Can anyone tell me why there is no (clean, fresh looking) restaurant in Forest that serves good food or even anywhere in Scott County to go for a nice night-time meal? I did find one restaurant that offers a good day-time (noon) meal, but if one prefers to eat supper (called dinner by some) at 7 or 8 pm then it seems we are just out of luck.
It don’t have to be a five-star rated restaurant, but must have a clean dining room, a clean kitchen, clean neatly dressed friendly helpful employees, clean restrooms with hand soap and paper disposable towels, and the restaurant must serve good food.
A glass of wine or an occasional glass of Margarita with light salt around the rim (it’s the salt that’s immoral) with my supper would also be nice (that don’t make me a drunk or an alcoholic). I realize it is the politicians who deny this alcohol and is not the restaurants fault—but after all, we are not still living in 1920s and early 1930s Prohibition Days………..or, I guess we are still living those Prohibition Days, in Forest. Will we ever wake-up?
I doubt that anyone will answer the ‘why not’ to not having a good restaurant in Forest (I blame the politicians for both failings—no alcohol and no good restaurant), but I hope someone might give me a few recommendations of restaurants in Brandon or Flowood that meet these, just basic, restaurant requirements. I feel sure there are plenty in Brandon or Flowood, but I am just not familiar with them yet.
Dear John, Delighted that you are in Forest often! I feel the need to respond to your post about restaurants and alcoholic beverages being served. We do have a number of nice sit-down restaurants in Forest and in Scott County. Try Penn's, El Patio, The Rib Cage in Morton or Back Forty in Lake. All do everything possible to provide good food, a pleasant atmosphere and clean facilities. In reference to the serving of alcoholic beverages, please read the state law (67-1-14) on the process required for the legalization of alcohol in a municipality. The decision is not made by "the politicians" but rather by the ballot. Until such time as the good people of Forest decide to make the change, us politicians will not circumvent their wishes nor violate State law.
Fickle. Yes, that is the people we have in our community. Patrons that spend more on a trip to Jackson than similar product could be had is Forest. I have seen it many times, most recently has been the Country Club restaurant and down town at Wings. OK there are excuses like F I R E that dealt the death blow to Wings downtown. If it had patrons then the place would have reopened immediately. Here we come once or twice and make snide comments while going back to the city. In Forest we are not good patrons supporting our community.
Mayor Nancy, First, I am 97.5% in favor of all your actions as Mayor of Forest. If I could have, I would have voted for you in all past elections and if I could, I would vote for you in future elections. In other words, you’ve got my support but I am still not completely satisfied with what’s happening to MY hometown.
Thank you for your insight into my previous post, but your reply was not completely helpful in solving the problems I wrote about. (that is…. 1-clean restaurants serving good food in Forest and 2-legally serving alcohol beverages in Forest restaurants) Also, you are somewhat disingenuous when you try to imply in your post that the restaurants in Forest have clean facilities or that you, single-handedly, could not legally bring-about changes in the laws to allow alcohol served in restaurants, if you wanted to do that. In full truth, Forest restaurants cannot serve alcohol beverages because Forest politicians (including you) are not in favor of it and you hide behind “the present law”. The law can and would be changed if you, the Mayor, wanted it changed to bring Forest into the 21st Century, with most all the other forward-thinking, aggressively-growing cities of the world. I am not implying that you could or would do this without the voters voting for it. I have observed and long admired your leadership and many accomplishments as Mayor of Forest and I can say without fear of being contradicted, that there would be alcohol beverages sold in Forest restaurants if you favored it. You are not now ‘for’ that, yet, and until you get behind the proposal (I am aware you may never favor it—but that’s your right) the proposal will never get the voters to vote for it.
As for Forest restaurants having clean facilities: I haven’t been in the Rib Cage in Morton so I cannot grade the Rib Cage on sanitation and cleanliness, but if anyone thinks Penn’s in Forest or the Back Forty in Lake is clean and sanitized, they really need to get their eyes and sense of smell checked at the doctor’s office. Yes, it is the politicians (mainly the Mayor) of Forest’s fault for you to allow this to happen; because I know you, the Mayor, don’t put-up with anything you think is wrong (that is probably the one thing I have admired most about you).
I will add: I ate at Penn’s in Forest less than two weeks ago and found the catfish dinner to be about as good, or better, as anyplace I’ve eaten catfish, but it was hard to disregard the lack of sanitation and cleanliness in the facility.
As for why I blame you for there not being a clean, sanitized, restaurant in Forest, I offer as proof that I am right by stating as fact that there IS NO Cracker Barrel Restaurant at the intersection of I-20 and Hwy. 35. If you ever decide you want a Cracker Barrel at I-20 and #35 and if you decide you are going to get it—I’ll be enjoying Chicken’ and Dumplins’ at the Forest Cracker Barrel in just a short few years. I have watched what you have done and I believe in and appreciate you.
It would help you if you had a good Forest Downtown Development Association. (note I did say ‘good’) Why don’t you have a good Forest Downtown Development Association to help your already good City of Forest Mayor’s Office?
In case anyone is wondering why I am complaining so much: Forest is My Hometown and I take offense when it is ‘proven’ to be in the “The 10 Dumbest Cities in Mississippi”. Don’t take my word for it—google on the Internet “The 10 Dumbest Cities in Mississippi” and read about it. Forest needs to be OFF this list.
Nancy, I want someone to Make Forest Great Again, and I am not just ‘blowing smoke’ when I believe that someone is you. P.S., while you’re at it, please Make (my and your) Homewood Great Again, also!
Surely you don't believe everything you read on Internet. These types of articles are called "infotainment" for a reason. You can find them about anything and everything, usually by the same author. They are created for one purpose...to attract readers and get paid per hit by advertisers.
And you don't seriously hold Mayor Nancy responsible for a restaurant not being up to your standards, do you? Am I misreading that?
Maybe you have just not seen or experienced some of the good work that the present Downtown Association has done. Sometimes it requires that one actually participate and TRY to enjoy it. One good feeling leads to another. Funny how that happens.
I'm sure you must be a nice man; I hope I get to meet you some day. Perhaps then I will understand you better, but right now, your reasoning just beats all I've ever seen.
My e-mail receives the Miss. State Health Dept. posts of the results of health inspections. There are no C restaurants in Forest. A B means critical violations were found - but the problem was corrected under the supervision of the department. No further corrections required. I frequent restaurants and the grading is important to me.
I like Tokyo Sushi and Steak restaurant. The Benito( not sure of spelling) Box makes me happy. small soup, small salad, vegetable sushi, fried rice and your choice of chicken,steak or shrimp bites. Ask for "pink" sauce. They offer wines with low percentage alcohol, like the wine at Walgreens. A rating clean by the state health department.
I think the original post and those which follow may be somewhat overstated. I will only say this: Opening a restaurant is a very expensive process, and the profit margins are usually very low. Perhaps if someone wants so desperately to see one opened, he should give it a try.
Re: John Billy, Why no good restaurants in Forest?
I'm going to get in on this too, Nancy is doing a great job as Mayor and has done a lot for the city of Forest since she's been in office. I have lived here most of my life and would not want to live anywhere else even after living in Minnesota for a year.I would love to see a Cracker Barrel in Forest myself but It's not up to me or you to get it here, nor is it up to Nancy.On week days Tuesday through Friday Garden Patch at the intersection of 35 and 80 has the best buffet around. Lee's Steak House on hwy 21 towards Sebastopol is a good place to eat. You just have to try these places. We are never going to be able to return to the days of Eady's Cafe. If you can't find a place to eat in Forest that is up to your standards, There are plenty in Brandon, and Meridian.Newton has Zach Garvins. But please don't put down Forest or the Mayor because you are unhappy with what we have here at home. I've said my piece now I'll go.
Re: John Billy, Why no good restaurants in Forest?
Well, I have to put my 2 cents worth in too, but not about the food. On Sunday afternoon, I received an email from John, as I am sure most of you did too, telling about a new Facebook page: Forest, Scott County, Mississippi: How It Was and How It Is.
I responded and told him that there was already a site like this in place.
This is his response: Hi Betty,
Yes, of course, you are correct, there is already another site like the one I am offering and the other site is a very fine site, indeed. I like the other site very much and can only hope that my new site is just half as well-liked as the other one.
My goal is not to replace the other fine site, but instead I hope to supplement the other great site. I love old pictures of old Forest and it may be just me, but I just cannot get the knack to posting pictures on the other site. I’ve tried but seemed to have failed, but on my new site, posting pictures are very easy……and free.
I only ask that you give my new site a try. You just might like it, not to replace the other great site but instead, in addition to the other site.
Thanks for your input and hoping for your future support.
John B.
But when I looked at his FB site, this is what it says:
This is the Official Website of Forest, Scott County, Mississippi by John B. Windham where you can post just about anything about Forest, Scott County, Mississippi.
I found it very interesting that he calls his site the OFFICIAL WEBSITE. Why would posting pictures on his site be any different than posting on any other site, and it is free to post to any site as far as I know.
I was going to say that he does not even live in Forest, but when I went to look at his personal FB page there is no longer one there; so I could not check that fact out.
Maybe I am wrong, but who does he think he is that he can just come on here and criticize the town that we all grew up in and still love as is evidenced my the number of people who come back every July to celebrate the Nabs & Coke Party.
Betty, I hope you received some change returned from the ‘2 cents worth’ you paid to give your recent opinion of me, because your opinion wasn’t anywhere close to being worth the whole 2 cents.
Thanks for sharing my email with everyone on this forum without altering any of my words. You shared my email with everyone exactly as I sent it to you and I appreciate that. I sincerely meant every word in that email and I still 100% stand-by every word. The fact that you tried to read something else into it; the fact that you don’t like me and the fact that you have a nasty opinion of me is to, put it plainly, none of MY business.
As for calling my new Facebook Group: “The Official Website of Forest, Scott County, Mississippi by John B. Windham”, that’s exactly what it is. It’s my (John B. Windham’s) Official Website. I did not say it was “Betty’s Official Website” or “The Official Website of the City of Forest”. It’s my Official Website. You don’t get tell me what to call my website because, frankly, it’s none of YOUR business.
You wrote: “Why would posting pictures on his site be any different than posting on any other site, and it is free to post to any site as far as I know.” You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. Go back and read my previous email to you where it clearly states that I was having trouble with the ease of posting pictures to this website. I believe any logical-thinking person will agree with my assessment that it is much, much easier to post pictures on my new Facebook Group than it is to post pictures on this fine, and superior-in-many-other-ways, forum website we are now conversing on. As for, “….it is free to post to any site as far as I know”. Well, again: You just don’t know what you’re talking about. I can (or anyone else can) post large numbers of pictures on my new Facebook completely free and with great ease. I am posting huge numbers of pictures on my Facebook Group, all for free. The posting of my large volume of picture on this site we are now conversing on, would probably cost someone big $$. Have you thought about why there are not, now, many pictures posted on this forum? I am not going to guess why other people are not posting huge numbers of pictures here on this forum, but speaking for me only; it’s not easy for me and it would probably cost someone, either me or someone else dearly.
As for your: “when I went to look at his personal FB page there is no longer one there; so I could not check that fact out”. Betty, please don’t be a crotchety old worry-wart always looking for something to complain about when there’s nothing to complain about. My Facebook page is still right there where it has always been. Try going on Facebook and searching for ‘john b. windham’ and it’ll pop right up, but don’t give away this romantic obsession you have for me on that Facebook page because it is actually a ‘front’ Facebook page. Years ago my wife wanted a Facebook page but she was afraid to open it in her name (why, I have no idea), so being the nice guy I am, I opened it in my name, but she uses it. Please don’t tell her I’ve been a bad, bad boy because she still thinks I’m o.k. (I’ll not sure if she thinks I’m maybe a little better than ‘o.k’, but, right now with you trying to convince everybody I’m so nasty, I’ll settle for just ‘o.k.’).
BTW, when you search for my Facebook page (actually my wife’s) You’ll easily see that I live in Metairie, Louisiana….and I ALSO live in Homewood, Mississippi (yes, people CAN live in more than one place). I never said I ever lived in Forest. I said I graduated at Forest High School and I did. I said I pay taxes to both the City of Forest and the County of Scott, and I do. I said Forest is my hometown and it is. And I never criticized the town of Forest as you implied. I criticized some people who I blame for Forest not being what it could be or what I want it to be. I expect more out of my hometown, Forest, than some people do, but I will not apologize for that.
Betty, may I take off my black hat and put on my white hat: I still like you. I still want and hope you and everyone else, will ‘join’ my Facebook Group (but stay on this website, also—I am not trying to replace this website). Try it, you might like it. You will be very welcome!
Your friend (I’m still hopeful), John B.
P.S. I could take a little more time and tell a few other people on this forum who have recently been nasty to me, how I feel about them, also, but I am not going to do that because it might give my friend, Kaye, another headache, and I truly don’t want to do that again. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m a changed man.
Re: Betty
Posted by Kaye 63 on October 18, 2017, 3:04 pm, in reply to "Betty"
John Billy, I have a big bottle of Tylenol so don't worry about me. I think you owe Betty an apology. It's been junior high school since I've heard such ridiculous dribble as you just spewed out about her, one of the kindest, sweetest people I know. Have you ever met her?? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Seriously.
Re: Betty
Posted by John B. on October 18, 2017, 3:25 pm, in reply to "Re: Betty"
You're correct, I do owe her an apology. I will do so at the first chance I get, but it seems she's not talking to me right now.
No, I've never met Betty but hope to do so sometime in the future. I will certainly be nice to her.
I am ashamed of myself.
John B.
Re: Betty
Posted by Kaye 63 on October 18, 2017, 3:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Betty"
I'm sure she will listen.
Re: John Billy, Why no good restaurants in Forest?