Longtime area restaurants offer regional flair

Photography by Matthew Wood

Virginia Woolf once said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” If that’s her stance, then Mrs. Woolf must have been a frequent visitor to the many legendary eating establishments around the Mississippi Delta.

Food feeds the stomach, and it feeds the soul. And the Delta offers up some fine soul food for any palate. With today’s struggling economy, many area restaurants are doing just fine, thanks to their great customer service and their passion for putting great food on a plate. And, a little good publicity never hurts, either.

“Honestly, we’re doing better than ever,” says Charles Signa, co-owner of Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville. It doesn’t hurt that Doe’s has a sort of cult following, especially since their coveted James Beard Award five years ago.

Started in a grocery store in 1941 by Charles’ parents, Dominick and Mamie Signa, Doe’s is legendary for its tamales and steaks. They’ve even expanded and now have an establishment in Paducah, Ky.

It’s not uncommon to find that most of the Delta’s fine eateries are family-owned and operated. In fact, it’s the family connection that has made many of these restaurants successful.

The Crown in Indianola has been in business for 36 years, and current owner Evelyn Roughton and her mother, Thelma McDade, started the business in a cotton field north of Indianola. It is still in the family, as Roughton and her husband Tony Roughton, and daughter Jennifer Schaumburg are now co-owners. Lusco’s in Greenwood has been in the Lusco family for four generations. It was established in 1921. And, Abe’s Barbecue in Clarksdale was established by Abraham Davis in 1924, and it’s been in the family ever since.

“My grandfather Abraham was a peddler before he started in this business,” says Abe’s owner Pat Davis Sr. “When he was 24, he decided to open his own business, and he called it the Bungalow Inn. He started with barbecue because he thought barbecue was simple. He knew how to build a pit, and he was way ahead of his time.”

It was the special sauce that Abraham Davis created that made him famous. But, in 1937, the street was closed for paving and it put him out of business. But, that was okay; customers followed him to the current location of Abe’s at the crossroads of Hwy 61 in Clarksdale. It was then called the Delta Inn. Abraham sold the business to Pat, and the name was changed to Abe’s

In the early 1950’s, Pat Sr. helped to revolutionize the barbecue business for Abe’s by creating a barbecue pit with a fire box on the side in his high school metal shop class.

“It kept us from having to watch the fire all the time,” Davis says. “And it allowed for slower cooking of our meats.”

The secret of Abe’s success is literally tied up in its hot tamales as well as its barbecue. Tourists from all over the world hoping to cash in on the blues experience come to Clarksdale and partake of the offerings at Abe’s, including their famous hot tamales.  They’ve expanded three times due to customer demand.

Famous diners have also helped many Delta eating establishments to create their own unique identity. Doe’s has hosted Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Willie Nelson and Liza Minelli. The Crown has entertained N.Y. Times Food Editor Craig Claiborne, Emeril Lagasse, and Harry Belafonte. Lusco’s has enjoyed the company of ZZ Top, the Manning family, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and many of the cast and crew of “The Help” during its filming in 2010. They attribute a lot of their success to the movie production during that year. But, once the movie left, the pinch was felt just a bit.

“I think we all had a false sense of what was going on in the world because of the movie being here,” says Karen Pinkston, who owns Lusco’s with her husband Andy, and son Drew. “I think when they left, we all felt it.”

While Lusco’s still continues to hold its own, Pinkston feels that business has slowed somewhat due to two factors.

“The business sector does not entertain like it did before, and people are watching not only their pocketbooks now, but they are watching what they eat. We sell a lot of fish. It’s healthy and it doesn’t cost as much.”

One way that Lusco’s—and many more of the Delta eating establishments—has stayed on top of the industry is to offer packaged products. Lusco’s offers its famous shrimp and fish sauces, and they plan to release two new products after the first of the year.

Known for its catfish dishes, The Crown in Indianola also offers its famous Taste of Gourmet line, which includes pie mixes, breads, sauces in jars and more. They offer 50 different products. Roughton feels that diversity is the key to The Crown’s success.

“Our website is very active,” Crown owner Evelyn Roughton says. “And, yes, people are still coming to eat. With the B.B. King Museum, the tourists have helped tremendously.

“We just have a really good time here. We love our customers, love visiting with them,” Roughton says. Our gift shop is a tremendous part of our business, along with our art gallery. There’s something to do when people get here.” DBJ