A new player has emerged in the Hendersonville, Tennessee dining arena
-
Joe’s Place Family Restaurant [http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/joesplace/index.html]. And, the name tells the story. The
restaurant is owned by Joe Allen, and it is truly a family
restaurant. The name and ownership is new, although the location has
housed previous restaurants in the past - the
former Stop 30 BBQ restaurant [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/stop30/index.html], now in White House, and most recently, this is where Jaybird’s made its home until a few weeks ago.
Yesterday, my son and I took a little drive up to Hendersonville for a
late lunch. I had heard that Jaybird’s had closed and a new place had
opened up in that spot. As often as possible, I like to visit a new
Meat and Three as close to the opening date as possible. We were
only a week late on this one, as it opened on Monday, October 9, 2006.
Having been to Jaybird’s before, I noticed a few small changes to the
décor. I recognized the waitresses, Jenny and Tammy, and talked with
them a bit - they were with the previous owners. Since we were there
after the lunch rush, and the crowd had died down a bit, I was
fortunate to be able to spend some time with several staff members,
including Joe Allen and his son, Gordon. This is the first hit at
running a restaurant for Joe, but has been something he has talked
about for years. He already knew what he liked and what he wanted
to do, having spent many years on the other side of the table. When the
space became available, Joe gathered his resources and family together
and was able to quickly turn this place into his first Meat and Three
venture.
The 30 minutes or so we spent with “Mama Maria”, as everyone calls her,
was a lot of fun. Mama Maria is a well-known cook in these parts. Her
early years were spent in her large family, where she learned to cook
on a grand scale. Becoming a professional cook and manager was a
natural progression for her. She has spent considerable time at some of
the other Meat and Three’s and other restaurants in the area over the
years, and seems to have a knack for assembling a band of followers. As
we talked, I found that she knows quite a few celebrities (who know and
love her cooking) and lots of regular folk, as well as some of my
personal friends (whom I promptly notified of her whereabouts).
Mama Maria prides herself in using real ingredients, choosing to make
the home-style, country cooking recipes like you probably remember your
mom or grandmother making. I overheard them talking about peeling
potatoes and chopping lots of onions, etc., and my mashed potatoes were,
indeed, the real thing. She also creates her own take on desserts - I
admit I had some samples (not telling how many) and I can assure you I
will be going back. The banana pudding was a real hit with my
11-year-old son.
With old family pictures on the walls of the blue entry dining room and
additional yellow dining room, seasonal decorations throughout, a
friendly staff, plenty of parking, and great home-cooked meals, Joe’s Place has the right
recipe for making this new venture a success. We wish you the
best! Welcome to the Meat and Three world, Joe.
