Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
By the time we got to The Little Easy after a morning spent in Natchez, we’d already received recommendations from five or so different locals to try: the jerk waffle and chicken, the BLT, the brisket sandwich, and the salmon salad—“You’ve just got to try the salmon salad!” Driving up to the highly-anticipated new eatery—which is helmed by the husband-and-wife duo Ashley Allen and Sarah Sookraj and occupying the same building that once housed Steampunk Coffee—we were greeted by a pair of older women standing out front, brightly-colored cocktails in hand; and whatever they were talking about, well it sounded fascinating. It was two in the afternoon, on a Thursday—the weekend was practically here.
Associate Publisher Ashley Fox-Smith and I fell right in line with that sentiment, seating ourselves at one of the bistro tables outside; she ordered a rosé, and I opted for the Scratch Margarita, a refreshingly simple mix of Resposado, Cointreau, and lime. We were joined shortly by local gallery owner Stacy Conde, who promptly started agonizing about whether she should get that famed salmon salad again or if she should try something else.
Before any of us had finished perusing the Southern-winking-at-the-Caribbean menu (which promises a “Boozy Brunch from sun-up to sun-down, Mon-Sun, 7 am–7 pm”), blustery winds with the threat of downpour shooed us inside, where we found ourselves seated cozily at a gorgeous wood-slice table in the corner of the little café.
The best way to eat in Natchez is to eat with a local, especially if they are a new friend. We’re all Southerners here: we get close fast. I had met Stacy only that morning, but before the first round of drinks was complete, we were recommending new hairstyles to Ashley and discussing their relationships with their daughters. But in between all of that came, one after another, introductions to essentially seventy percent of the restaurant’s patronage that day: Stacy knew all of them, including Tate Taylor, who was seated at the bar with a group of locals. The Natchez-based film producer and director of Academy Award-nominated film The Help is behind much of the buzz going on in the city these days—including the opening of The Little Easy, part of a series of ventures which imagines Natchez as a newly-enlivened and thriving cultural center for years to come.
Ashley and Stacy each ordered a salad—Ashley went for the slow-smoked salmon salad (someone certainly had to), and Stacy relented for the “Cluckin’” salad. Both were presented beautifully on beds of greens, with fresh seasonal vegetables sourced from a collection of local vendors, microgreens, edible flowers, and a sous vide egg to boot. As for myself, I never turn down anything with the words “Smoked Brisket” in it, and the sandwich—dressed with tomato, arugula, tomatillo avocado salsa, caramelized onions, and gouda—was about as good as they get: juicy, flavorful, and surprisingly delicate. At some point, an unaccounted-for serving of truffle fries showed up at our table, giving us a reason to linger a bit longer, and order a second round of drinks. It was Thursday afternoon, after all. The weekend was practically here.
Considering a weekend in Natchez soon? Check out our travel guide, here: Natchez Through New Eyes.
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