Ever heard of or been to Maisie’s [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/maisies/] in the Village in
Old Hickory, Tennessee?
I’ve been there quite a number of times over the last couple of years.
Yesterday, my son and I made a Monday visit to see what was on the
menu. Chris went the vegetable route, getting mashed potatoes, macaroni
and cheese, and green beans - he cleared his plate. I had never ordered
the meatloaf, so it sounded like a good idea, and I rounded out my
plate with lima beans and squash. A round cornbread cake or a roll is
offered with each plate. If you have read any of my other posts, you
know that I had to have some sweet tea. We also shared a bowl of some
banana pudding.
Maisie’s was recently shown on the Nashville Public Television station’s program,
Tennessee Crossroads.
I missed that show, unfortunately, but have plenty of experience
enjoying Susan Lamb’s down-home cooking for lunch and for breakfast a
few times, as well. Like so many other Meat and Three’, Maisie’s is
fairly small, and consists of only 9 or 10 tables, and the kitchen area
is right there just on the other side of the register counter and steam
table.
The decorations at Maisie’s are interesting - as interesting as some of
the people you meet there. For example, sitting at table next to us, my
son and I met a lady (Patty Cook from Antioch) who had seen the
Crossroads show, was out on some errands, and found herself in the
Village trying out Maisie’s. She and her husband like to find
out-of-the-way places to eat, not just Meat and Three’s always, and she
said Maisie’s just sounded good. I think she liked it. Funny thing, too
- she saw a cousin she had not seen in quite a while, right there at
Maisie’s. Patty also gave me some tips on some other Meat and Three’s
that I should check out, and I shared a few ones with her, as well.
Back to the decorations. This former Dairy Dip-type establishment has
laminated place mats that are decorated from local school kids and
placed on paper tablecloths. On two sides of the building, there are
aprons hanging in the windows, which I had never seen before. From the
green ceiling and tile floors, to the red trim and the white walls, and
the knick-knacks hanging on the walls and in various places, Maisie’s
has a friendly feeling about it. Maybe it has something to do with
Susan herself and Mary, her side-kick who diligently tends to each
customer with a smile and knows how to make you feel like you’ve known
her for years. There are a lot of folks who are regulars, and Susan and
Mary seem to have a genuine interest in them and their families, etc. I
heard Mary say to another customer who had just come in, that she was
“just chatting with customers” when asked how she was. That is part of
the appeal of Maisie’s and many of the best Meat and Three’s that one
can experience all across the U.S. Personal service from friendly
people like you used to experience, nothing fancy, and a good value for
your hard-earned dollars.
Take a little time and drive out to the Village area of Old Hickory.
It’s an interesting place with a lot of history tied in to DuPont, and
the many houses and supporting buildings that came about as a “planned
company town” in the early 1900’s. See the following link for more
history regarding the Village:
http://www.oldhickorychamber.org/about_old_hickory/history.html
Make sure that Maisie’s is a part of your time in the Village.
