THE CRYSTAL GRILL

423 Carrollton Avenue

Greenwood, Mississippi

The Crystal Grill is a pretty good place to dine. They have an extensive menu for both lunch and dinner and I’ve never been disappointed. On my recent visit I was there for the hot tamales. Previously, I have described what I consider the perfect hot tamale, those that were made at the recently closed Karam’s in San Antonio, Texas.

Since Karams left the scene, I am forced to try to find suitable replacement tamales. I promised to talk about the Airport Grocery in Cleveland, Mississippi and Doe’s in Greenville. On my recent book signing tour of the Delta I had the chance to sample hot tamales in both locations. The Onward Store still holds my first place, followed closely by Doe’s and the Crystal Grill. The Airport Grocery has slipped out of contention.

The Crystal Grill tamale is pretty much perfection. The masa tube is firm and well seasoned and the filing has some bite to it. They are served with a generous portion of tamale juice, which I believe to be one of the secrets of enjoying hot tamales. Doe’s shares the spotlight with The Onward Store and The Crystal Grill. All three are top flight tamales.

While in Vicksburg and Natchez, I tried a couple of local tamale joints and found that while pretty good, they did not rate in the same category as my current top three. My quest for the perfect hot tamale will continue and I am making a list of all the places ya’ll have suggested that I try. Keep ‘em coming and as long as my system can take the abuse, I will try to sample the all.