Beechwood Restaurant & Lounge

Dined at Beechwood on a weeknight while traveling from Atlanta to CA. No noticeable smoke odor.  Pleasant staff.  The jumbo shrimp was very good, as we sampled both broiled and blackened versions.  A bit pricey for the ambiance and the size of sides/hot rolls.  Saw other tables with very large plates of crawfish and oysters, both looked very good.

Had to park in the alley, as there is limited parking.

I'd give this place 3 1/2 stars.

Great Steaks and people and as friendly as it gets.

OK, this one takes a lot of ratings into consideration: 2 stars for all of the smoke, 3 stars for the good bar food and 5 stars for personality, history, regulars, and overall awesomeness.  This is the local dive, so prepare yourself and know your surroundings.  

I stopped here on a whim (ahem, I was hungry) during my road trip from Atlanta to San Francisco.  My Yelp! app told me that this was the only place worth visiting at 9pm on a Monday night in Vicksburg, MS.  The Beechwood has been open for 50 years or something and it is a local favorite.  Everyone was packed in for Monday Night Football, all cheery and entertained while drinking commercial American beers and chain-smoking American cigarettes.  'Merica!  Haha..

Seriously, though, everyone was really nice.  Yes, they all looked at me strangely when I walked in.  Maybe my fancy watch or the Ferrari t-shirt gave it away.  But I bravely said "Howdy" and announced myself as the weary traveler, so they all nodded and went back to their previous conversations.  I sat at the bar and was treated very well by the bartenders.  I met the drunk (I think drunk, but he could have just been REALLY REALLY southern) bar owner, and ordered a beer and some food.  They had lots of beer specials and a Monday Night Football bar menu as well.  I got their wedge salad and a 1/2 order of the boneless buffalo wings.  Neither blew me away, but they were both good.  Homemade dressings and sauces really make a difference, especially when you're in the middle of nowhere eating bar food.

You know what the best part was?  Any time someone bought a beer they were given a raffle ticket.  Throughout the night, an employee would pull a number and give away something like a portable grill, sports tickets, some house cash, etc.  That's a pretty cool thing to do to keep people drinking at your establishment.  Kudos to you, drunk bar owner.  I especially love the business card you gave me that said "CEO of the Professional Bullshitters League".  I'm glad that you take work seriously and that you trained your daughter (the bartender) to feed you an endless supply of double Jack & Cokes.  Awesome.  

If I ever drive through Vicksburg, Mississippi again I will definitely stop in.