When "several" people tell me about a great Meat & Three to check
out, I will do my best to find a way -- even coming up with a
hair-brained idea to “justify” a visit. One of those ideas came to
mind on Thursday and it just so happened that a trip to
Miller’s
Grocery [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/millersgrocery/] in Christiana,
Tennessee fit into the plan yesterday. More about the “idea” in a few
days.
Christiana is not exactly a convenient spot for lunch from Madison … it’s over
50 miles of inconvenience, in fact, unless the meal and the experience
is worth the drive. I had been told that the drive would be worth it
and I would have to agree, now that I have been there myself. This is
not about fine dining in a fancy restaurant for a stuffed-shirt
experience, but anyone from any background should be comfortable here.
It is another of those “old school” places that takes you back to an
earlier day. It has history and it has stories, and that is my kind of
place.
Miller’s Grocery was a country store for many years and was changed
over to a restaurant in the mid 1990’s. Christiana is right off Highway
231, about 10 miles directly south of Murfreesboro on the way to
Shelbyville. The town previously had a “train depot, a 3-story hotel, a
bank, a telephone office, a pencil factory, a blacksmith, and several
small shops” (per Miller’s Grocery brochure). While I was eating lunch,
a train blew through town just on the other side of the road, bringing
back memories of the train track that was directly behind my
grandfather’s house and ponds in Alabama, and down the street from an old store.
Sitting in a “Meat and Three” on a Friday in Tennessee, you have to
expect that I am going to be eating catfish. This Friday was no
exception. Learning to love lima beans somewhere on my journey as an
adult, I chose them along with black-eyed peas from the long list of
available vegetables. Corn bread and sweet tea, of course, rounded out
the meal, but don’t ask me about the carrot cake because I will not
admit to going there.
There were several large parties - a couple of women’s groups and a
group of regulars who were having a really good time. There is a lot to
observe at
Miller’s Grocery - an outside bench with old guys smoking
and telling stories, probably the original wood floors inside,
antiques and historical items and photos on the walls and shelves,
furniture, a hanging quilt, different chairs at each table, an old red
light in the corner, display bay windows (one that still featured Christmas
decorations) on either side of the two old front entry doors, lots of
desserts just sitting there on the counter looking good, etc. It’s sort
of a Cracker Barrel motif, but better because it seems more real and
more authentic, and it’s in a real old country store, after all.
Country music was playing in the background, and I understand they have
live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Outside, there is plenty of parking to the right, some on the left and
some across the street in front. The Christiana Post Office is diagonally
across from Miller’s, just in case you need to mail a post card or a
package to your brother in Kalamazoo while you are there. An antique
store is down the street, too, but don’t let that cause you to miss a
meal at Miller’s Grocery. As it was told to me, I say to you … take
some time to cruise down to Miller’s Grocery for lunch or dinner or the
Sunday Buffet. You won’t regret it. Some have said it is the best Meat
and Three in Middle Tennessee [
http://historyblog.meatandthree.com/2006/12/13/added-millers-grocery-in-christiana-tn.aspx].
You should probably call ahead if you have a large group.
Let me hear from you. Either enter a “Comment” about this article, or
shoot me a story or some history or pictures of one of your favorite
Meat and Three restaurants. You can email me at
phil@meatandthree.com.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog so you can be notified of
new entries (see left side of any page toward the bottom).
Stay tuned for a “view” of Middle Tennessee Meat and Threes!
Phil Roberson (MN3 guy)
