More Pie, Please

Make room for a mountain of meringue at the Crystal Grill in Greenwood, Mississippi.

The route through The Mississippi Delta is paved with fun flavors. From barbecue ribs to tamales and catfish, you'll find that it caters to those with a penchant for pleasing their palates. Thanks to the sweet legacy found at the Crystal Grill, visitors to Greenwood can add a serving of incredible pie to their country road cravings.

Dig In

Located off U.S. 82 (83 miles from Jackson), the Crystal Grill has made its mark on Southern dining for more than 70 years. The trusted restaurant, on the corner of Carrollton Avenue and Lamar Street, seats 250. On Sunday, you have barely a prayer of finding an empty chair or unoccupied table.

The restaurant's extensive menu ranges from fried chicken and shrimp cocktail to barbecue, catfish, and pasta. The list seems endless.

As is their mile-high pie. Chocolate, coconut, and lemon are the most popular flavors ($2.70-53.19 for a slice). Each delicious piece comes to the table with a flaky crust topped off with smooth custard and frothy meringue.

Ask how to make this sweet sensation, and co-owner Johnny Ballas just might let you in on the secret. "We recently divulged our piemaking process," he says. "Our pie run has been great, so if someone wants to carry on the tradition, that makes me proud."

Johnny is quick to point out, however, there's no guarantee that pie made somewhere else will come out the Crystal Grill way. "As my pie cook Annie Dale Johnson always says, 'These pies can cry at any time.' The meringue can run and go flat, so you really have to know what you're doing."

Serving Up History

Much like the restaurant menu's evolution from soups and sandwiches to beloved entrées, the city-scape of Greenwood has changed as well. The Ballas family prides itself on sticking around to see the progress. Somehow they survived the social and economic changes of the sixties.

"We've all grown as a community," says Johnny. "My family came over here from Greece to start the restaurant and many a generation has been fed on our food."

Today you'll see family members such as Mike Ballas (better known as Pop) chatting with customers. At age 87, he still loves to take orders and suggest entrées to firsttimers. He admits that he enjoys serving others, so opening up the restaurant was just a means to do what was already in his heart.

Now nothing-not even Pop's mile-high pie-is sweeter than that. FARRA HAUSTIN

Crystal Grill: 423 Carrollton Avenue, Greenwood, MS 38930; (662) 453-6530. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Sep 2005
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