It has been a while since I have been to
Springfield, Tennessee, north of
Nashville, to visit the cheap theater that is located just off the
square. Over the years, my wife and I have taken the kids there to see
many first-run movies, created some fun memories, and have saved a lot
of money in the process. Having taken the back road to get there most
of the time, we have not spent much time checking out the square. I
recently received a reminder, however, that there was a Meat and Three
on the square and decided to visit the
Court House Café [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/courthousecafe/index.html] for lunch yesterday.
My traveling partner was, again, my son, Chris. He is home-schooled, so
his schedule of class work can be quite flexible. His teacher, my wife,
has her Doctorate in Education from
Peabody at Vanderbilt,
so she keeps him on his toes, especially when I request that my partner
ride shotgun with me on one of my treks. We arrived on the square about
12:50, doubled back around to get the only parking space, and strode
in. The Café was about half-full and we were able to secure a quick
table.
One of the first things we noticed were the glass sugar containers that
you used to see on tables at most restaurants in times past. My son
asked what was in those containers - he had never seen one, and it had
been a long time since I remember seeing one myself. The Café had
typical Meat and Three furnishings, nothing too fancy - a mix of yellow
booths, and black tables with red chairs. The floors were striking - a
black and white checkered pattern, and I believe I even saw some tire
marks on the floor across the room. Another neat feature was the
counter where you pay, which consisted of 3 racing tires stacked on top
of each other, on each side, with a couple of levels of glass sheets to
form the countertop and a shelf.
The Court House Café is owned by
Bobby
Hamilton, Jr. ... yes, that Bobby Hamilton, Jr., of racing fame. I did not get exact details of the time frame, but
Bobby took over the Café at some point in the past few years, and
expanded it about a year or so ago. There were two waitresses I talked
with, Heather and Bonnie, and I found out from another staff member
that the cooks are all part of the same family, which is a typical of
many Meat and Three’s.
There is ample room to serve a pretty large group of folks each day.
The gray-painted walls of the Café are filled with racing and
racing-related photos, the menus are full of racing jargon, and there
is Bobby Hamilton merchandise for sale - you can’t miss the racing
influence. Being on the square, this storefront has lots of windows so
there is a lot of light, while some of the interior walls consist of
the exposed brick from years ago, I am sure. Besides the regular menu
offerings, there are a couple of white boards which show the daily
specials consisting of meats, vegetables and desserts. Chris and I both
ordered the chicken and dumplings. He had the kids order with mashed
potatoes and a roll, while I selected a Meat and 2 with green beans,
pinto beans, cornbread and sweet tea to round out the lunch. We were
both too satisfied (translated, full) to try any of the red velvet cake
dessert, but it sure sounded good.
While eating, we were treated to a first-hand look at the
Robertson County Courthouse’s preservation project
across the street, which is slated to be completed early next year. The
very large crane and the high scaffolding made for some interesting
discussion and speculation with Chris, listening to his youthful,
energetic viewpoint. There seemed to be a lot of activity and a lot of
traffic around the square, so maybe this Café will continue to serve
the community in this great location for years to come. Give the Court
House Café a try for yourself. And, if you know some prior history of
the Court House Café, make sure you let us know.
