Jackson Free Press

Underground 119 (119 S. President St.), a downtown restaurant and bar that was recently a finalist in the Best Live Music Venue category of Best of Jackson, closed Dec. 26 as owner Mike McRee began preparations to revamp his venue with a whole new concept. The business will re-open sometime in March.

McRee gave the following statement in a press release:

"We opened Underground 119 in order to support and participate in downtown Jackson's revitalization and to give great blues and jazz artists a venue. We are grateful for the continued support of all our patrons, as well as the musicians who've played here and our employees over the years. As downtown continues to evolve, so does our vision. As a result, on Dec. 26, we'll be going dark for a time while we reformulate what the next phase of that vision is and how we can best make 119 a space that contributes something unique to downtown and the creative community. We look forward to what lies ahead for us, and for Jackson, and plan to be back in Spring 2016 with a new concept."

For more information, contact Mike McRee at 601-573-2507 or Matt Briggs at 601-953-4377.

New Lunch Menu at Johnny T's

John Tierre Miller, owner of Johnny T's Bistro and Blues (538 N. Farish St.), decided to mix things up ahead of the holiday season by introducing a new lunch menu to his restaurant earlier this month.

Available Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the new menu features a daily blue-plate special for $12 that includes one meat and a choice of two vegetables with cornbread. The restaurant will offer New Orleans red beans and rice or turkey necks on Tuesdays; flash-fried chicken or angus chop steak with gravy on Wednesdays; free-range baked chicken or spaghetti on Thursdays; and Mississippi farm-raised catfish or meatloaf on Fridays. The vegetable options include garlic mash potatoes, butter corn, black eye peas, cabbage greens, collard greens or lima beans. The menu also features a mixed green salad, Cajun chicken pasta, shrimp and grits, and more.

For more information, visit Johnny T's Facebook page or call 601-954-1323.

Mexikali Hitting Stride in Ridgeland

Mexikali Taqueria Grill (862 Avery Blvd.), a Mexican restaurant just off County Line Road in Ridgeland, has been open for business for about five months. Owner Stella Vasquez and her chefs offer a wide variety of Latino food featuring not only Mexican recipes, but also Columbian and Venezuelan dishes. Mexikali's menu options, which include specialty empanadas, tostones and sweet fried plantains, are all prepared fresh daily from scratch. Mexikali even makes its own tortillas and seasonings in the restaurant's kitchen.

The bar at Mexikali offers an assortment of margaritas, sangrias and other mixed drinks, with happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day featuring two-for-one margaritas and other deals. The bar also has karaoke available anytime.

Mexikali is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. Bar hours vary by day. For more information, call 601-957-1393, email [email protected] or visit tamexikali.com.