Oxford, Miss., is not only the longtime home of novelist William Faulkner, said Nathalie Jordi in BonAppetit.com. It’s also one of the South’s top dining destinations. Rowan Oak, an 1840s Greek Revival mansion where Faulkner once lived, is among the city’s top tourist attractions. Here are the best places to savor the local cuisine.
Big Bad Breakfast John Currence is the reigning James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South. Among the New Southern specialties he serves up are Coca-Cola–brined fried chicken and home-cured Tabasco bacon. 719 N. Lamar Blvd., (662) 236-2666
Ajax Diner “Oxford’s best plate lunch.” Try the cheese-stuffed meatloaf, egg rolls filled with red beans and rice, and butter beans and turnip greens stewed in “scandalous quantities of bacon and sugar.” Then sample a Bloody Mary garnished with pickled okra. 118 Courthouse Square, (662) 232-8880
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Taylor Grocery & Restaurant The sign on kudzu-lined Old Taylor Road reads “Eat or we both starve.” Among the “sublime” offerings are cornmeal-coated catfish, buttery hush puppies, and peach cobbler. It’s BYOB, and there’s often live music. 4 County Road 338, Taylor; (662) 236-1716
