I love a country restaurant that serves a home cooked meal. Now, being from the South, I may have a very specific idea of what a home cooked meal is. Some people love Cracker Barrel because they think it is country, home cooking. Uh, no, at least not in my book. Oh, I like Cracker Barrel, but no, the places I am talking about raise your cholesterol level at least 25 points just by walking in the door. You can see the butter oozing from the biscuits or cornbread rolls. The meat is always covered with gravy – always. And the mashed potatoes are from real potatoes, not instant. If I want instant potatoes, I can stay home and make that myself. I am talking about meal that just oozes love – like my grandmother used to make.
There is a little place in Henryetta, OK, right off I-40 called Huckleberry’s Pig Out Palace. When my husband and I first got married, he was in San Diego, so we packed up all my belongings in Memphis and headed out the 40 to sunny California. We just happened to stop the first night in Henryetta and ate at the Pig Out Palace the next day. And man, does it live up to its name. Pot roast, collard greens, fried okra, cornbread stuffing…oh my, I was like a lab rat trying to eat myself to death! I am so happy I don’t live in or near Henryetta or I’d weigh 700 pounds!
There are other places that serve what I consider a home cooked meal. If you are ever near Sikeston, MO, Ozark, MO (near Springfield), or Foley, AL (near Gulf Shores), stop into Lambert’s Cafe. It is known as the Home of the Throwed Rolls because…well, they throw rolls at you. I know it sounds silly, but a guy comes out every so often with hot, delicious rolls. You throw your hand up and he literally throws the rolls at you. It is all in good fun because sometimes they bounce off your hands or someone else’s shoulder. With a menu that includes chicken and dumplings, fried chicken, pot roast, chicken fried steak, hog jowl (yes, it is actually on the menu), and country ham, you cannot go wrong. One of my favorite things about Lambert’s is the “pass arounds.” When someone isn’t throwing rolls at you, they are serving the “pass arounds.” These are items you cannot order off the menu, you just have to wait until they bring them out in a big steel bucket. It’s vegetables like fried okra, black eyed peas, fried potatoes with onions, and macaroni and tomatoes. If you are not completely stuffed and opening your top button when you leave Lambert’s, something is wrong. They have desserts, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone order it!
Lambert’s in Foley, AL
Unfortunately, I am pretty far now from both the Pig Out Palace and a Lambert’s. There is a little place here called Hilda’s that says it offers home cooking. We will just see out that!