On my last visit to Greenwood, back in April, I had decided to try the Crystal Grill for dinner, and I was thrilled with my meal, one of the very best I had ever had. As a result, this visit, I resisted the temptation to go back to Crystal Grill, in order to try Lusco’s instead. The people at the Mississippi Mo Joe Coffee House had warned that I might not be able to get into either restaurant due to the bike race and the resulting extra crowds of people in town, but I called Lusco’s and was able to get a reservation at 8:30.
Lusco’s is a fairly nondescript, older building on Carrollton Avenue in a fairly rough neighborhood of Greenwood. It looks nothing like the elegant restaurant it is inside, but, like its competitor down the street, keeps a guard at the door, who escorts customers to their cars after dinner.
Inside, Lusco’s consists primarily of private booths with curtains that close, so each group of diners is generally dining in their own private space. As such it would be a great place to take a wife or girlfriend. It’s a very romantic concept indeed.
Compared to Crystal Grill, Lusco’s is somewhat more expensive, and has a somewhat more limited menu, but they have marked similarities, especially the prominence of seafood on both menus, which is fairly odd, considering that the Gulf of Mexico is at least five hours away. I opted for the broiled shrimp, with the famous Lusco’s shrimp sauce, and lump crab meat added on the top. It proved to be absolutely amazing. The shrimp sauce seems to involve at the very least butter and worcestershire sauce, and was savory and delicious. The shrimp and crab came with toast points to sop up the delectable sauce, and my waitress actually brought another whole basket of bread for me to enjoy the rest of the sauce. Unfortunately, the restaurant had run out of baked potatoes, but since the french fries were homemade and cut in house, I didn’t even mind. They too were delicious. Finally, I decided to end it all with a slice of chocolate amaretto cheesecake, which the waitress said was made in-house as well, and it was absolutely delicious.
So, how did they stack up? I would have to say that Lusco’s and Crystal Grill are just about tit for tat. Both are among the best and most memorable meals I have had anywhere, and both offer seafood far superior to anything I can currently get at home in Memphis. Greenwood is worth a visit for fine dining.
Lusco’s
722 Carrollton Avenue
Greenwood, MS 38930
(662) 453-5365
Open Wed-Sat 5-10 PM
So glad you enjoyed your dinner with us at Lusco’s! Please join us again!