Ole Tavern on George Street — Restaurant in Jackson

This is a really cool little tavern. I had been walking around downtown Jackson, exploring the city, on a hot July afternoon. As I was leaving the Greenwood Cemetery after paying my respects to General Barksdale, the moist heat of the Mississippi afternoon became too much to bear and I was overcome with thirst. Yonder beckoned the Ole Tavern, a lighthouse of refreshment in a hot humid world. I staggered through the door, parched and ornery, and was immediately assaulted by the wonderful scents of old polished mahogany, faint wafts of cigar smoke, beer, fine scotch, and leather. Brittany, the gorgeous, happy bartender succored me, bringing me back from the brink of heat exhaustion with mugs ice cold Dixie beer from her tap. Refreshed, I worked my way through plates of fried okra, green tomatoes, and ice cold libations. The law of diminishing utility finally caught up with me, I settled my tab, and wandered back out into the blast furnace of downtown Jackson, fortified for my continuing explorations. This is a definite stop if one ever finds oneself in need of shelter from the brutal humid heat. Stop by and say hello...

One of mine and Pablo Allen's absolute go-to spots is Ole Tavern on George St., and now their kitchen is open late night, because clearly they're geniuses. I inhaled the King George burger, minus the jalapenos, because sanity barely prevails. This behemoth of a burger was a thick, juicy all-beef patty smothered in cheese, mixed greens, tomatoes, pickles, comeback sauce, bacon, onion rings, and a fried egg, all piled ridiculously high. It was so massive and so ridiculously good. It’s well worth the $$. Pablo and I were stuffed to the gills after just half of it. We also ordered their onion rings, which were ridiculously addictive, with great seasoning and a crispy crunch. I was so stoked and impressed that I dug in before I even thought to take pics. Ms. Shannon Wray Cockrell and Ole Tavern are crushing it downtown Jackson. Last week's shrimp po' boy was better than Nawlins, if you ask me. Y'all gotta get on down here and get some. Tell 'em Jayme and...

Went to lunch with a friend and decided to get the Monte Cristo sandwich while my friend got the Pimento Cheese BLT. I opted for the standard home fries while he got the sweet potato fries. My fries had a good flavor but were not too my liking since they were not crispy. My friend’s sweet potato fries were actually chips but he ate them all. The real star was the Monte Cristo sandwich - crunchy fried exterior and soft bread with cheese and ham inside. It came with a little powdered sugar and some raspberry compote for dipping. The combination of sweet and savory was delicious and something I would get again. My friend said his sandwich was fine although the croissant used got flattened while eating and he wished it had more bacon to offset the cheese. We plan on going back to sample other items...