It’s been one of those crazy busy weeks, with several projects going on
at once, some late nights, and too little time to get everything done.
Add in a Switchfoot concert last evening with two of my kids and two of
my daughter‘s friends (another late night), and a man needs a little
dose of some of that great Southern Comfort Food found at a Meat and
Three.
Fortunately, I live in an area overflowing with Meat and Three’s -
there are at least 15 of them within a 10-mile radius of my home, not
counting the many, many other ones in Nashville proper. The closest one
is
Cal’s Country Kitchen [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/calscountrykitchen/],
which my family and I have been to many times. Carol has this place
running at full speed for the lunch crowd of regulars that like to
visit “
Madison’s Best-Kept Secret” to dine in or carry out a plate. Cal's is not fancy - just an old white house that has
been converted into a dining room with about 15 tables, a drink cooler,
and a small steam table. The small board on the wall behind the cash
register tells you what additional offerings are available “in the
back”. You don’t want to neglect that board as you become consumed with
the items right in front of you, because there are some real gems back
there.
With not much time today, Chris and I popped in to Cal’s for a quick
lunch. Chris had his Cal’s favorites: macaroni and cheese and
mashed potatoes. I opted for the same thing I usually get: chicken and
dressing with gravy and cranberry sauce, with sides of fried okra and
green beans, cornbread, and sweet tea.
Now, back at the house and the computer, I am reminded of the first
time my kids went to Cal’s a few years ago. I had already been to Cal’s
a few times with some co-workers and my wife, Jeanie. However, my
suggestion to try Cal’s for Sunday lunch had been met with resistance a
couple of times by the kids. I pressed the issue, though, and probably
bribed the kids to try it this once. A funny thing happened: they loved
it. They really loved it! So much so that we went to Cal’s four or five
weeks in a row, brought several of their friends with us, and their friends
loved it, too.
Having grown up under the influence of a mother and father who,
themselves, had grown up with parents and grandparents who are
excellent Southern cooks, Cal’s was like coming home to the
grandparents’ house for a holiday meal. They just couldn’t get enough
of it. It was funny to see how they responded.
Now that I spend more time checking out other Meat and Three’s, we
don’t get by there as much as we used to, but Cal's is so familiar that it
really is like coming home. You should go there soon yourself!
Now, for a shameless plug. Don’t read any further if you’re not into music. The
Switchfoot concert was a great show. We had seen them once before on an outdoor stage at the
Memphis Mid-South Fair
last year, and I thought that was a very good concert, held under the
stars on a beautiful, slightly cool fall night. This one was held at
City Hall in Nashville (originally scheduled for the War Memorial
Auditorium), which provided a more personal and up-close experience
watching those guys play and sing. If you get a chance to see them, you
really should go - especially as a family outing. There were some young kids there
and middle-agers like me as well as some folks with a bit more of a
certain color in their hair than I have. Switchfoot is a tight band
musically and they are very entertaining because they seem to try to
relate to the audience personally, playing a great blend of their old
and new songs, featuring an interesting light show, and bringing a lot
of energy to their songs. The lead singer, John, even walked out into
the audience during one song and sang another one while standing on a
chair in the midst of spell-bound fans. The song lyrics are positive
and fairly thought-provoking, as well. Check ‘em out further if you
don’t know much about them.
Thanks again for checking out this blog. I am glad you stopped by.
