Caet (pronounced Kate) is one of Jackson’s hippest wine bars. Derek Emerson’s Fondren hot spot features a world class wine list, a movie-themed cocktail menu, and one of the city’s best selections of bourbon. Simply put, it’s a great bar; the kind of place to go see and be seen.
But Caet doesn’t stop there. As one would expect from an Emerson owned restaurant, the food is phenomenal, and the kitchen is run by one of our favorite new chefs to Jackson, Meredith Pittman.
Meet Chef Meredith Pittman
Chef Meredith Pittman was born in Corinth and attended Mississippi State University. She worked in restaurants through college on the service side. Eventually, she found her way to Memphis where she attended culinary school and cut her teeth in the kitchen at Chef Kelly English’ Restaurant Iris. She went on to become his Sous Chef at Second Line Memphis. When English decided to open another Second Line in Oxford, Pittman spearheaded the entire project as Chef and General Manager, a pretty rare feat in the world of restaurants.
One of the best things about having great chefs in your city is that they tend to attract other great chefs. That’s the case in Jackson right now, and we could give you probably a dozen or more examples of that in the past few years. But in this case, about a year ago, Pittman heard about the opportunity to work with Derek Emerson at Caet.
And she took it.
Seasonal Menu + Chef’s Picks
The Emerson / Pittman team are doing some dazzling food together.
The menu at Caet changes seasonally, which to Pittman means about five menu changes per year. Interestingly, the cocktail menu also changes with each food menu change.
Pittman told us that the spring and summer menus tend to lean more towards light, fresh flavors while the fall and winter menus are heartier.
What really tasty dish is being overlooked on the menu?
Pittman immediately pointed out their bone marrow.
Chef Pittman’s favorite dish to make?
It’s the meat and cheese board which they can do for a table of two or party of 50 in their private dining room.
Chef Pittman’s top pick?
She was quick to point out the burger. Caet doesn’t exactly look like a burger joint, but this is one of Jackson’s unsung heroes of the burger scene.
Don’t Miss Happy Hour
To dive in and taste multiple menu items in one visit, we recommend hitting up Caet’s Happy Hour on weekday evenings from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, happy hour offers the chance to taste and enjoy select wines, cocktails and appetizers for only $5.50 each – such an affordable way to sample Caet’s menu!
Caet is open Monday thru Saturday evenings (note that they don’t open until 5:30 on Saturday afternoons), and we recommend following their frequent menu changes at caetwinebar.com.
Photos provided by Caet Wine Bar.