I guess you could say it's "all in the family"...
Since the early seventies, a lady named Opal Kittrell operated a popular dining establishment in East Nashville called the
Knife and Fork Restaurant. Located on Gallatin Road, “the place where the locals eat” satisfied many regular customers over the years with great southern comfort food. Family friends of mine ate there many times over the years and, like many, recruited other folks along with them to enjoy the food and the friendliness of the staff (my parents included).
A few weeks ago, Opal retired, having sold the restaurant to the owner of a couple of other meat-and-threes in the Nashville area, under the
Sylvan Park name (more about them in another post). At about the same time as Miss Opal’s retirement (actually, a few weeks earlier), her daughter, Michelle, opened a meat and three restaurant in Madison, in the spot formerly housed by the
B&B Cafe [
http://historyblog.meatandthree.com/2006/11/17/bb-cafe-in-madison-tn-is-closed.aspx].
The
K & F Cafe [
http://www.meatandthree.com/tn/kandfcafe/index.html], located right in the heart of Madison on Gallatin Road, a few doors down from the popular Berry’s Pawn store, underwent a pretty extensive renovation of the space before opening, with fresh paint (cream color scheme) throughout the dining area, new interior elements, new tile on the floors, and all new furniture. It features a much better, cleaner appearance than the outdated B&B Cafe had maintained the last few years that it was open.
On my visit to the
K & F Cafe several days ago, I enjoyed the company of my mother again for a half-pleasure, half-business meeting. We got there fairly late on the lunch hour and, unfortunately, did not have a ton of time to talk with Michelle about the business, but discovered we have some mutual friends via the Knife and Fork. We did have a very nice chat with our waitress who was very friendly and attentive. There already seemed to be a few "regulars"; one in particular sounded like he had been coming every day, and alread had his favorite spot.
Upon entering the
K & F Cafe, the white board set on an easel notifies you of the day’s specials, which may include items such as meatloaf, country style steak, franks and kraut, mac-n-cheese, turnip greens, cabbage, etc. The menu consists of items that are carried every day, and the regular price includes a meat and two veggies. Three-or-four vegetables plates are available as well as “a la carte” veggies and a variety of desserts. Sandwiches, salads, and other specialty items are also available. Breakfast is served until 11:00 am. Monday is the only day the restaurant is not open. On our Friday, May 4th visit, Mom’s choices consisted of salmon patties with sauce, fresh turnip greens, fresh cabbage and a drink. I opted for the catfish with tartar sauce, potato salad, yams, corn bread and some sweet tea.
Even though smoking is allowed in the
K & F Cafe, as it was at the B&B Café in years past, the new special ceiling fans did a nice job of keeping the smoke at a bare minimum and was barely noticeable. I think that if any of Miss Opal’s ability to attract regular visitors for an extended time has rubbed off on her daughter, and consistent interest and satisfaction of customers’ dining desires is maintained, good things are in store for Madison diners. I would also venture to guess that, as the word gets out about who is running the
K & F Cafe, it won’t just be Madison residents who will be among the regulars. Based on my experience, it is worth giving this new place a try. Give them a call today to check what daily specials are available (615-868-9288).
Blessings,
Phil (mn3guy)
