When you have kids, and your kids start getting a little older, it seems to get tougher and tougher to arrange time to do something with each one of them by themselves. So, when one of those opportunities presents itself, it’s wise to make the most of it. I got that chance a few days ago when my 16-year-old daughter was available, and willing, to take a little trip with me up to
Gallatin, Tennessee. I was aware there might be at least a couple of Meat and Threes that were not on the
MEATandTHREE.com site, so I wanted to check them out, grab some lunch, and enjoy the privilege of one-on-one time with my daughter.
We got out of the starting block a little late on Friday and were quite ready to eat, so we stopped in at
Judy’s City Café [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/citycafegallatin/] on South Water Avenue at about 1:30. That’s living dangerously in the Meat-and-Three world sometimes, as many of them close for lunch at 2:00 and/or can run out of food by that time. We were close on both fronts, but this City Cafe still had a good selection, although several items were “sold out”. You know what I am going to say next, don’t you, since it was Friday! I ordered catfish … and black-eyed peas, fried okra, corn bread and sweet tea. Kelley had catfish, as well, but chose mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and lemonade.
The restaurant had the usual crowd of senior adults, couples and friends, and some “casual Friday” office folks, along with one businessman dressed in a starched white shirt and tie. Several of the folks in the restaurant, still half-full at this time, were known by the four waitresses. The wide open room made it easy to keep tabs on everyone. It’s located in one of the shopping plazas (South Gate, I believe) that has given rise to so many Meat and Three establishments out there. The large glass front windows, tile entry, carpeting, and mix of booths and tables, with the kitchen and prep area in the back, make it easy to come in, find a seat, and get down to business.
One wall contained a nice military section, with an American flag and pictures and photos of some of the
real heroes in this country - this was nice to see. Another wall featured some
Tennessee Titans memorabilia and the remainder consisted of various decorations, plants, mirrors and photos.
We had several stops to make, so we did not really linger too long at Judy’s, but long enough to discover a place that likely keeps pretty busy much of the time. You should check out
Judy's City Cafe if you are in the neighborhood. The Gallatin area is really booming, with a ton of building going on, so now is the time … before the crowds really hit. There are at least six actual Meat and Threes in a close radius of downtown Gallatin, and there may be more that I am not aware of yet in the area. Keep a sharp eye out for a shot or two of these six Meat and Threes, and more, in upcoming future blog postings!
Take some time now to relate your experience or knowledge about
Judy’s City Café or any other Meat and Three. Enter a “Comment” below or send me an
email
to help build the online story of these great dining places.
Happy Friday!
Phil Roberson (MN3 guy)
