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 Dining In The Mississippi Delta
The Bourbon Mall
Mark Azlin, the owner of the Bourbon Mall, must be a crazy man. How else would you explain opening a restaurant in the middle of a cornfield?
Ok, maybe not in the middle of a cornfield but certainly surrounded by seemingly unending fields of cotton and corn. I challenge you to find Bourbon, MS on the map. I challenge you, knowing that once you do, you'll be as happy as we were.
When a friend tipped us off about this "great steak place up in the Delta", it was a little hard to believe. But I'm a trusting soul and with map in hand I set out with a friend to find this gem. Undaunted by the record breaking heat and clouds of dust, we forged our way down two lane highways past small farming towns until we reached the community of Leland, MS.
Then it got a little harder. Roads in the delta remind me of a quilt. The land is as flat as grandma’s bed and cut into big squares. A sharp curve would be hard to find. The four corners of each intersection look much like the four corners of every other intersection. Landmarks are few and far between. Gazing out the window you see crops, large pieces of farm machinery, catfish ponds, farm homes and shacks.
After one misstep, which resulted in some time on a gravel road, we finally found the highway sign we'd been searching for and with new found confidence continued to drive. Looming from a gap in the fields, we saw the rusted tin siding that turned out to be our destination, the Bourbon Mall.
“You’re kidding me”, my friend said. “Nope”, I responded, “I think this is it’.
We had arrived a little early for dinner and we were the only car in the gravel lot. My friend continued to eye both me and the builiding distrustfully. "Are you sure?"
I was saved from her questioning by Brian Strickland. Brian is the Chef at the Bourbon Mall and greeted us like family.
We made our entry through the old grocery store, originally established in the 1920's. It's exterior looked largely unchanged save the hole in the west wall cut probably around 1965 to accommodate a fancy window unit air conditioner. The pot bellied stove still stands near the middle of the room and the old check out counter and meat display case are still in their rightful place. You pass through the store, past the kitchen to the serving area.
The interior is rustic but with all the modern amenities necessary to ensure comfort during the warm Mississippi evening. Brian toured us around each (yes, I said each) dining room and bar. What looked like a shack outside was an expansive, rambling eating establishment once you crossed the threshold.
The owners, Mark and Leigh Ann Azlin arrived soon after our tour. I just could not wait to ask him what the heck they were thinking when they chose their location.
He laughed and told the story in a soft, slow voice that reminded me of Vince Gill.
“The price was right”, he said. He bought and renovated the place in 1998 and has been adding on since then. A fire last year resulted in the addition of the newest dining area. The place just keeps growing.
In the beginning, it was a little tougher. Since hardly anyone could even find their location and no one wanted to drive to such a remote location for unproven food, Mark established a limousine service to fetch the clientele from Greenville, the closest town of significant size. Now the clientele find him, coming from Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and beyond for food that has long since exceeded the initial expectations of a wary public. Mark continues to run the service, allowing groups to enjoy all the restaurant has to offer without the hassle of driving long distances on dark roads at night. And if you use the limo, he cuts you a deal on the meals.
Just the weekend before, they had picked up a party of forty or so patrons from the Port of Greenville. A boating club calling themselves the “Pirates of the Mississippi” had motored into port, ready to take full sample of the local bounty. But being of an age when adventure is tempered by good judgment, this group had Mark ferry them to and from the restaurant, allowing them to indulge responsibly. Nice.
There are two dishes the Bourbon Mall is known for. The first is steak, flame broiled to perfection in bourbon seasonings. They offer a porterhouse, a ribeye, a t-bone or filet. That’s the dish on which they built their reputation. The other is the hot tamale, available one of two ways. The traditional, wrapped in real corn shucks, or their own version of this ageless specialty, deep-fried until crispy. Many food lovers travel there just for the tamales. I wondered if they got their shucks from the back yard.
We were placed at a table and the tasting began.
We started with the tamales as an appetizer. Just as promised, they were crispy and flavorful. You get a half dozen for less than six bucks. I could easily see myself stopping by for a half dozen and a cold brew for a lighter dinner. That’s light by Southern standards. We quickly polished them off and moved on.
For my entrée, I chose the ribeye, medium rare. Then, at Mark’s insistence, I dressed it up with two of their steak toppings served on the side. The “Zest” consists of sautéed mushrooms and onions, and the “Lafette Sauce”, a garlic shrimp cream sauce.
My steak seemed huge, beyond it’s stated sixteen ounce size. It was a very nice cut of meat, well marbled and precision grilled to my liking.The meat was very flavorful with a hint of smoke. I found the Zest to be just a little salty but the Lafette sauce was quite good. It felt absolutely wicked to place something so rich atop a steak. I’m sure it’s also delicious over pasta.
My dining partner had the Catfish Lafette, a golden brown fried catfish filet topped with the same sauce. The filet was very fresh, from a local pond and well cooked using a seasoned, flour batter as opposed to the traditional corn batter. Somewhat picky about her catfish, she was very pleased with her dish.
I regretted we were too full to try the Fried Stuffed Catfish. It’s prepared in the same way as Catfish Lafette but with one addition. It’s stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and sausage. That omission will necessitate a return trip, allowing us to also try the Pork Tenderloin, grilled and topped with a portabella mushroom demi-glaze sauce. Those are just two of several dishes on the menu that warrant further exploration. Fresh snapper, shrimp and a variety of pasta in both cream and marinara sauces are also offered.
On the evening of our visit, a Wednesday, the restaurant was about half full with several large parties there for special occasions. The atmosphere was pleasantly relaxed. Each week, from Thursday through Saturday night, the place comes alive with music. Bands are booked into the smaller of the two bars on Thursday nights and both bars feature bands each Friday and Saturday.
The first weekend of every month is special. That’s when the walls fill with the sound of the Delta Blues. It’s easy to imagine the ghost of Robert Johnson striding out of the fields and through the Bourbon Mall's red front door to bend the strings of his worn guitar. I picture what it must be like to exit your car into the thick air of the Missisippi Delta, the only lights those of the Bourbon Mall, and to just stand and listen as the music wafts over the fields mingling with the smell of good cookin’.
Part fine restaurant, part juke joint, the Bourbon Mall is well worth the time it takes to get there. And Mark Azlin is crazy. Crazy like a fox.
Click on the photos below to see the slideshow.
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