More Cafes, Local and Nearby

Food for the Soul...

There's only one month before my one-year anniversary living in Columbus. I closed on my house here in Columbus, Mississippi, on April 20, 2016, and I just passed the one-year milestone three days ago, and now within a month (by May 26), I will have been here for a whole year. Spring was also a season I had not lived through until now. Well, I did see the end of May and the tail end of spring when I moved here. But now that I'm living through the spring from the beginning, I've discovered that this season is by far my favorite time of the year here. Back in the desert, Spring is usually relentlessly windy and dusty, so this is a nice change. The fall here was also quite pleasant.

I feel more like getting out and about, even when it's raining, and so since my last post, my friend Pat has shown me more restaurants. Following the dinner and concert in Starkville,  Pat and I went to West Point to Anthony's Restaurant, where the menu selection is deep for all manner of food. I had usually been trying the catfish at various places, but at Anthony's I ordered a ribeye, a whopping 14-ounce hunk of meat that usually costs as much as an 8-ounce steak elsewhere. I was able to get four meals out of that single steak, since I've learned that white rice is a medium for all sorts of food items cut into bite-sized pieces. Anyway, the restaurant offers a full line of food, appetizers, and deserts. And the owners of Anthony's is going to open "Magnolias at the Ritz" just around the corner from its present restaurant. The Ritz location will be an upscale eatery, and so of course I want to try that when my partner has moved here. I had only been to West Point once by myself on an antique hunting expedition. But now that I see where West Point's downtown is located and caught glimpses of the historic neighborhoods as we drove into town, I can bring Cliff with me for that as well.

And then...

I had been wanting to go to Proffit's Porch just outside of Columbus, and so Pat, her friend Rebecca, and I made a Saturday date for that trip. It overlooks a small lake where Pat said she used to come to when she was a kid for swimming. The road to Proffit's Porch winds around that lake, and offers what I've come to realize is typical, beautiful scenery in Mississippi. The restaurant evolved over time, according to Pat to what it is today. You can sit either outside (on the porch) which overlooks the lake or sit indoors (which we did). Basically the restaurant offers soups, salads, sandwiches, and dessert. I had intended to eat light, but I wanted to try the gumbo, and I ordered that, as well as a thin-sliced steak sandwich, and the cheesecake. The bread is made at the restaurant. All three items were good and filling, but I had skipped breakfast that morning, so I had little trouble eating most of everything I ordered.

This is an inside view of Proffit's Porch. My friend Pat is on the left, and her friend Rebecca is on the right. I forgot to take a picture of the food when it was served, so I kick myself about that. But I did take shots of the restaurant and the setting.

As this photo shows, the outdoor seating is pleasant and would even be quite nice during a rain. The lake is in the background, and when we were there, a couple of boats were on the water, children were exploring the quite substantial sandy beach, and the setting itself was bucolic, quiet, and the air cool but not cold. So this is another place I will be bringing Cliff. Proffit's porch is only about five miles outside of Downtown Columbus, and if you get there early enough seating is not a problem.

So here I am having already experienced over a month of this year's spring, and there are so many other restaurants, funky cafes, and hidey holes I want to explore. In May comes the blues festivals, Market Street festival, and a continuing number of events.

One of the local bands (from the Golden Triangle area) will be performing in Columbus, soon. Stormy Monday Blues Band has gotten quite a reputation and regularly plays at area venues. Rebecca told me about them, and on the way back to Columbus from Proffit's Porch, she popped their newest CD in her cd player. I was able to find a YouTube video of one of their performances. If you like traditional blues, you should enjoy this music by the Stormy Monday Blues Band.