It had been a few weeks since my friend and big-time Meat and Three
fan, Randy Fought, and I had gotten together for lunch, so we decided
to cruise up Highway 41 (Springfield Highway) to Greenbrier, Tennessee
and check out
Amy‘s Café [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/amyscafe/].
Right along the Highway,
Amy’s Café is quite convenient for
anyone living in the area as well as for travelers going north or
south, to or from Nashville and Springfield. This one reminds me of the
diners/restaurants that I remember from childhood days in small towns
across the South. There is a cash register and counter on your left as
you enter, a kitchen area to the left and beyond, and a wide open space
with a good number of tables and chairs. The room is not too fancy, but
includes somewhat country-style decorations on tan walls, with pictures and
shelves and lamps on the walls. The ever-popular white boards, on two
walls, list the daily featured meat, veggies and desserts.
Our waitress, a very nice and friendly lady, wore an East Robertson
County school shirt and mentioned in our conversation that she drove a
long way to work. My bet is that she enjoys her work and doesn’t mind
the drive, as evidenced by her positive attitude and ready smile. I
noticed that all the waitresses stayed busy, and some other staff
members appeared to assist customers, as needed.
Randy opted for a chicken salad and sweet tea. The meat choices were
fried chicken and goulash, with a good number of veggies. Not really in
the mood for goulash, I chose the fried chicken and added some mashed
potatoes, lima beans and cornbread. If you read my last article, you
know that I like those lima beans, and I seem to be choosing them every
time I go somewhere. I guess I will tire of them some day, but I sure
hope not. Randy finished his meal off with a piece of Boston Crème Pie
- dessert was not in the cards today for me.
It was about 11:50 when we arrived, and
Amy’s Café was just
about full. It stayed that way until 12:40 or so, with a pretty steady
stream of folks coming and going. There were quite a number of guys,
some dressed in heavy construction overalls due to the cold weather,
some hunters and other various blue collar folks. There also seemed to
be a substantial group of regulars, probably local people - couples and
mothers and daughters and others that come in pretty often. It should
be noted that
Amy’s Café does allow smoking and there were quite a few smokers there. The restaurant does have two
of those circular smoker-type fans at ceiling level and some air
filters, but the dining area is one
large room, so there is no separate section for smokers and non-smokers.
One interesting note about the area: Greenbrier is just north of
Ridgetop, site of the
Bakers Hill Tunnel,
a 4700-foot railroad tunnel which was said to be the longest tunnel in
the South and the longest self-supporting tunnel in the world. I am not
sure if both of those claims are still valid today, but it is
interesting. I lived in this area almost 10 years without knowing about
this tunnel (drove over it many, many times) and I suspect many have
never heard of it.
Read an account of the history regarding the building of this tunnel, written in 1911.
Do you have a story or some history about Amy’s Café? If so, enter a
“Comment” below or send an email to
phil@meatandthree.com. You can also
let me know about any Meat and Three restaurant that is not on the
MEATandTHREE.com site, or mention any other related items to me via email. Thanks!
Now, get out there and eat at a Meat and Three ... today!
Phil Roberson (MN3 guy)
