Rural Missouri - September 2020 - 22

slaw ourselves," Mike says. "People rave over it. It's not
blanching them in the oil and ﬁnishing them off to order,
something that you can ﬁnd anywhere else."
we have a nice, crispy fry that is a much better product,"
While the Fried Katﬁsh is on the menu every day, if
says Mike, a Laclede Electric Cooperative member.
you're hungry come on the weekend for the all-you-can-eat
Customers ﬂock to Montreal for the fried chicken. While
dinner.
not on the menu, locals know it's at minimum available on
Mike can ﬂex his culinary muscle with his daily speThursdays at Jones Outpost.
cials. From prime rib and lobster tails to Alaskan king crab
The simplicity of the fried chicken is what gives it
legs and Asian-inﬂuenced dishes, Mike has made Montreal
its noteworthy ﬂavor. Four pieces of fresh, never frozen
a dining destination.
chicken are breaded with ﬂour and dropped in peanut oil.
"Cooking is kind of like an art form; a way to express
It fries until it's golden brown and ﬂoats on both sides.
yourself," Mike says. "Anyone can open up a bag of
It's served with green beans and homemade
gravy and heat it up or a bag of fries and dump them
mashed potatoes with a cream gravy.
in a fryer. Not here. It makes a difference. It can be
"We don't use any fancy marinades, brines
hard to ﬁnd a place to get home-cooked comfort
or secret breading techniques. It's just simmade from scratch."
ple," Mike says. "The peanut oil gives it a much
If you're somehow still hungry after your
superior ﬂavor. When you bite into it you get
meal, Jones Outpost has you covered. They
that crunchy and salty taste on the outside and
Montreal
offer enormous four-layer cakes that will be
it goes along with the juiciness of the chicken
enough to share with your table. The ﬂavors
inside."
change weekly, but you'll usually be able to
The fried chicken is so popular that while the
grab a slice of Death by Chocolate and Lemon
dining room was shut down due to the COVID-19
Blueberry, which is Mike's favorite.
pandemic, the restaurant still kept busy sending customFrom partnering with local small businesses for his
ers home with to-go fried chicken family meals.
products to searching for fresh produce at markets, Mike
The breading for Mike's Fried Katﬁsh is so secret that
and his team have put the work in to bring a delicious dish
he doesn't even know it. "It's my brother-in-law's recipe,"
to your table.
he says with a laugh. "He mixes it up for us and brings it
"I like supporting the local businesses," he says. "The
to the restaurant."
bakery wouldn't be in business if it wasn't producing such
A catﬁsh ﬁllet is covered in the secret seasoning and
a high-quality product. I could get frozen ground beef off a
fried. The ﬁnished product is served on a bed of french
truck and it would be easier. But, the meals would suffer.
fries with hush puppies and Mike's homemade coleslaw.
At the end of the day, it's worth it."
"We grate the cabbage and do all the work for our cole-

A rotating variety of homemade four-layer cakes are the perfect post-meal snack and available every week at Jones Outpost in Montreal.

RURAL MISSOURI | SEPTEMBER 2020

Rural Missouri - September 2020

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