A visit to Calvert City isn't really complete without a visit to a place called Miss Patti's. Enjoying my
meal there last evening with their youth guy (and good friend) Craig Evans, I had a thought to a quick blog.
Dale's Favorite Five "non-chain" Restaurants (and I'd like to see your list too):
5. Dinelli's: A wonderful pizza restaurant in Hamilton, AL. They have aweso
me dough, wonderful cinnamon sticks and the world's best peach cobbler...plus you
always get to see some of the local's and that's special to me. I like the owner Dwight too. If I'm in Hamilton more than one day I'll eat a
t Dinelli's - if I'm there for only one day - KFC will be where I'll go. It is the best KFC in the world...but it's a chain so it can't make my list).
4. McDougal's Chicken Coop: I absolutely love to scout out new places and then take friends. My bud Scott and I found this place on a side road near the Vandy Campus a few years back. Talk about a place with personality. It has the most ran
dom things hanging on the walls in mass quantities you can imagine. They really only have one thing on the menu, chicken (mostly tenders and wings). They have several fabulous sauces - I get torn between the Honeybee and the Gold. And, yes, they have super sweet tea (just one lump of sugar below Chick-Fil-A), a staple of any good place to eat. Also, McDougal's just opened a second location in Cool Springs.
dom things hanging on the walls in mass quantities you can imagine. They really only have one thing on the menu, chicken (mostly tenders and wings). They have several fabulous sauces - I get torn between the Honeybee and the Gold. And, yes, they have super sweet tea (just one lump of sugar below Chick-Fil-A), a staple of any good place to eat. Also, McDougal's just opened a second location in Cool Springs. 
3. Miss Patti's: This is one well worth the drive! It is about an hour and a half west of Nashville in Grand Rivers, KY. They have a large menu and I've been told a lot of it is really good...but I wouldn't know. I've eaten there maybe 10 or 15 times and every time had the same thing. Pork Chops! They have one or two inch pork chops and a super sauce on them. They bake their bread in a flower pot and have some super strawberry butter. But save some room - they have what they call 7 inch high chocolate pie. It's pretty wonderful.
2. Big Spring's #2: OK - this one is not for the faint of heart. It is a hole in the wall in Huntsville, AL. It has been there forever and it shares the location with a bait and tackle shop (seriously). The place looks nasty from the outside and is unimaginably small (one table and a bar), but look in the parking lot - you'll see everything from Mercedes to old Chevys. You'll want to order at least 4 of their hamburgers - they were small and square before Krystal thought of it. They are the only restaurant (maybe in the world) that serves Double Cola. I have loved Big Springs #2 (not sure if a Big Springs #1 has ever existed) all my life. I remember one sunny Saturday that mom and I drove all the way from Birmingham to Huntsville just for a bag of burgers from Big Springs. Alabama was playing Washington that day - it is a perfect day in my memory bank. They offer a couple of things other than the burgers - but don't waste your time! It'll take 6 months off your life to eat one meal there - but hey - you'll get to heaven quicker. It'd be hard to spend more than 6.00 on a meal here.
1. Brooksie's Barn: Jackson, TN. Cross I-40 going North on 45, turn on Oil Well Road and it is on the right. I eat here one time a year. I have to fast for about a week before and after. I've joked I want to be buried there - and I'll probably have to be since I eat so much there I'll probably stroke out there. It is a little pricey. They have a buffet with about every imaginable meat on it (outstanding fried chicken, barbeque, ribs, etc), they have rolls that you'll want to stuff a few extra in your pocket and pineapple fritters!!! WOW. Hmmm...I could be there in about 2 hours....
So share...what are your favorites. I may have to try one of them.
13 comments:
Oh my goodness. I agree with you on that KFC; also, Jason and I are hooked on Dinelli's. Even if we're just passing through Hamilton (or if we've had a giant meal at my grandmother's), we'll still run by and grab some breadsticks. Of course, that was easier when we lived in Alabama. :)
If you're ever in Fort Worth, you should check out Chapps. It's our favorite here.
I've taken a year off my life eating at Brooksie's Barn in Jackson....wow, that was good! Great fried chicken and great BBQ. The only negative is having to look at the picture of Wink Martingdale on every wall of the place...haha!
Another in Jackson, TN, is Casey Jones Village (buffet).
When in Dexter, Missouri, you MUST go to Fiddler's. It is a catfish house that is amazing!
WOW, I read your Blog at 11:00 and I was at McDougal's at 12:00.
The Chicken was good but the Sauces were GREAT! I have to agree with the Gold, kind of Hot Wingish but not too strong to take away from the chicken. The Honey Mustard is also very good.
I have never listed them in order but a few places that I can't pass by without stopping.
My Favorite Catfish place is River Heights in Crump Tn (across the river from Savannah).
If we go to Freed, we have to stop at the little BBQ place there on Hwy 100 (I forgot the name).
Lamberts - They have 4 restaurants so I don't think I would consider it a "Chain". we like the one in Foley Al. and stop in anytime we are in the area. Great food, fun atmosphere but don't leave without buying a can of Molasses (or 3) to carry back home with you.
And now I guess McDougals is on the list for a top Chicken place (as long as you can find a place to park).
I talked to the guy working there and he was telling about how they opened one up in Cool Springs. I told him I was from Spring Hill and he said that Spring Hill and Murfreesboro were there next to locations to open in. I can't wait.
Thanks for the recommendation Dale. I will be sure to check out the other ones when I am in the area.
Dale,
Think the number one was at the Big Spring park area... Its just so good still and I agree it is dangerous to eat there. smile
Wonderful memories there in our family. ottis use to send me for hamburgers when ever they arrived from Chicago Area. Just down the street now is Blue Plate Diner. they only have breakfast and lunch and get there early for a parking spot. Mullins still has double Colas too.
I am glad to hear that KFC taste different in places... It is just not what I remembered in our area any more.
Enjoy your blog,Cuz.
later, Brenda
Dale,
You are so right about the unknown eating places being the best. I think you should organize a "Restoration Restaurant Tour."
I've been to Brookie's Barn and fully agree. However, you UNDER-ESTIMATED "Big Springs #2." There is no burger place anywhere that even comes close to it.
Now if you are interested, here's the full story about Big Springs # ONE. It's been around for 80 years! That should say something about what a great burger place.
City's No. 1 greasy spoon plans to move
Posted by Mike Kaylor March 13, 2008 8:45 AM
Categories: Dining
Michael Mercier / Huntsville Times
A chili dog, hamburger with cheese, fries and Double Cola are standard fare at Big Spring Cafe.Call it a slice of Americana. Consider it a piece of local history. For most of the last 80 years, it has been Huntsville's No. 1 greasy spoon.
Big Spring Cafe is a landmark, although most drivers along Governors Drive never notice it. Sandwiched between a bait shop and a meat market, Big Spring is as much a culture as it is a restaurant.
Many of its customers come from the blue-collar, southwest Huntsville neighborhoods that surround it. Yet, businessmen and professionals from all over town admit an occasional craving for the cafe's self-proclaimed "greasy burger." The $4.40 bacon-and-egg breakfast and $1 burger with mustard and onions are daily sustenance for some customers. For special diets, oatmeal is $1.85 per bowl.
The restaurant is family owned and operated, and many of its regulars feel like members of the clan. Big Spring even has its own language for ordering. Those $1 burgers on square buns are called hamburgers. Add cheese to it for 35 cents, and it's called a "hamburger with cheese." It is dressed with onions and mustard. Anyone ordering a cheeseburger gets a larger round bun with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. It costs $1.45.
Big Spring Cafe serves hot dogs for $1.25 with either slaw or chili. That no-bean chili is homemade each day and also served by the bowl for $1.80. Another lesson in language is needed for ordering chili or the restaurant's Brunswick stew costing $2.10 a bowl. Many customer prefer the two mixed calling it "half and half," and some even like a bit more chili, which makes it "60-40." Give yourself two or three visits to become fluent.
Pam Milam operates Big Spring Cafe the way her mother and father, Doris and Howard Cowley, did before her and the way her aunt, Hazel Beene, ran it before them. Beene had bought it in 1946 from Troy Baucom. The original Big Spring Cafe was next to the downtown fountain in a boxcar. As businesses began leaving downtown, this Governors Drive location opened in 1970s that would be called Big Spring No. 2 for many years. The Cowleys took over in 1972, and their daughter became owner in 1992. The building shows its age with strips of duct tape over the faded paneling. Milam says it has about all of the "Band-Aids" it can take, and she has bought land to build a new Big Spring Cafe farther west on Governors Drive. The plans replicate the inside of the existing diner.
No need to rush, though, to experience this bit of Huntsville history. The new cafe is probably a year or so down the road.
DINNER TALK
What would you order if you came back to this restaurant?
From left:
Luke Swanson: "I would order a double cheeseburger and a hot dog. The hamburger (single) was good, but small. The cheeseburger tasted good - good flavor and greasy."
John Sebghati: "I would get a double burger the next time I came. I'd call this a small, rustic hot dog and burger joint - good for a cheap meal."
Neil Sutherland: "When I come back, I plan to order two cheeseburgers and the half chili-half stew. They were crowded and could use some more seating. However, the small room and the barstools add to the atmosphere."
James R. Currie Jr.: "I would order the half and half with a burger, hot dog, fries, onion rings and dental floss. Oh, and a Double Cola."
IN 1 BITE
Big Spring Cafe
2906 Governors Drive
539-9994
Hours: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Alcohol: No
Smoking: No
Typical entre price: $3 to $5
Ambience: Traditional greasy spoon
Dale,
You know I am dieting and don't need to be reading such things. I may have to boycott your blog for a while:-). I have tried the KFC at Hamilton and it is fine. Also, Brooksies was great. Here are my 5 and I may list this on my blog with more comments.
1)Dale's Southern Grill in Birmingham(I know you must love this one)
2)Big Bob Gibson in Decatur- the bbq
3)Fish Market in Birmingham(My all time favorite.)the fish- most any kind-
4)Niki's West- Bham-the vegetables.
5)GW's Steakhouse in Hueytown-Bacon cheesburger(formerly the Iceberg which was a haunt of all the Nascar guys.)
Pattie's is WONDERFUL!!!! You really do have to get the pork chops or you might as well stay home. The Flower pot bread is great as well. Of course, (I am sure you know this) reservations are a good idea and you should try to go at least once during Christmas. It is unbelievable!!!!
dale,
you never know how much you miss dinelli's until you leave. i eat there at least once when i come back to hamilton. there is nothing better than eating there during christmas, you cannot eat for talking to people you haven't seen in a long time.
five that come to mind:
5. dinelli's
4. dreamland (even though it is getting to be a chain) or randevous
3. hot and hot in bham, pricy but excellent
2. city cafe, northport
1. original oyster house, gulf shores
That was an awesome post. I will try to give you five when I can. Does it count if they don't exist anymore? Oh yeah, I have been to Patti's several times and Brooksies' several times.
ahhh...McDougal's...hey-isn't that the place where a couple of us met for lunch last summer and the meal ended with you and scott throwing your drinks on each other?
Dale some additional considerations: Maniacs in Cool Springs, the closest thing to Houstons' Chicken Tenders. Martins Bar B Que in Nolensville featuring the Red Neck Taco, Bar be que on corn cake with cole slaw and real homestyle fries.
In Tulsa Oklahoma: Goldies Patio Grill and Claude's Hamburger. In Alliance Ohio, Mike's Cheeseburger Charleys and in Nashville, the Best Burger in town: Brown's Diner. The Best BBQ sandwich in the world is in the Memphis area: Jim Neeley's Interstate BBQ.
But the best Burger around in grilled by Bayron Binkley.
I STILL love dinelli's!! Don't get there much anymore! Glad you found my blog! Hope you all are well!
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