End of the Road

For about a decade the Dead End Society met at the end of Summit Circle. A cul-de-sac in Knoxville, Tennessee. Three families would get together and hone their BBQ skills. Neighbours all, they started by hosting a pig roast for the other local residents. Over the years it would grow from dozens to hundreds and by early in the century, they'd take the knowledge gleaned, on the road. Hitting BBQ competitions from all corners of the state and beyond. Racking up a pretty impressive resume along the way.
 
Architect, George Ewart, like so many in the BBQ game, has smoke and pig fat in his veins. By the age of 14 he was learing at his daddy's side. Coaxing an almost inedible piece of meat into a mouth watering delicacy. Those skills, handed down by his father were handed down by his grandmother.
At the ripe old age of 48, George figured it was time to let everyone in neighbourhood cook outs. He opened Dead End BBQ in Knoxville, near UT and has taken over the BBQ scene locally. Having won Best BBQ in Knoxville from Metro Pulse all three years he's been in business. Along with his many other accolades from his many years on the competition trail.
 
Being an architect, George designed his snazzy new digs. Decked out in glass, stainless steel and neon it's a beautiful looking place. Unfortunately, both Mrs. Sippi and I agree, it does not scream BBQ. We both love the old shacks that have been around for decades. Some day, DEBBQ will be decades old and oozing that charm but for now, it's a shiny new building with little character.


Inside it's very nice as well. A large, open dining room with a view of the smokers. There's a good sized patio and, of course, the trophy case. Displaying a collection of awards collected over the many years of competing.

While everything we ate was at least good only a couple things stood out. One thing that really hurt here is, much like the place itself, there was no discernible smoke flavour. So while we did like everything, we didn't love it.

A caddy with S&P and 3 different sauces awaits you at your table. Mild, regular and spicy. The mild was just too innocuous.  The regular was right up my alley. Nice and sticky sweet with some tang from vinegar and cayenne. Good for the pork. The hot was nothing mind blowing but had enough kick to get your attention. It worked particularly well with the sausage. It, I suspect, would be fantastic on the smoked wings.
 
The Jalapeno Cornbread was very good. Nice corn taste and complimented well with the jalapenos. The Southern Cornbread was pretty average. Nothing much wrong with it outside of sugar according to Mrs. Sippi. I personally don't mind the sweetness. As I've stated before our palates don't line up on cornbread.
 
The Mayor's Beans were good tasting and pretty rich. We were told they had pineapple in them which didn't come across at all. They weren't overly sweet which was fine. I prefer a little less sweet than too much. At least when it comes to beans. All in all, like so much else, good.
 
The Mac and Pimento Cheese posed a bit of a problem for me. Nicely creamy with a good cheese flavour so all in all a bit above average. However they lose a point for not tasting like Pimento Cheese. Save for a few bits of pimento and the menu you wouldn't have known they were in there. If you advertise it, it should taste like it. Shame too, I was really looking forward to it.
 
I liked the ribs a little better than Mrs. Sippi. She couldn't get past sauce. Not that it was bad but she prefers dry ribs (Memphis style) and these are more my style. Slathered with sauce cooked in. The meat was fine and they were very tender but the lack of smoke really stood out here. They seemed to be missing something and that was it.
 
The big hit for us was the Smoked Sausage. Juicy, porky with a hint of garlic. Made and smoked in house it was simply fantastic. We both feel the sausage alone is worth a repeat visit. As I pointed out above, the Hot (BBQ) Sauce worked really well. I'd really be interested in trying it on a bun with some slaw and sauce. It think it'd be awesome.


We also had some pulled pork but for some reason I didn’t get a picture. Anyway, it too was good.

So there you have it folks, some pretty good Q with a some outstanding items thrown in.
 
You can find Dead End BBQ at 3621 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville, Tn.
 
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Well that's all for now folks, we'll see ya next time in the food court. 

Davwud

 

Stay Full All Day

If you’ve never heard of Ooltewah, Tennessee you’re probably not alone. The tiny town of well less than 1,000 folks is somewhat a burg that time forgot. Once occupied by Union forces during the “Late, Great, Unpleasantness” it didn’t get it’s first restaurant until 1976. At one time it served as capital of the long ago bankrupted James County. The old courthouse is still there and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 

If you have heard of Ooltewah, there’s a good chance you’ve been to Countryside Cafe. Owned and operated by Ponder and Marlene Geren it began life in 1990 and has had happy Chattanoogans (and many others) heading out into the country for some of the best Southern cooking in the area. Not too surprising to find a great respite at Countryside. The name Ooltewah is Native American for “Resting place.” Another story tells that it comes from the Muskogee word meaning “Town.” That said many residents will tell you it means “Owls nest.” Not so co-incidentally the local High School team is named the “Owls.”

Countryside Café sits at the corner of two country roads about a half hour outside Chattanooga. In what looks like a ranch style house. The parking lot is a large and just about always crammed to the point of busting. Not to worry though, the staff inside is quite efficient and wait times are usually short. Even for large crowds. Inside there’s obviously plenty of tables in the dining room. Another way to keep the line moving.

As usual at these great Meat n 3 places, they do pretty much everything from scratch in the kitchen. 

So let’s have a look at what’s coming out of that kitchen.

The corn bread was good and completely Mrs. Sippi style. Which is to say denser dry than what I prefer. There was nothing wrong with it, in fact it had a nice corn flavour. Great with butter naturally. I just like mine moister and with a crumb closer to cake. The dinner roll was fairly bland but that's how I wanted it. It was to be a vehicle to sop up the goodness left on my plate. In that it succeeded very well.

The Country Fried steak was very good. Nice and tender with a crunchy crust. The White Gravy could've had a bit more character but all in all it was good. The White Beans were only okay. There wasn't much seasoning in them and no pork so they had to carry the ball on their own. The fried okra was also only okay. I’m not a big fan so I’m not much of a judge. The carrots were of course carrots. So a good plate all around. The main of course being the star.

The Meatloaf was very nice. I was asked if I wanted gravy and of course I did. I was surprised to find that it had a tomato sauce baked onto it like you'd expect. Which would've alleviated the need for gravy. Oddly enough, the combination of the tomato sauce and gravy on the meatloaf made for quite a tasty bite. I don’t think that I’d opt for that again but for a surprise change, I think it was welcomed. The broccoli casserole was great. I'm trying to ween myself onto broccoli for health reasons and while I doubt it was healthy, it might help bridge the gap. The Hashbrown Caserole was your typical type and there's nothing wrong with that. Just a good ole work horse starch. The Black Eyed Peas were fabulous. I don't know how they did them since there wasn't any pork to be found but they had that good earthiness they are known for and some depth as well.

The Coconut Cake was excellent. This is what I refer to as new style. It's a single layer cake with frosting and coconut. A traditional coconut cake takes hours to make if you do it from scratch. Most places just won't dedicate the time anymore. This particular cake as you can see used a yellow cake and had the traditional 7 minute frosting sprinkled with grated coconut. Basically, if you made 2 and piled them on top of each other you'd have the old school version. Also, this one wasn't round.

The Hot Fudge Cake was very good but I honestly think it didn't taste as good as it looked. I just don't think it did the picture justice. Don't get me wrong, this was a very good dessert. The cake (buried under all that whipped and ice cream) was a bit of a cross between a cake and a brownie. It had a mild chocolate taste. Not a rich, knee buckling smack from the Dark Lord. The whipped cream was very light and tasty but the ice cream was only okay. The hot fudge sauce did have that blast of chocolate that you want. The best part was where everything had melted in the bottom. Scoop some of that up with a piece of cake and it was fantastic. The bottom line is, it just wasn't decadent.

So there you have it folks. Some terrific country cooking in a nice country setting.

You can find Countryside Café at 8223 County Hwy 1124 (Mahan Gap Road) Ooltewah, Tn.

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You can also find them on the web.



Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

 Davwud

Same Name, Different Place

It’s always interesting where you’ll find a good meal. I’m not talking about the obvious spots but the more obscure ones. Like in gas stations or drug stores or in the case of Puckett’s, a grocery store. Perhaps you remember Puckett’s from this earlier post. The name is the same but it’s no longer associated with the other two stores. This Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee location has seceded and remained more true to it’s roots. It’s still a grocery store and the menu is BBQ and southern comfort food. No bar or bistro fare here. Unlike Kleer-vu in near by Murfreesboro, the restaurant hasn’t pushed the groceries out yet.  They still sell gasoline and have a good selection of household staples and at holiday time they even smoke turkeys and hams for lucky customers.

Opened in the 50’s by the Puckett family, Puckett’s Grocery served the many small communities in Williamson County, Tennessee. Located on the main strip (like there’s much more) in Leiper’s Fork for decades it’s played multiple roles but perhaps most importantly, meeting place.  A visit anytime is great but the seafood boil and open mic. night on Thursdays has the joint jumpin'. Get some creole style shrimp or crawfish and check out the next great country music star. So popular is the music that it’s streamed online and you can live message while you watch. Mrs. Sippi got a shout out after posting that she was watching all the way up in Canada. You never know who you’ll end up rubbing elbows with either. Country music legends, producers and movie and TV starts alike stop by for a bite to eat or to see a good show.

The building from the outside is pretty non descript. It’s fitted out with a smoker, patio tables and gas pumps.Inside grocery shelves and dairy cases make up about a third of the store with an open kitchen, stage and a dining room with mismatched tables and chairs. There’s plenty of antiques and kitsch adorning the walls and ledges.
So enough of all that, let’s get to the goodies.

The Fried Baloney is, well, fried baloney. It’s like a large, round hot dog. It’s good of course but I think it would’ve been better on toast or grilled. Maybe even a slice of American cheese as well.The Pimento Cheese was great. Made right in house it was more cheesy than the others I’ve tried. Again, I’d like to have tried it on toast but I get scolded for such thoughts.I’m sure if you’re scoring at home you’ll know by now that just about every time I try Pulled Pork I note that it’s not as smoky as I’d like. Well not here. This is the closest thing I’ve had to my own home made and thus, outstanding. The fact that they don’t sauce it and allow you to do it at the table makes it that much better.The Fried Chicken is awesome. More like the Colonel’s with a herby, crispy crust. It was just fantastic. I’d suggest waiting for it to be straight out of the fryer. They make batches and they can sit for a little while. It didn’t affect the taste or crispiness but it wasn’t piping hot.
The Fried Okra on the side was very good but sadly the Mac n Cheese really lacked a good cheese punch. I mentioned it to Rob (the owner) and immediately one of his employees said she thought that batch was sub par. So it may be better on another visit.The Chicken Fried Steak was of course fabulous but even better was the gravy. Some of the best white gravy I’ve had. The Johnny cake was nice and so was the fried okra. The corn casserole was really tasty. A bit light on the corn flavour but very creamy.The ribs are outstanding. I’m not as much a fan of baby back ribs as you know but these among the best. Fully smoked and pull apart tender. Great when topped with the tangy BBQ sauce. The tater salad was good IMHO but Mrs. Sippi loved it.Deserts are made by Rob’s wife right on the premises. A cooler full of these tasty treats sits off the dining area. We opted for Chess and Pecan pie slices. Both were just as good as they could be.

The cinnamon buns are baked fresh every morning but need to be consumed early. I had one after lunch and it wasn’t as fresh as it needed to be. The early bird gets the good cinnamon bun.A trip through the country side is a beautiful drive and a stop for lunch at Puckett’s is a great way to top it all off.

You can find Puckett’s at 4142 Old Hillsboro Rd. in Leiper’s Fork, Tn.
 
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You can also find them on the web and facebook.
 

Well that’s all for now. We’ll see you next time in the food court.
 

Davwud

10–4 Good Buddy

Say one thing about Southerners. They’re nothing if not colourful. Never mind all the “Redneck” humour and interesting engineering feats for which they’re famous. And as we all know, even the the most fiendish of insults can be hurled without fear of reprisal with the simple preface “Bless their heart…..” They also have their own signature expressions. Bathed in meanness they’ve long endured. “Beat them like a red headed step child” for one. “So good it’ll make you wanna slap your momma” for another.
Just off I-65 in Munfordville, Kentucky Big Bubba Buck’s Belly Bustin’ BBQ Bliss has adopted the “Slap your momma” saying. Offering up food worthy of the maternal clubbing adage. Road weary travellers and locals have been enjoying Bubba’s porky goodness and fried catfish for almost 10 years now. The audience Buck’s is really tapping into though is the trucker. Their expansive parking lot out back offers up plenty of room for the big rigs and their location a half mile off the interstate makes for a quick stop. Daily specials are broadcast every half hour over a CB and orders are frequently radioed in for pick up. To keep the wheels turning as they say. Heck, all they need is a pick up window and a driver would never have to leave the cab.
Bubba’s is really not much more than a shack on the side of the road. From the outside it looks like little more than shed with a handful of smokers and various and sundry items littering the grounds.
On the inside it’s as basic and “Divey” as it can be. Simple paneled walls, rudimentary chairs and tables with plastic table clothes. In other words, scary to one. Oozing cred to another. Yep, other than the lack of smoked pig amoma (the smoker is outside so the smell of greens hung in the air) this place is a true BBQ joint.
Now keep in mind that Kentucky, just like every other state has health inspectors and they do pay visits to Buck’s. Rest assured, it’s clean. That said, Mrs. Sippi and I have debated the notion that, bless its heart it’s the dumpiest restaurant we’ve been in. It may be, it may not. One thing there was no debate over. The food was top notch. There was plenty of it too. So let’s have a look.
Mrs. Sippi’s catfish was excellent. Buttery and juicy with a nice flour and cornmeal breading. I didn’t even bother trying the tartar sauce.
The fried corn on the cob was, well, interesting. While I always maintain that taste trumps all I’m gonna make an exception here. The taste was indeed good but the texture ruined it for me. Mrs. Sippi agreed. The kernels were mushy on the inside with gummy skins that got caught in your teeth. Give me a nice steamed or roasted ear any time. Where the golden nuggets burst when you sink your teeth into them.
The pinto beans were good. Nothing special. Simply seasoned and cooked. I’ve had better, I’ve had worse.

My combo plate ranged from really good to excellent. Really good was the pulled pork. I didn’t like that they sauced it but it wasn’t overpowered so not a strike against. It had a really nice smoky taste that I really enjoyed. It was very finely shredded which is not my preference but I’m fine with it.
The ribs were great. They’re baby backs which is a half a strike against since I much prefer side ribs for BBQ. They had a great smoke flavour and little seasoning. They actually put them on the smoke naked. Their philosophy on this is a rub inhibits smoke flavour. One very important thing about ribs. They should NOT fall off the bone but yield when pulled gently. Leaving a clean rib. The meat should have some chew to it. Not be a spongy mess. On this, they nailed it.
The smoked pork loin was amazing. Tender, succulent, smoky and porky. A clear winner on my plate.
The mac and cheese wasn’t overly cheesy but still quite serviceable.
The greens were as good as I’d hoped. Less pork taste than I’d have expected but seemed to be super charged with “Greens” flavour. Of course when balanced with pepper sauce, that much better.
The deserts were unimaginably good. I love banana pudding. Quite frankly and not disrespectfully, it’s not hard to make a good one. It was almost as good as my home made much as I expected.
What really got me though was the apple, black berry cobbler. A great combination of flavour with a smack of cinnamon that was right in my wheelhouse. I love a good cinnamon kick and find that most places downplay its use. An absolute home run here in my books.
So don’t let the ruddy appearance dissuade you. This place serves good food that has the CB radio waves humming.

You can find Big Bubba Buck’s at 1802 Main St, Munfordville, Ky.

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You can also find them on the web.



Well that’s all from off the beaten path in Kentucky. Y’all come back now ya hear.
 

Davwud

For Families, By Families

An interesting twist on the family run establishment can be found at Country Boy Restaurant in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. Not one, not two, but four different families have held title to this community anchor since the Mealer family opened it in 1968.

The current owners, Shannon and Charlie Martin set out to give the oldest restaurant in Williamson County still in its original location a facelift. The structure itself would get the TLC that it needs and the menu would be reworked to feature more in house cooking. Seems the “Home cookin’” principals on which the restaurant was founded had started to slide. That needed to be fixed by ditching the pre made frozen foods and concentrating again on in house food prep.
The all day breakfast, a staple for the place since inception would of course remain. 

Locals had regaled me with tales of a dumpy, run down room that was in desperate need of attention. What has resulted after a renovation lasting more than a month and 5,500 man hours is a clean country home setting. Unfortunately, with the change the place loses a lot of that character. So it’s not all roses but I’m not complaining. Ambience is nice but what come out of the kitchen is really what matters.

So lets have a look at what is coming out of the kitchen then shall we??

The Fried Chicken was crispy and juicy but I like a heavily seasoned and herbaceous breading. It was a simple breading so I can’t rate it near the top on my scale. It was however perfectly done. Really good all 'round flavour.
The Greens weren’t as “Porky” as I’ve had but that said they were still fantastic. Of course a little pepper sauce always helps too.
The Mac & Cheese was outstanding. A creamy cheese sauce mixed into the noodles with grated cheese melted on top. Very cheesy. Very tasty.
The simple dinner roll was perfect for sopping.
The Country Fried Steak was fabulous. Crispy breading that stood up well to the gravy and tender steak inside.
The Fried Okra was very good but not really my thing.
The Pinto Beans were very tasty too. Again, not too porky like the greens but all in all, had a really good taste that really allowed the earthiness of the beans to shine.
The Corn Bread was fine. It was true Southern style and as such, not my favourite.
We were so full from dinner that we had to take desert to go. Country Boy also makes Fried Pies on site and that was too good to resist. We had a few options but we went with the “Elvis.” Peanut butter and bananas encased in pie dough and deep fried. It was fantastic.

You can find Country Boy Restaurant at 4141 Old Hillsboro Road, in Franklin, Tennessee.


You can also find them on the web, facebook and twitter.
 

Well that’s all for now. Catch ya later in the food court.
 

Davwud

Good Homecooking

In 1976 Wilhelmina Patterson decided to convert the storage room in the little market she owned to a lunchroom. She probably had no idea at the time that she was giving birth to a local legend. Serving soul food from old family recipes the lunchroom outgrew the storage room and eventually pushed out the market. Converted full time into a cafeteria style restaurant the Kleer-Vu Lunch is now 80 (or so) seats big and jammed just about every day at lunch. They say you can’t get near the place between the hours of noon and 1pm most days.
Now run by her daughter Becca and granddaughter Anita a who’s who of Murfreesboro eat along side the workaday.
Kleer-Vu has, of course, caught the eye of the famous such as Robert DeNiro. Perhaps it was the words of Roots author Alex Haley that meant the most. “I’ve eaten at Maxim’s in Paris, a 5 star restaurant but I would swap it any day to come here and eat. This right here takes you back home.”

The dining room is simple and highly functional. All food is served cafeteria style and even on trays from Decherd Elementry School (‘74 – 75). “Have a good day today and pass it on” is the slogan on the tray. A visit to Kleer-Vu will put you well on your way toward that good day.

 

 Noted for fried chicken, meat loaf,  pigs feet and chitlin’s  they’re most famous for their hotwater cornbread. An old southern peasant staple seldom seen anymore. You pick your special off the daily white board or from the list of plate lunches behind the counter. Get in line, get served, then find a seat.

 

Where to begin, it was all so good.

Okay so not all of it was good. The hot water cornbread (front left) was pretty much lost on me. It’s little more than cornmeal and hot water. Some sort of leavening is used and it’s fried not baked. It really doesn’t have much taste. Even used for sopping it wasn’t all that interesting.

 

The black eyed peas (back right) were terrific. They really didn’t have much of a porky taste nor evidence that pork was used to cook them but all in all, if you like the earthy taste of BEP you’ll like ‘em.
The pinto beans (back left) were really good. Same cooking as the BEP (no pork, etc.) but once again, terrific.
The mac n cheese (front right) was exceptional. As is to be expected it’s the old school style, very creamy and cheesy type.
The country ham was awesome. Not overly salty as country ham can be it did have a great smoky flavour. Just great.

The fried chicken is now my clear cut favourite. Juicy, well seasoned, crispy and fabulous. Everyone I talked to said it’s the best and I could see why.

 

The chess pie was also excellent. The creamy, custardy “Old South” piece of pie was the perfect cap to a great meal.

 

Oh and by the way, Mrs. Sippi gave thumbs up on the tea.

You can find Kleer-Vu Lunchroom at 226 S. Highland Ave in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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Well that’s if for now folks. Have a good day. And pass it on.
 

Davwud