saltine restaurant

the place is very chique. our server, zach, was top notch. he was well versed on the microbrews and how the food was prepared. we had the oysters lafitte to start. they were great! the presentation was awesome and they were hot and delicious. our entrés came out shortly after. i had theshrimpand grits. most decadent s&g i've ever had! theshrimpwere fresh and nicely spiced and the grits were creamy and scrumptious. the wife ordered the seafood pasta and was a bit disappointed. the pasta was a bit over cooked, there were still shells on a couple of theshrimpand it was over salted. the only real downer was we were seated next to the server's prep station where the servers congregated to wrap flat wear and converse about their shifts and hours. this station should be placed in a more private area away from diners. but, all in all, we enjoyed it and would definitely go back.

i have been here twice now. i have to say that they have a great beer selection.  the first time i had an awesome oyster po'boy and a nice ipa on draft. i thoroughly enjoyed my meal. 

the second time i went i got ashrimppo'boy and i was let down. my first bite was all toppings, no shrimp. i looked inside the first half and found 3 small shrimp. the 2nd half had 5 small shrimp. i found out from the waiter that theshrimppo'boys only get 8shrimpno matter what size they are and mine were the size of quarters. it was a pitiful excuse for ashrimppo'boy. 

even tho i was let down by theshrimppo'boy, i'm still looking forward to going back and trying something different. the service is great, the beer selection is huge, and the oysters are good.

i was very impressed by this restaurant during a late afternoon, early dinner before leaving jackson for home. saltine occupies the opposite end of an old middle school from the anchor & very popular babalu. it's in the heart of the fondren district, a revitalized area just up the hill from the medical center & millsaps college.

the old school setting, complete w/ patio, is a great locale for this fashionable oyster bar, w/ the focus on the open oven behind the curving raw bar, which turns gracefully into the bar proper, complete w/ several microbrews on draught & varied beer & wine list. there are a few large flatscreens about, on one of which i watched the final few holes of the masters.

since i had a 3 hour trip ahead i refrained from any alcohol, but i did sit at the main bar. hard to say too much about the service, as i was one of very few diners at that odd hour, but my barman did a fine job of answering a few questions i did have. i'm a real oyster lover, thus it's not difficult for this kind of place to win me over. that's exactly what it did. i ordered a sampling of warm-ups, namely the chinese-influenced bao, a small wrap sandwich that would be the dim sum version of an oyster po-boy. i ate it so fast i don't remember what, besides oyster, it tasted like. mighty good though. as the crowd was light, the staff agreed to split an order of 6 baked oysters b/t 2 of the 3 listed choices, the initial 2 being mine. both were again superb, notably the trio w/ the alabama white bbq sauce. if i were a rich man i might eat nothing but various cooked versions of these wonderful bivalves. b/t baked & fried, remoulade & garlic butter, scallions & hard italian cheeses, there are really no bad selections. for a change of pace, albeit not a drastic one, i chose theshrimppo-boy next. also very well done, but i should have just gone for the hat trick & more oysters.

to my palate & stomach there's nothing quite so attractive as a well done oyster bar w/ talented cooks & high quality shellfish. saltine pulls it off.

first time was a success, but room for improvement.. incredibly well stocked beer list, first of all. it is very impressive. decent cocktail list as well with some that are "unique" to the restaurant. the decor and location are, as mentioned else where, very hip, very nice. though i agree that the noise level seems to be a bit too much, and the wood flooring sags with every step a waiter or waitress makes behind you.

we ordered a dozen hollywood oysters and they were fantastic, super fresh, very delicious. this type isn't as briny and has a slight sweet finish. fried calamari which wasn't bad. slightly tough, could have been a little more crisp, but the sauce knocked it out of the park. a nice mix of cilantro, sweet chili, and mint. menu said jalapeno but it wasn't spicy in the slightest. theshrimppo boy was solid with very hugeshrimpstuffed into it. i asked my fries to be upgraded to the duck fat/lemon zest/parsley but they weren't, and instead i was just given a side of the duck fat sauce. disappointing but i wasn't terribly bothered and didn't send it back. wife had a mai tai that was very well mixed.

over all we were very happy that we went and will definitely go back again.

i love fondren and love seafood. why oh why didn't i like saltine since i love fondren and seafood? is it just me or is this place trying to be something it ain't? if you're looking for traditional seafood beware of the catfish and hush-puppies. theshrimppoboy is good but everything i've tried (in my three visits) has been deceptively spicy. why? is the taste of seafood bad? oh well, it's hip and the place to be seen and they serve oysters! well, somewhere under the baked parmesan cheese and crawfish i'm assured there is an oyster. enjoy the energy (noise) and be hip!

awesome! went for the first time last night and enjoyed everything so much! the atmosphere is so cool; like something you'd see in destin. the friedshrimppoboy and peel-and-eatshrimpwere delicious and the fries were hot and crispy. we tried three different desserts (key lime tart, caramel pie, and root beer float) and all were soo good! the servers were excellent and very accommodating. we are ready to go back! another a+ restaurant for fondren! :)