First visit: Jan 2026
Leaving Alabama, we continued northwest into Mississippi. I have quite a bit of familiarity with the state, since it was part of my dad's territory growing up. Mrs. RJG has only been once (Jackson), on a trip we took in 2016, that I unfortunately did not document. This also represents her first night in the state, yet another goal that is ongoing (not that she cares about it really, just crazy ol' me). The timing was such that Tupelo made more sense than Oxford, which was my original plan. Besides Ole Miss was playing that night in the NCAA football semi finals (of all nights, we had to be there). Guessing the restaurants would have been packed with fans. Tupelo is most famous as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Having had barbecue for lunch, why not go for a second round of Thai food?
Nao Thai popped up and looked good, so let's go there. The atmosphere is awesome, the restaurant is filled with antiques. Perfect lighting. Very homey feeling. As for the meal, I ventured to my Stir Fried Basil Chicken, since it was on the menu, and they use ground chicken and add a fried egg. That's always a good sign. But not in this case. I'm not a fan of that kind of light sauce you see. The dish was basically flavorless. We asked for Thai chilies, and like the night before, barely received any. I ordered mine Thai Hot, and received it Mild. I mean mild. I cannot understand what's the point of a heat level so as to not honor it. Couldn't taste the basil either. Bland, bland, bland. The egg had more flavor. I know we're in the Deep South, but c'mon, I think the world has gotten a lot smaller since Elvis lived here. On the plus side, the rice was much better cooked than the prior night in Montgomery. Mrs. RJG stuck with her new favorite Ginger Stir fry, but she didn't derive much flavor from hers as well.
Not a bad place by any means, but also not a recommended restaurant from the RJG.
1/8/26
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