We stopped here for lunch on a Sunday a few weeks ago on our way home from Memphis.
This restaurant appears to be somewhat newly opened. It makes me nostalgic for my undergrad days in Starkville, MS - even though we live in neighboring Alabama, there are subtle differences between the states and something about this restaurant and surrounding downtown area just feels so quintessentially Mississippi - in a really nice way. :) The interior is very clean and feels modern and comfortable. One detractor was the smoke/heat from the kitchen did permeate the dining area, I imagine because it was so busy.
I will admit I was a little disappointed to find you could only order from a limited Sunday menu when we arrived. I'd seen pictures of the fried green tomato BLT and was really wanting one. Still, we decided to stay, and we ultimately enjoyed our food.
The restaurant quickly filled out with a TON of people. I was impressed with the hard work and effort from the wait staff, who seemed rather overwhelmed but maintained pleasant personas throughout our visit. Our food was also fairly quick to come out despite the huge volume of business.
My parents both got chicken and dumplings. I don't remember what sides they got exactly other than I know my mom had sweet potato casserole with hers. I got the hand breaded chicken tenders with scalloped potatoes and green beans.
The sweet tea was refreshing and well made. I enjoyed my chicken tenders; they reminded me more of broasted tenders than classically fried tenders, but regardless the flavor was good and they were juicy. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the ranch I got to dip them in, which was a bit disappointing. The scalloped potatoes were solid and the green beans actually had some good flavor from the bits of pork cooked with them. My parents liked the chicken and dumplings (and they're picky about those!), though I remember my mom didn't care for the sweet potato casserole.
When we were finished, we paid at the register and headed out. They're billed as a bakery and cafe but seemed low on baked goods, probably hadn't stocked up for the week yet. Their coffee drinks looked creative and yummy and if they hadn't been so busy I'd have probably ordered one to go.
All in all, a solid first visit to this restaurant. I will keep it in mind for the future so maybe I can get a fried green tomato BLT or a coffee the next time we pass through on the way to/from Memphis. read more