{"id":15440,"date":"2014-08-22T09:01:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-22T14:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=15440"},"modified":"2014-08-26T12:42:02","modified_gmt":"2014-08-26T17:42:02","slug":"oxfords-culinary-landscape-continues-to-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/oxfords-culinary-landscape-continues-to-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford\u2019s Culinary Landscape Continues to Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in <\/strong><\/em>The Local Voice<\/strong> #210 (published August 14, 2014). To download a PDF of this issue, click HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

by Nature Humphries<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With summer almost over and football season fast approaching, students are zipping up their backpacks for a new school year. All of this hustle and bustle means more traffic on the Square and everywhere else, and while incoming freshmen are getting lost on the Ole Miss campus, parents are learning their carpool routines, and graduate students are trying to figure out how to afford this semester\u2019s required books, I know what\u2019s on everyone\u2019s mind: What\u2019s for breakfast\/dinner\/Happy Hour?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dining-FreshSoph\"<\/a>Well, never fear, faithful readers (and newcomers\u2014Welcome!) The Local Voice<\/em> has got you covered with our 6th annual Restaurant & Bar Guide. Most of your old favorites are still here, working hard to keep y\u2019all fed as you rush around your busy lives, serving classics like Rib Cage<\/strong>\u2019s irresistible BBQ quesadillas, the Fat Larry Pizza from Proud Larry\u2019s<\/strong>, City Grocery<\/strong>\u2019s famous Shrimp & Grits, or some newer favorites like Tre Amici<\/strong>\u2019s epic Stromboli or Frank & Marlee<\/strong>\u2019s dynamite chicken wings. But I\u2019m here to tell you about the new kids on the block who have been in business less than a year and could be considered the freshmen of the bunch. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take a short trip west of the Square and check out the new hip coffee shop next door to Express Computer Service, Cups<\/strong>. This place is sure to be a great hangout spot for the studious kids in your group who like a laid back atmosphere to sip their lattes. Started in 1993 in the Fondren neighborhood of Jackson, Cups has now expanded into Oxford and features an art vending machine in the caf\u00e9.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another new spot away from the Square is Jinsei<\/strong>. This cool sushi restaurant with the unique architecture boasts a fabulous bar featuring a fresh cocktail menu with a variety of original libations. You can try the Mango Ginger Mojito, the Sohito (with grapefruit, mint, and sake), or one of several fruity Margaritas. Check out the fun hot plate of River Rock Kobe, which they bring to you with a hot rock to sear yourself right at the table. Or try any of their rolls, or the Jinseviche, which is super refreshing and light. They also have a huge outdoor seating area that is heated when the weather gets chilly, and an outdoor big screen TV.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dining_JrsSrs\"<\/a>When you\u2019re ready to return to the center of the action on the Square, don\u2019t miss the brand new Wine Bar<\/strong> on South Lamar. They specialize in pairing food with wine, spirits, and beers and have an \u00fcber knowledgeable manager, Kevin Brooks<\/strong>, who is eager to educate you on his passion. They have a fastidiously curated menu, offering a varying cheese plate, house-marinated olives, and much more to tease your palate. The Chicken & Waffle sliders are out of this world.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the opposite end of Lamar, there\u2019s the hot spot Locals<\/strong> with their extensive martini menu. There are 30 different variations to choose from, some sweet and tangy, others creamy and decadent. I\u2019m still working my way down the menu, and can\u2019t pick just one favorite. Another can\u2019t miss item on the menu is their one of a kind Reuben croquettes. These are little fried balls of awesome. Cream cheese, corned beef, and sauerkraut make up the fritters that you dip into some Thousand Island style comeback sauce. Just try to steal one off my plate, I dare ya!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Queenissippi_TomatoPie\"<\/a>
Seasonal “Tomato Pie” by Queenissippi Catering<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My newest indulgence lately is Queenissippi Catering<\/strong> for those nights that I just can\u2019t muster the energy to cook. Chef Erika Lipe<\/strong> will deliver meals to your door (with a 48 hour notice) and she serves Batesville, too! This chick won a cooking competition on Food Network, so you know she\u2019s got talent. She offers catering for events as well as meal deliveries, and she even serves as a personal chef. Heck of a deal. <\/span><\/p>\n

Oh hey you guys, guess what? It is now legal to drink alcohol. In a bar. On SUNDAY. Yes, up you read that correctly. The City of Oxford legalized Sunday sales in March this year and now you have plenty of excuses to make a brunch date. You know, to study or whatever. I\u2019ve been known to bounce around some Sundays but my all-time favorite so far is the Hill Country Gospel Brunch at City Grocery<\/strong>. They have a warm, gooey monkey bread that is to die for. Seriously, it melts in your mouth. When you\u2019ve indulged your belly and taste buds, right next door Burgundy Room has killer champagne cocktails half off all day so be sure to give one a try. Bars must close at 9 pm so you have no excuse to miss that early class on Monday…You can make it home in time for bed!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CG<\/a>Oxford is renowned for its sports atmosphere and artistic community, but it is also a true foodie\u2019s wonderland. You can eat a different meal every day for a month and still only scratch the surface of what The Velvet Ditch has to offer. Bon appetit!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in The Local Voice #210 (published August 14, 2014). To download a PDF of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-food"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Cooking.jpeg?fit=637%2C358&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}