The New Grill on the Block: Taste Bar and Grill

There is a new aroma in the Fondren neighborhood, and it’s drifting from Taste Bar and Grill.

The diffusion of floating smells of savory and sweet comfort foods and beverages can range from oysters and lamb chops to blooming apples and champagne towers.

“Taste Bar and Grill is more than a restaurant,” said Latrice Rogers, co-owner of Taste with her husband Clifton, a power couple featured on Belle Collective, a reality TV series on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). “It’s a space where people can come together, feel at home, and share in the warmth of good food and even better company.”

Credit: Erica Johnson/Marketing Maven Management

Taste is a steak and seafood restaurant with a southern twist on everything from the oxtails with pasta to the shrimp and grits. Sundays are reserved for brunch only. It’s a breakfast and lunch menu with morning classics like pancakes and bacon but fused with lunch in the fish and waffles. The menu isn’t the only thing divided. So is the facility.

The building has three sections: a family-friendly restaurant, a lounge for evening and nightlife, and a cigar lounge. Executive Chef Terricia Anderson, known at Taste as Chef T, has 10 years in the food industry and touts that the restaurant has something for every generation.

“You want to come here for a pleasant atmosphere, nice ambiance,” said Chef T.

Detroit-born and Jackson-raised, Chef T is the former owner of Up the Creek restaurant and a winner of a local Top Chef competition with Chef Jeremy Enfinger. Chef T’s partner in cuisine at Taste is Chef D’Quevion Clay, also known as Chef C, when he’s over an open flame. He takes a personal interest in bringing the “wow factor” to each plate but in a comfortable setting.

“You get a different feeling when you come here, and brunch already is just a vibe,” said Chef C, who started culinary creations as a hobby. “Sunday after church, we play old school music, sit down, and have brunch and a good time.

Chef T
Credit: Erica Johnson/Marketing Maven Management

”The steak on skewer is his favorite entree and personal addition to the menu. It’s a four-ounce filet mignon skewered and topped with jumbo shrimp, assorted peppers, and onions, served with rosemary mashed potatoes. “We grill it until it’s not quite done, then we set fire to it to skewer,” said Chef C. “If you’re here (living in Jackson), you don’t have to go out of town. But if you’re coming here, you have to stop by. We’re bringing soul to the kitchen.”

Learn More and See The Menu

Crystal McDowell

Author

Crystal McDowell

Crystal McDowell is the CEO of Marketing Maven Management, a marketing and communications firm created to ensure accurate and positive storytelling that includes people of color. She has a Mass Communication degree from Jackson State University and an MBA from Belhaven University. She has 18+ years of journalism, PR, and marketing skills, which she obtained working across the country. Her hobbies are traveling and storytelling.

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