Soulshine Pizza Factory, Proud Larry's, Boure`, and City Grocery. All had their credits and debits.

Soulshine Pizza Factory

Credits include excellent and competent service to a large and unwieldy party. A huge bonus for me was access to Magic Hat #9 on tap. Oh delicious beer that was my favorite at Charlotte's very own Philosopher's Stone Tavern. It's very difficult to find on tap on the west coast. Impossible really. We had wide array of foods, including a variety of nachos, pizzas and salads. Sorry Soulshine, if your salad comes from a bag that includes iceberg lettuce, dehydrated carrots and purple cabbage, I cannot condone you as a food place.

Proud Larry's

We were another large party of 8 or so, so we missed out on the delightful outdoor seating. It was sunny outside and the Portlanders were tucked away in a little corner. I had my doubts about the food, but it ended up being delicious. I had a roast beef po' boy and bites of lobster nachos. Unbelievable. Thumbs up. Service was a bit slow and I'm not sure there was vodka in my Bloody Mary. That's nothing to be proud of, Larry.

Boure`

That's pronounced Boo-Ray for those of you who don't know. It evoked an appropriate nickname for a certain To Kill a Mocking Bird character for me. To be fair, we were catered here with tapas style food and drink. All were to my liking. The porch and atmosphere of this spot were killer.

City Grocery

City Grocery

Now this spot has a reputation. Written up in Garden and Gun, extolled by my brother and on the "to eat list" of every Portlander visiting that weekend: I knew I had to go here. We made lunch reservations and examined the menu so we could eat and run. We had a wedding to get to. Pricy, yes, but aren't all haut cuisine spots? Kudos to the wine list and affordable pricing. I had a Sauvignon Blanc for $5.50. Eat that Portland. The Waldorf Salad, on the other hand, was 8 bucks and was the size of a fruit cup. I had the shrimp and grits, which were delicious as was the cornbread. But I paid for it. Looking around at others' selections, I was not impressed by the cost per portion ratio. I'm not even that big of an eater, but it was kind of ridiculous. So over all, I would recommend this spot, but I might also recommend having heavy appetizers before I go.

Chick-fil-A

So I didn't eat here this trip. I took a run to Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak (to be mentioned later). However, I was a bit envious to miss those delicious waffle fries, polynesian sauce and fried chicken laced with pickle juice. Boo hoo.

Woodson Ridge Farms - Chef Elizabeth Heiskell 

Woodson Ridge Kitchen

The wedding was amazing, beautiful and poignant. The setting, the father's toast, and the dinner created a lasting impression. I felt quite lucky to be immeshed in such a quintessential Mississippi moment. Shrimp, grits, fried green tomatoes and some delicious Brussel sprout salad. The addition of St. Innocent and Oregon Pinot Noir did help. A delightful blending of Pacific Northwest in the Southeast.

Oregon Pinot Noir on a Mississippi Farm