Okra (Fayetteville, Tn)

The Town Square
 
If you visit a small town, most of the time you'll find one common denominator. A courthouse and square right at its heart that is not only historic and beautiful but is (or was) often the center of the towns universe. Butchers, bakeries, mercantile, and other various and sundry businesses lined the square and was where locals would do their shopping. Often the movie theatre is there as well. So common is this setting that Universal Studios has a permanent set dedicated to the “Archetypical American” town. The set has been seen in such movies as To Kill a Mockingbird and Back to the Future and TV shows like Leave it to Beaver and Night Rider.

Sadly, the advent of mega malls and grocery stores saw a lot of these businesses surrounding the courthouse fail. Due to the proximity of the courts they are quite often, sadly taken over by law firms. Some towns that haven't suffered from recessions still have a variety of merchants offering antiques, books and souvenirs. And rest assured, there will be restaurants.
 
Such is the case with Fayetteville, Tn. A wonderful courthouse square is surrounded by some of the afore mentioned establishments. That's where you'll find Okra Restaurant. The latest offering from artist Toby Penney and her husband Chef Michael Bradley. Local restaurant veterans, one time operators of the famous Mrs. Mary Bobo's in nearby Lynchburg and owners of Amazing Gracie’s BBQ.

Combining a love of art and food Okra serves as restaurant and art gallery. Not to mention the upstairs apartment serves as living quarters and studio.

You have your choice of ordering off the menu or the white board. Toby advised me that the only thing that comes in a can is the ketchup refill. Other than that, everything is made from scratch. So lets get a look.

Both Mrs. Sippi and Madame Butterfly opted for Fried Catfish Blue Plate Specials with a variety of sides. I ordered off the menu.

Breaded Catfish: Nothing earth shattering here. It was straight up, cornmeal breaded on the outside and flaky yet creamy inside. It was just solid. Fried catfish 101
Fried Okra: As good as it gets. Not the crusty balls of slime you get in some places but lightly battered, fresh tasting and just cooked. Mrs. Sippi hailed it as some of the best.
Mac n Cheese: Your typical old school creamy mac n cheese executed very well. As I said to Toby, mac n cheese doesn't have to have 4 cheeses I've never heard of to be good. It just has to be good.
Pinto Beans: These are great. Nice rich gravy with earthy beans. Sadly, there was no pepper sauce on the table to kick them up a notch. Not that the NEEDED it.
Turnip Greens: A nice example that had a touch of sweetness followed with a peppery finish. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Squash: Mrs. Sippi had mixed emotions about this. She was disappointed in that it wasn't what she thought she was getting when she ordered it. That said, it was still fantastic.

'Mento Cristo: This play on the famous Monte Cristo (which is a fancy way of saying grilled ham and cheese sandwich) is made with Pimento Cheese rather than cheddar. The sour dough was basically made French toast style, complete with cinnamon sugar which I didn't care for (nor did the lady sitting at the table next to us) and easily dusted off. This sandwich however after the fine tuning was an absolute home run. The lady beside me agreed.
Fresh Cut Fries: Another item that needed some fine tuning in my mind. They needed to be more well done. As I said, that's just a personal preference. Outside of that, these are fantastic. Great potato taste and seasoned with Fleur de Sel which was a very nice touch. Fries like this would easily fetch north of $10 at a fancy steak house if you simply named them "Pomme Frites."

Apple Bread Pudding: There was a significant difference of opinion here. While the other two thought it was only okay, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Much like Mrs. Sippi and the squash, this wasn't exactly as I expected but decided I liked it for what it was not for what it wasn't. Most notably, I was hoping for a nice apple cinnamon flavour. The caramel sauce on top was really nice but not (in a good way) over the top rich. It came with a nice fluffy whipped cream.

So there you have it folks, some terrific southern fare in a lovely little town.

You can find Okra at 113 Main Ave. S. in Fayetteville, Tn.

View Larger Map
 
You can also find them on the web and facebook.


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

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.

View Larger Map

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.
 
View Larger Map
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

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.

View Larger Map

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

Davwud

“Pure Country Cookin’”

Late in January of 1951 the Greater Nashville Area was pounded by snow and freezing rain for 4 days. In it’s wake, the storm left middle Tennessee under 8” of snow and ice, grinding it to a stand still. Roads were closed or otherwise impassable. Trees were downed taking power lines with them. Thousands were without power, heat, telephones and ultimately food for days.

One of the few businesses to remain open during the storm, Dotson’s Restaurant in Franklin became an oasis.  The little restaurant kept the locals fed with the “Stick to your ribs” food that keeps you warm on a winter’s day. They also went above and beyond the call, making home deliveries to those unable to get out. For many of Franklin’s old timers, the “Great Blizzard of ‘51” and Dotson’s are forever linked in their memories.

Opened by Clara and Chester Dotson in 1949 serving home cooked meals (They’ve since relocated to the banks of the Harpeth River; 1978) the now 63 year old restaurant is an institution for the locals. The building and it’s wood paneling and creaky floors is pretty typical of a meat n 3 place in appearance.  In other words, with most of them, the money is in the steak, not the sizzle. Decorated with autographed pictures (mostly country music stars) and memorabilia it’s almost a hall of fame. Perhaps the biggest stamp of approval is the framed face of Martha Stewart. 
Rumour is, another move is in the works as the city tries to redevelop around the river.

So let’s get to the food.

I had the meatloaf, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy and cream corn. Mrs. Sippi went with chicken and dumplin’s with white beans and sweet potato casserole. We also sampled a piece for fried chicken.

The meatloaf, oft thought of as the best in Franklin was excellent. Nicely dense yet tender covered with a tomato sauce that tasted very much like salsa. A bit of an odd choice that seemed to compliment very well. The mashed potatoes were very good, simply seasoned and the gravy was excellent. I like my gravy a little on the salty side and this was perfect. I opted for the dinner roll to sop up any gravy or other goodness that may have been left on the plate.

The fried chicken was very tasty but not the earth moving experience I’d convinced myself it would be. Supposedly a perennial winner of best fried chicken it was simply seasoned and fried crispy but not VERY juicy.  The cream corn is cut fresh off the cob in the kitchen and it shows. It had a nice bright, fresh corn taste and was easily the best part of my meal.

Mrs. Sippi’s chicken and dumplin’s hit the spot as she said. A rich chicken broth with dumplin’s, topped with shredded chicken. As down home southern as it gets. The casserole was tasty and not as cloyingly sweet as I’d expected with marshmallows as part of the recipe. The white beans were very nice with a simple seasoning to highlight the earthy flavour of the beans. She also very much liked the corn bread. Straight ahead southern.

The famous cream pies were fantastic. The meringue was nice and thick and the fillings were very creamy. The crust also had a very nice flavour.

Mrs. Sippi had the coconut.
I had the chocolate.



All in all, Dotson's doesn't measure up to the standards set by Stan's and Bell Buckle Cafe but it's still good solid food, worthy of praise.

You can find Dotson’s beside the Harpeth River in at 99 E. Main St. in Franklin, Tn.

View Larger Map
You can also “Like” them on Facebook
 

Well that’s all for now. See you again in the food court.
Davwud

BLT meet Double Cheeseburger

There are a few reasons to visit South Pittsburg, Tennessee. One is Lodge Manufacturing. "America's Original (and best) Cookware." The second is the National Cornbread Festival. One of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast." The third and possibly most important reason is to eat at the Dixie Freeze. One of Mrs. Sippi's two favourite places to eat.
On the one hand it's a drive in with walk up service. Park your car, walk up to the window and order. On the other hand it serves good ole southern style cooking in the dining room. Either way you look at it, you're in for some good eats.
For a small town, they sure have some great reasons to stop by. S. Pittsburg is part of the Greater Chattanooga Area and is just north of the Tennessee/Alabama state line. US 72 skirts the town so if you want to drop by, just veer off the highway and into the "Tidiest Town in Tennessee."
Opened in 1948 the Dixie Freeze sits one block over from beautiful Main Street. The family run business cranks out some great burgers, dogs and sandwiches along with some fantastic plate dinners in the "Meat and 3 style." Our Thursday evening visit at supper time saw a steady stream of people walk up to the window as well as take a seat in the dining room. Daily specials are written on the white board and erased as they sell out. Which is usually. They also have home made deserts. Our first visit was punctuated by an unbelievable coconut meringue pie. The recipe for which we were able to procure before we left. They also get so many requests for their apple pie recipe they keep photo copies of it behind the counter.

So how was dinner??

The sign says "Dagwood Sandwich is our specialty."
This item, named for the enormous sandwiches engineered by Dagwood Bumstead in the Blondie cartoon consists of multiple layers of meat, cheese, condiments and lettuce. You'll often see them topped with and olive and pinned down with a toothpick. As the title of this entry suggests this had all the earmarks of a double cheeseburger topped with a BLT. It's honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had. I'm a big fan of both components so this was clearly having your cake and eating it too.
The slaw that came with the sandwich was used to top my cheese dog. I added some mustard and had a great side dish. One great feature was the use of real cheddar cheese.
Mrs. Sippi went with the catfish dinner. Two large pieces of fish with hush puppies, fried okra and green beans. The fish was great. Nicely battered and fresh tasting. "It was real" she said. Perhaps the best catfish she's ever had.
The green beans were very tasty as were the fried okra.
The hush puppies were fantastic and again, "Real." I've had some pretty bad ones lately but these were redeeming.
If not already famous for the Dagwood they could be famous for their "Triple Thick Shakes." Shakes so thick you could stand re-bar up in them. My chocolate one was very tasty.
For desert we had coconut cake. Back in the day no self respecting southern eatery wouldn't have this. It's partly gone the way of the Dodo though. It's multiple layers of coconut butter cake topped with seven minute frosting and coconut is very time consuming. This scaled down version had big coconut taste and a delicious real deal frosting.
So we've returned and have more for you.

The special of the day was meatloaf and my sides were mac n cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and I opted for the dinner roll.
The meatloaf was excellent. One of the best specemins I've had. A nice ketchupy bbq sauce on top with a good onion/bell pepper taste to the meat. No surprise here, this straight ahead, keep it simple meatloaf. The mashed were whipped (I like mashed) and were good and the gravy was very good. The beans were simply seasoned and quite nice. Good dinner roll for sopping up all the left over goodness.

 Mrs. Sippi went with the country fried steak with fried okra, corn (meat n 2) and opted for cornbread. I'm given to understand that "Country fried steak" is breaded cube steak with brown gravy and "Chicken fried steak" is the same with white gravy. She was disappointed when she got brown gravy on her meat but said it was quite good. The fried okra once again perfect and the corn is, well, corn. Of course when in the home of the National Cornbread Festival, you have good cornbread. 

For desert the strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting was calling me. A nice sweet strawberry cake with a nice sugary tasting frosting. It tastes like it looks.

You can find the Dixie Freeze at 200 Elm Ave, South Pittsburg, Tennessee. 


View Larger Map

You can also become a Facebook friend here.
 

Well that's all for now.

Davwud