James Fox-Smith
South of the Border in St. Francisville
Back in October, 1997, an article in this magazine entitled “Last of the Great Roadhouses” reported that the South of the Border restaurant was about to mark its fiftieth anniversary with “a night on the house.” On October 30, the article said, both restaurant and bar would offer free food and drinks, a band would play in the “Party Room” (where the blackjack tables used to be), and the night would celebrate Ms. Martha Venson, who had been sending house favorites like Southern fried catfish, beef tenderloin, and fried green tomatoes with crawfish Nyma sauce out of the Border’s kitchen for all fifty of those years. Already the restaurant, which had stood on Highway 61 since 1947, was a beloved stopover for generations of travelers—both those coming south from formerly dry Wilkinson County in search of a drink, and north from St. Francisville, drawn to the blazing “Restaurant/Lounge” marquee sign, and Ms. Martha’s fried catfish and mustard greens, like moths to a flame. So, it was a gloomy day when, in early 2023, the “Restaurant/Lounge” sign went dark for the first time in seventy-six years, and the Border closed, apparently for good.
No surprise, then, when the marquee lights suddenly came on again in August, there was great rejoicing. “People are just so happy to see it open,” said Barrett Hollingsworth, the Border’s new owner. “Everybody has a story. They come in and tell me they got engaged here, or they met their future husband here. One lady hugged me awkwardly for, like, three minutes.” When you resurrect an institution, this comes with the territory, and Hollingsworth, a Zachary native who has called St. Francisville home for a decade, knows better than to mess with what works. He’s concentrated on updating the premises, not the menu. Kitchen, bar, and dining room have all gotten a much-needed facelift. And although Martha Venson is admittedly no longer at the stove, the catfish, mustard greens, and fried dill pickles with ranch dressing all taste as good as ever. At press time, Hollingsworth was reinstating old favorites to the menu a few at a time, and adding a few updates as he went. 11 am–9 pm Thursday—Saturday, 11 am–3 pm Sunday at 14945 US Hwy 61. Expanded menu and opening hours coming soon. theborder1947.com.
