Dinner at MJ's

 MJ's is a personal favorite. My wife and I recently returned for dinner. 

Apple Harvest Salad

Fried Oysters

Shrimp Tacos

(My wife's favorite)

Barramundi

Mississippi River Cruise on Viking

  

My wife and I recently returned from a cruise on the lower Mississippi River, aboard a Viking river cruise ship.

 Friday- before the cruise

         We spent Friday night in Memphis and walked Beale Street. I would rather do that than Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Great music, safe ambience.

We wanted to see the famous ducks at the Peabody Hotel (peabodymemphis.com). They come down on the elevator and march to the lobby fountain at 11 a.m. then march back to the elevator at 5:00. If you want to get a decent seat, try to arrive around four or a little later. Bar seating provides a good view and really good drinks.

Photos: Peabody Ducks

 Day 1 (Saturday): Depart from Memphis, Tennessee

          Passengers can board the ship in late morning and have lunch on board. Room access is available at 3:00.

During the night, we perceived no motion from the ship. It carries about 380 passengers and is specially built for this location. There is a spacious living room amidships with a large library, where evening entertainment is provided. The ship has a resident trio, with local guest artists featured every night. The music was great.

Unless you are in the living room, there is no perceivable noise. It’s easy to sleep. Rooms are comfortable, personnel exceptionally accommodating.

Big Viking tour buses follow the ship along the route in order to provide transportation to all the excursions.

 

Day 2 (Sunday): Arrive in Greenville, Mississippi

          The excursion was “Steve Azar’s Mississippi.” He is a Nashville songwriter who has scaled down his activity somewhat and moved back home. He and Viking partnered to create this stopover, providing a major economic boost to the town. Local church ladies prepare a big Southern dinner/lunch- pork barbecue, fried chicken- and Steve and his band perform. I commented to my wife that this could be the highlight of the trip, the music was so good. But there was plenty more that was just as enjoyable.

 

Day 3 (Monday): Arrive in Vicksburg, Mississippi

          We skipped the military park tour. Others who took it were very complimentary.

          We went on the guided “Vicksburg by Foot” tour. There is an attractive historic district with numerous antebellum homes. We were fascinated by how residents dug caves in order to shelter from the constant bombardment from the river by Union forces during the Civil War.

          We left with a sense of melancholy. The predominant impression we received was pervasive poverty.

 

Day 4 (Tuesday): Arrive in Natchez, Mississippi

          Natchez, on the other hand, is prosperous and really attractive. We walked

“The Best of Natchez” and found the historic homes so enjoyable, we talked about a trip just for a homes tour.

 

Day 5 (Wednesday): Arrive in St. Francisville, Louisiana

          Two plantation tours, both fascinating.

Frogmore Plantation (frogmoreplantation.com) is a working cotton plantation that shows a 19^th century cotton gin and a modern gin. The owner is deeply immersed in local history- she’s a former teacher- and she conducts the tour herself.

Rosedown Plantation (lastateparks.com/historic-sites/rosedown-plantation-state-historic-site) is a state historic site.

There is a lot more information on the website links than I can provide in a blog post.

Photo- Rosedown Plantation

 

Day 6 (Thursday): Arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

We took a bus tour of Baton Rouge, which was interesting, with an emphasis on Louisiana State University, plus the state history museum. The museum is excellent, with lots of exhibits about Louisiana history and culture.

 

Day 7 (Friday): Arrive in Darrow, Louisiana.

          This is located in a crescent, where a lot of plantations are located, most still occupied and functioning. We toured Houmas House & Gardens (houmashouse.com) and Laura Plantation (lauraplantation.com), the latter especially known for its Creole history.

Great experiences.

 

Day 8 (Saturday): Arrive and disembark in New Orleans, Louisiana.

          Viking buses take you from the ship to the airport. Very convenient.

 

Reflections:

          This trip took us to a number of places we have wanted to visit but never seemed to get there. The tours are interesting, the guides well-informed and entertaining (except for one who just did not know how to stop talking). A tour each day is included in the basic fare; additional excursions cost about $99 per person. Seems reasonable.

          The food on board the ship is very good. There is a full-service restaurant on deck one, with a self-service buffet on deck five. I think Viking has made a mistake in their restaurant concept. The selections in the full-service restaurant are also offered on the buffet, but upstairs, there are a lot more to choose from. We ate in the restaurant twice, but we saw no reason to go back again. While it’s true that your order is prepared just before serving, and you have table service, we did not find it any better than the buffet. And that buffet gives you dozens of choices that aren’t available in the restaurant. We had small portions of multiple courses every night. There is also a grill off the rear deck.

          Viking says this cruise is all inclusive, which I guess is technically true. But the wines that are included are a choice of red or white, whatever they might be, and I would not have been happy if we could not get anything else. We bought the Silver Spirits package, and I will always do that on future Viking trips.

          Overall, we quite enjoyed the cruise- well enough to book another on the same ship on the upper Mississippi. Looking forward to that one!

North Italia

Here's a link to my column about North Italia, published today (March 4):

 https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/chow-down-with-john-batchelor-at-north-italia/article_3e12f84a-dd87-4a06-b668-ef507d7c1d3e.html

Throwing in a few photos...

Wine Dinner at Cafe Pasta

 

Fume Blanc, Chardonnay, Sienna, and Cabernet Savignon. Cost $65.

2025 in Retrospect

Go to  https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/ to see my end of the year column. That is the link to the current issue (12/31/2025), on stands until January 7. If you are seeing this after that week, use this link instead: 

https://www.yesweekly.com/foodanddrink/a-chow-down-2025-review-with-john-batchelor/article_8c762403-a97e-4dc2-8e5c-8a84fbfbbe0c.html

Key point: I name two Restaurants of the Year:

Betty on Burke (1016 Burke Street, Suite D, Winston-Salem 27101, 336-999-8866, bettyonburke.com) has one of the prettiest interiors I have ever encountered. And I use the feminine terminology deliberately. It’s a delicate look, but not frilly, a function of owner Jennifer Smith’s good taste. Jay Pierce, whose work I have admired for decades, is Executive Chef-Partner. The name of the restaurant pays tribute to the owners’ grandmothers, both of whom were named Betty. I think my favorite dish here was Sweet Potato Gnocchi, puffy-tender, richly flavored in their own right, plated with shredded duck meat, also cooked soft. Throw in locally grown mushrooms, and you get a rewarding result.

The Gaslight (126 South Main Street, Suite G, Kernersville 27284, 336-497-4025, thegaslightonmain.com) is the creation of chef-proprietor Daniel Zbiegien, in able collaboration with Maja Popovic. They formerly worked together at Jolo and Rayson wineries. His style frequently takes on familiar dishes, then adds variations that elevate them to another level. Everybody else has Shrimp and Grits, for example. The Gaslight has Shrimp and Polenta, deepened with Parmesan cheese, surrounded by tender, deveined shrimp, all resting in a smoked bacon jus. Roasted Brussels sprouts edge one side, a sweet, oven cured Campari tomato glowing bright red in the center.

Blood Orange Margarita at Taco Mama

 

It's time for the Blood Orange seasonal margarita again. Man, these things taste good! 

Taco Mama has become my wife's favorite value restaurant.

Another Block Party

 Another block party with Seven Gates neighbors. Westcoast Wanderer food truck has served us on several occasions before. We really like their food! 

Dinner at Home

 Made Baked Arctic Char for dinner last week- plated over orzo with sauteed spinach, avocado aioli on the side. 

Seasonal Watermelon Margarita at Taco Mama

 The watermelon margarita is back at Taco Mama! They only serve these while fresh watermelons are available. They are tasty and refreshing.

Here is a link to the article I wrote about their food:

https://issuu.com/yesweekly/docs/5.31.23-min

Extremely casual, good food, very high value!

MJ's

 MJ's (620 Dolley Madison Rd, Greensboro 27410, 336-852-4889, mjs620.com) is a personal favorite, pretty much the "go to" place in Greensboro for fine dining. Pleasant ambience in repurposed older home near Guilford Colege, white tablecloths, but casual enough for any occasion.

Here are some samples from recent visits:

Calamari

Oysters

Shrimp Tacos

Braised Beef Tenderloin

Tuna

Pork Chop 

Salmon