Review: The Auditorium

The Auditorium's fried catfish plate. (Credit: Leah Starnes)

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Nathan Glenn has done it again. The newly opened Auditorium restaurant located in the historical former Duling Elementary School in the Fondren District of Jackson has been transformed into a fine establishment. Nathan is also known for his other restaurants Basil’s and Rooster’s and this new venture includes an impressive array of great Southern cuisine, as well as bringing a sorely needed late night entertainment venue to Fondren.

The food: Lunch and dinner can be found at the Auditorium seven days a week. The lunch menu offers a daily special as well as a wide variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees. The appetizers of crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, onion rings, gumbo and delicious fried green tomatoes are all worthy of a try. The salad offerings are house, seafood, southern fried chicken, seared tuna, or Caesar. There are plenty of add on items available to complete your lighter meal.

Plenty of good catfish, shrimp, combo platters, and stuffed crab dinners are offered up daily.  The sandwiches capture a little bit of the entire state of Mississippi ranging from fried shrimp, oysters, pulled pork BBQ and blackened catfish to even a delicious smoked chicken BLT. Now that is all Southern cuisine in my book and all worth a taste.

You will find several entrees offered at lunch featuring redfish, red beans and rice, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, a veggie plate, pork, and smoked chicken for the larger meal eater. Finding room at lunch for dessert might be a bit tough but you won’t go away unhappy with some delicious homemade banana pudding, raisin bread pudding or a nice Mississippi mud brownie. All items are priced just right and a perfect variety for the true southerner or a new comer to the area.

At night the atmosphere shifts  with a larger entrée menu featuring some of the lunch items yet bringing out a variety of seafood, BBQ, pastas, platters, and steaks. For a finishing touch be sure to ask your server for the dessert feature of the night. The menu is sure to please and won’t break the bank in the process.

The drink: A full bar features specialty drinks, wine, beer and all the liquors you need to help you unwind from a busy week. They also serve plenty of soft drinks, iced tea, and coffee. With the great Peavey stage and sound system the bar scene and night life heats up after dark for some great fun. The bar tables were made out of the old Duling School chalk boards dating back to 1927 so be sure to check out some of the messages written on them or leave one yourself.

The scene: Glenn is definitely an innovative entrepreneur with deep-seated Mississippi roots. He and his team have taken great efforts to restore, refurbish, and incorporate as much of the old school’s furnishings and décor as possible.

The state of the art sound system and the live entertainment featuring local and nationally known acts are sure to attract a great following. If you are looking for a great lunch spot with friends or business clients you won’t be disappointed. There is plenty of room with dining seating for 150 and at least 200 for music or entertainment venues when they transform into night time dining and late night party time.

The bottom line: The Auditorium Restaurant is in a great location with plenty of parking in the back of the building and limited street parking. It is near UMC and also is gaining strength from the college crowd. The Fondren District is constantly growing and gaining attention in the heart of Jackson.

The remaining part of the old school is filling up quickly with shops and the nice long hallway leading into the Auditorium makes for a great meeting place for friends. There is also a nice breezeway, and court yard to enjoy on those nice Southern nights.

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