hamburger

Dish Tease: Beatty Street Grocery

$5 Meal Deal

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Acutely recognizing my weariness from a tiresome week, one Friday my husband eagerly took it upon himself to take care of dinner. He was just looking for a reason to get to Beatty Street Grocery. I was all for it.

Unfamiliar with Beatty Street Grocery, I was surprised to learn of it’s history and tenure as a downtown Jackson establishment for 72 years. In addition to being a convenience store, they also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We each got their version of a meal deal which is an eight ounce hamburger, french fries and a drink for $5. That’s crazy cheap.

Now, it might not be the best burger ever but it was filling, large and solid – so much so that I wonder how they can afford to have such low prices. The burger had all the tradition fillings of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and mustard. The french fries are the standard, previously frozen variety but I have a soft spot in my heart for crinkle cuts. They also offer a four ounce version of the burger, which I will be selecting next time. I couldn’t finish the eight ounce so my husband polished it off for me.

He brought home take-out but insists we return because visiting the physical location is part of the experience. Despite varied opinions on the internet, I will try it for myself and always am in favor of supporting local, long time restaurants. Lastly, leave your checks or plastic at home because they only accept cash.

Learn more about Beatty Street Grocery:

Beatty Street Grocery needs help staying financially afloat: WLBT

A Lunch Visit to Beatty Street Grocery: Eat Jackson

Beatty Street Grocery
101 Beatty Street
Jackson, MS 39201
Phone 601-355-0514

Rooster’s and Confessions of a Dealaholic

I am physically unable to pass up a good deal.

In my purse you will find a blue envelope specifically designated for coupons. If I was offered a Big Mac at no charge, I might eat it. Like Brett Favre with his camera phone, when it comes to the word “free”, I lose my senses and react compulsively.

Between my obsession with a bargain and a salad being the best contender for dinner, it’s no wonder we found ourselves waiting in a very long line for the Wednesday night throwback special at Rooster’s. Judging from the masses, many people are nostalgic for ’80s prices, but sadly no one was sporting ’80s clothes. I was hoping to spy at least one acid washed jean jacket.

While my group slowly shuffled to the counter, I snagged a table and tweeted about the large crowd. Not long after hitting the send button on my phone, a guy came over and asked if I was Gidget! For a fleeting moment I felt blog famous. (Nice to meet you Fijiwriter.)

Rooster’s sits on a corner in Fondren, and true to the area, it has a casual atmosphere and seating available inside or outside. They bake the buns daily, hand patty the burgers, and have a reasonably priced menu.

But last night, for a mere $13 we got: two drinks, three burgers (two with cheese), french fries, onion rings, and banana pudding. I miss ’80s prices, just not the stirrup pants.

The hamburger had a nice meat crust, plenty of fixins and a green olive on top, but was too pink for my taste (forgivable because Ben ordered for me). Ben took down two cheeseburgers. The fries had some sort of funny crust, the onion rings were slightly soggy, and neither really stood out. The banana pudding was reminiscent of a weak box mix, but had an ample amount of vanilla wafers and banana slices, yum. It was a greasy, messy, and yet strangely fulfilling meal. Sometimes the thrill of a steal enhances the product, which is perfectly acceptable when it comes to $1.95 burgers, free gum, or $2 Chipotle burritos.

Rooster’s
2906 N State St
Jackson, MS 39216
Phone (601) 982-2001

The Rebel Dip

Nearly a month ago, we were heading to Wolf River for an overnight canoe trip Memorial Day weekend and stopped at the Rebel Dip.

Only in the South would the name Rebel Dip be so fitting for a drive up burger joint. To place an order you walk up to the window, or drive up to a side window.  The menu consists of what you would expect by the looks of the establishment: burgers, chicken tender, french fries, onion rings, shakes, ice cream, anything that can be battered and put in a deep fryer.

I got a hamburger and tater tots, Ben got a cheeseburger and french fries, and we split a banana shake. One of our friends was a bit advantageous that day and created his own double decker burger. It was fairly standard drive-in food, but good. The only stand out item was the shake which was thick, delicious and had a pleasant banana flavor.

While we were sitting in the shade, enjoying our lunch, a man sauntered up from the house next door and plunked himself down at the table. The friendly stranger, Joe (pictured above), is the owner of the Rebel Dip, and proceeded to make easy conversation about the start of his restaurant and how it got it’s name.

Back in 1962 Joe was a local school teacher and needed to make ends meet, which lead to the birth of the Kewl Dip (I’m pretty sure that’s how he spelled it). He operated the restaurant for awhile under this name, until one day he received a letter from a lawyer representing a man from a nearby town who already had a restaurant with a similar name (Cool Dip, I think). Instead of fighting for the rights to Kewl Dip, he wisely decided to bypass the legal system and simply change the name. On the last test of the year, as the last question, he asked his students for their input on what the new name should be and they voted for Rebel Dip.

It took ten years for the restaurant to generate enough money for him to quit teaching, but during that time he worked both jobs. The restaurant is now 48-year-old and his family helps him run the Rebel Dip.

If you find yourself outside of Gulfport, MS in need of some good eats, take a trip to the Rebel Dip and maybe you will run into Joe.

Rebel Dip
12387 Highway 49
Gulfport, MS 39503
Phone 228-832-4165