Restaurant Review: Doe's Eat Place - Greenville, Mississippi

"Where would you like to eat for your birthday?" my husband, Ric, asked.

"I don't know, let me think about it."

We're staying in Lake Shore RV Park in Lake Village, Arkansas, a town of just over 2,500. There aren't many restaurants in Lake Village and even fewer that I would want to visit for my birthday. The next nearest town is McGehee, Arkansas, about 25 miles away and Greenville, Arkansas, about 27 miles away. McGehee is small with a population of just over 4,000 and really only offered one option, Hoots BBQ. Greenville, on the other hand, a city of 34,000 had many more options including Doe's Eat Place.

Birthdays are a big deal in my family and food is a central part of the celebration. Whether a meal is cooked for the person having a birthday or whether the family dines out is the choice of the one having the birthday. I thought about it all day and really didn't make a decision until we were ready to walk out the door. I had narrowed it down to two places; either Hoots BBQ or Doe's. Either way, I know I'll eventually visit both and review both, so you'll have another review to look forward to later.

So, without further ado, let me reveal my choice for my birthday meal, dut, dut, dut, drum roll: the original Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, MS. And, let me say that I was not disappointed in my choice. In fact, my trip to Doe's is one for the record books and definitely offered a memorable birthday culinary experience that I'll be talking about for years to come. 

Doe's Yelp reviews averaged 4 ½ stars. My husband's co-workers highly recommended Doe's for their steaks. They said this is where Presidents dine when they are in town. Presidents of the U.S. or Presidents of the local croquet club, I wondered. In any case, that's the amount of research on the restaurant I conducted prior to my visit. Since the visit, though, with a piqued interest, I did a little more investigation and found Doe's on a list of The Top Ten World's Best Steakhouses and reviews from respected press like Southern Living Magazine, Roadfood, The Cynical Cook, and Garden and Gun. Yet, none of that prepared me for what I was about to encounter. The atmosphere, service and food all combined to make my visit interesting and enjoyable.

The atmosphere of Doe's is a result of a rich history. “The restaurant was started in 1941 by Dominic “Doe” Signa and his wife, Mamie. Doe's father moved to Greenville in 1903 and opened a small grocery store called Papa's Store in what is now Doe's Eat Place. As a result of the flood of 1927, the store began to fail, and Big Doe Signa began a bootlegging operation to help his family get back on their feet. Several years later he sold the still for $300 and a Model T Ford. Around 1941 Mamie received a partial recipe for hot tamales. She improved upon the recipe and began selling them, the beginning of the restaurant business. At first Signa ran a honkytonk in the front part of the store. It was strictly for blacks. He sold things like buffalo fish and chili. Like segregation in reverse, the whites began arriving at the back door. One of the local doctors began coming for a meal between calls. Big Doe would cook him up a steak and feed him in the back. Pretty soon, he brought friends and colleagues and before he knew it, Big Doe found that he had a regular restaurant in the back. He brought in family to help run the thriving business and closed down the honkytonk focusing on the Eat Place. He retired in 1974 and turned the business over to his sons, Charles and Little Doe, who carry on the family tradition of greeting customers in the front kitchen.” (Doe's Eat Place)

Roadfood writes, “Newcomers may be shocked by the ramshackle surroundings, but Doe's is easy to like once the food starts coming.” I can echo those sentiments wholeheartedly. From the moment we pulled up to the building, we were a bit shocked. We noticed we had driven into the “bad part of town”. And when we first glimpsed the tiny house with the sign “Doe's Eat Place”, we joked, “I picked a fine time to leave my gun at home”. It was then that my husband pointed out the armed security guard keeping a watchful eye on the property and guest's vehicles. We arrived just at 6 pm and there were only a few cars, but by the time we left a couple of hours later, vehicles were lined up and down the side streets. Parking at Doe's is limited, for sure, but die hard regulars and first time visitors alike will find a way!

Comfortable that our vehicle was secure under the watchful eye of the hired security, we entered the white, plank building into a tiny room with old, wood planked floors. To our left was a large steak pit/oven with an employee grilling thick pieces of meat under the intense fire that heated the room. I imagine it gets very hot in there at the height of summer when temperatures and the humidity in the Delta soar. A fry station that looked abandoned held the trays used to move the meat to the grill. There was a large cook pot sitting on the floor mat; I'm not sure if it contained food or not. This was the first time, but certainly not the last time that my thoughts went to the sanitation standards, or lack thereof, of the place. In front of us was an old wood paneling wall with several large bulletin boards holding a conglomeration of items: the food permit, business license, a selection of safety warnings such as “consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness”, a selection of photographs, bumper stickers, memorabilia, an American flag, and even some shotgun shell lights framing the doorway. 

To our right was a beer cooler. And on a table by the oven was a stack of oval plates, napkins and silverware. To our left was a table holding a meat preparation station where an employee seasoned and prepared the meat for the cook. Once again, flash of sanitation standards lacking – this from my food service days in the military, no doubt. 

The light switches were laden with grease and fingerprints, the painted surfaces were chipping and peeling. Old electrical wiring snaked up the walls and were covered in grease and dust. A waiting area was on the right side and as the night wore on, the line seeped outside the door. I'm told it's not unusual for regulars to bring beer and folding lawn chairs so they can sit outside during the long wait for a table. There was a doorway to the right, likely leading into another seating area, but I'm not certain.

We were immediately greeted and asked if we had reservations. “No”, I answered, “Do we need them?” The hostess, dressed in jeans and a Doe's t-shirt nodded, “no”. Fortunately it was a week night and we were there early enough that there was a table for two available. We were led around the beer cooler and through a door exiting the front kitchen where the steaks were prepared and into a center kitchen where salads, french fries and other offerings were prepared.

There was a cooler, a spice rack, open pantry, microwave, pots and pans stacked haphazardly, and several dusty fans. Here one would find the central cook and prep area. Here an employee prepared Doe's famous salads, tossed with a mixture of olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

The salads are mixed in wooden bowls, one of which reportedly has been used continuously since the restaurant opened. There were tables of mix matched variety dotting the room and filling every available space. In this room there were two or three tables for four, a table for two, and two tables that would seat six comfortably or eight if they were squeezed in. The tables each had a faded and worn vinyl or plastic table cloth, each in a different solid or pattern. There was even a Christmas themed cloth covering an area in the kitchen and adorned with tiny Santa Claus figures. Here, more memorabilia covered the walls, much of it photographs and framed newspaper clipping of laudatory and rave reviews garnered by the restaurant. Our table was small and covered with a faded blue vinyl covering. At first glance, I thought it was severely lopsided, but upon further inspection, I realized it was the floor that was uneven. Each table held ketchup, salt and pepper, sugar and artificial sweetener, three types of steak sauce and a red plastic basket full of individually wrapped saltines and Melba toast. To the rear of this room was another dining area and beside the center kitchen, another door labeled “Side Room” which possibly led to yet another dining room, or maybe the restrooms. In this center kitchen dining area, the floors were peeling linoleum that revealed what might have been a concrete pad or undetermined sub-flooring underneath. A portable air conditioning unit hung in the window surrounded by what looked like a piece of painted white wood paneling covering a celery green concrete wall. The entire building was in desperate need of attention, and I had the feeling that if it were to rain, the workers would have to set out buckets to collect water leaking through the stained ceilings.

Our hostess seated us and immediately asked what we would like. I ordered an unsweetened iced tea and my husband ordered a Coor's Light. It was only a moment before she returned with our beverages. The beer was ice cold and the tea was excellent, served in a giant red plastic glass. Our hostess was our waitress and upon delivering our beverages asked what we would like to eat. We asked for menus but were told they didn't have any. That's a first for me – I've never been to a restaurant that didn't have a menu or at least have the menu posted on a large board. I knew they had steaks so I asked for a rib eye, medium rare and my husband ordered a rib eye, medium. I asked for a baked potato, but that wasn't happening – French fries were on the menu, so I agreed to take them. My husband also got the fries and ordered a salad. After the waitress/hostess left he wondered why they didn't ask what kind of dressing he wanted on his salad. That's because you don't get a choice. All the salads are the same: iceberg lettuce, a few tomatoes, one purple onion slice and the lemon-oil concoction which in my humble opinion was nothing to brag about and served to make the lettuce taste as though it were wilted. But, several reviews and blogs state differently. Apparently the salads have a cult following. I say “to each his own”.We had been at the Eat Place for less than ten minutes and I wasn't impressed by the experience thus far. Already I was wishing that I had decided to go to Hoot's in McGehee. Fortunately things were about to change.

About 15 minutes after we arrived, our steaks arrived. My eyes widened as the oval plate was placed in front of me. The steak was so large that it nearly covered the plate and spilled over the sides. There weren't many fries but I'm certain that's primarily because there wasn't much room left for them. The steak was sizzling and the aroma immediately made my mouth water and my stomach growl in anticipation of that first bite. I was amazed by the size and the thickness, at least an inch even after cooking. I knew there was no way I would be eating the whole thing and was certain a to go box was in our future. I cut the rib eye against the grain and when I ate that first bite, it literally melted in my mouth. The juices found my taste buds, and I thought I was in heaven. This steak, I decided was one of the best, if not the best that I have ever in my life enjoyed. And, I've eaten a lot of good steaks. The atmosphere, lack of menus, and what I thought were lousy salads didn't matter. Those were negated by the absolute deliciousness of the perfectly seasoned prime Angus beef. 

Next I stuffed a fat, lightly seasoned french fry in my mouth and was thankful that they didn't have baked potatoes. The hand cut, home made, cast iron skillet fried French fries were scrumptious. As we ate, we watched others being served and found that tamales were being served to many tables, so we decided to take half a dozen to go.

The Eat Place is open Monday through Saturday 5 pm to 9 pm. They serve beer, and you can BYOB – they've got the set ups.

If I can make any recommendations it would be skip the salad, order one steak to share, order double fries and overlook the atmosphere. This is a “must visit” steak house if you're anywhere near Greenville. There are now about ten franchises including one in Little Rock, Baton Rouge and Tulsa, but this one is the original, and likely the best.

Finally, Doe's is not cheap. Our bill, including a $20 tip was $158. The steaks were $48 each and the beer was $5. I would expect to pay that price for a fine dining restaurant experience, but not in a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse. I give 5 stars for the steak and fries and 2 stars for service, price, and atmosphere resulting in an overall 3 star.  Still, I stand by my earlier recommendation that this place is a "must visit" restaurant.