Selected
Article:
Madidi
celebrates second year in business
Fine dining proves to be big business
BY Andy Ellis, DBJ Editor
Madidi
Restaurant, located at 164 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale, recently
celebrated its second year in business. The fine dining
establishment, which is owned by Clarksdale attorney Bill
Luckett and world-renowned actor Morgan Freeman, has rapidly
become the premiere dining location in the Delta. “Business
is good and our reputation is spreading quickly,”
says Luckett.
Since its official opening in early 2001, Madidi has been
the talk of the media including newsprint, magazines and
prominant television programs. “We have received a
great deal of national press,” says Luckett. “We
are very honored by the attention we have received.”
In the near future, Madidi will be featured on The Food
Network’s “The Best Of” series, which
will air on April 20th, April 26th and May 4th. Madidi has
also made numerous other television appearances including
Fox 13 out of Memphis and “My Favorite Restaurant,”
which airs on WKNO. In addition, a segment for the “Off
the Menu” series to be aired on Turner South was recently
recorded.
Along with celebrating two years in business, Luckett adds
that Madidi also has some new additions to the menu, including
a chef’s choice pasta and several new wine selections.
“We have made some new additions, but we change our
menu quarterly anyway,” says Luckett. Luckett adds
that Madidi head chef, David Krog, has been invited to make
a submission to the very prestigious James Beard Foundation
Dinner.
“We are seeing many parties being booked right now,”
says Luckett. “We are often used as a recruiting tool
to help welcome people to the region.” Luckett mentions
that he has also seen an increase in traffic from outside
the area. “We recently had five tables from Jackson
and four from Memphis on the same night.” Luckett
says in view of what is going on nationally he is very pleased
with the progress Madidi has made, and looks forward to
the future of the restaurant.
In addition to Madidi, Luckett and Freeman also formed a
partnership with Clarksdale resident Howard Stovall in the
formation of Ground Zero Blues Club. Ground Zero Blues Club,
which also opened in early 2001, has proven to be the “hot
spot” for blues and music related events. Much like
its sister business, Ground Zero is no stranger to media
attention, and recently provided the backdrop for Steve
Azar’s chart topping music video “Waitin on
Joe.” Ground Zero Blues Club also figured prominently
in the recent airings of “The Living Blues”
on March 4th on Turner South, and on the February 24th airing
of “The Last Of The Mississippi Jukes” on Black
Starz.
For more information on Madidi or Ground Zero Blues Club
please visit their web sites at www.madidires.com and www.groundzerobluesclub.com.
DBJ
