S. Florida - Nashville, TN trip

Well, we finally made it home from our Nashville trip. We went up there to see family but also to compete in the Lock 4 Blast Xterra Triathlon. Family is always great to see and we won our class in the Xterra, but the Roadfood stops were where all the action was in my book!

As you may recall, we were traveling with out 2 year old son Tommy which made things interesting. Every stop had to be "family friendly". Here is where we went;

Lane Packing Company (Ft. Valley, GA)- this place is seriously AWESOME!! They are known for their GA Peaches and not only do you get a free tour of the plant, but you can buy peaches that are immediately off the tree. In addition, you can have breakfast and lunch but we opted for Peach Cobbler with Peach ice cream. For those of you who have little ones, there is a play ground and a few trackers for them to play on. Also, dog people will love this place too because there are many open fields for dogs to play. We stopped at Lanes on the way up to TN as well as on our way home. We loaded up with peach perserves, peach BBQ sauce, peach salsa and tons of plain old peaches. Can't wait to go back!!!!!

Harold's Barbeque (Atlanta, GA) - Everyone knows of this place because of their history of good BBQ. I have never been to Harold's and always wanted to go.....WOW!!!.....WHAT A MISTAKE!!! This place was simply AWEFUL AWEFUL AWEFUL!!! First off, it is located in a very bad neighborhood which does not bother me because it adds character in my book. But when I entered the place and saw two (2) policemen on duty there with no one at all in the joint, I became concerned. Again, no biggie. Let's just eat! I ordered the BBQ ribs. They were very dry with no meat at all. They also smelled rotten....YUCK!! My wife ordered the BBQ Pork sandwich wich was a joke! It was two slices of white bread with a VERY little bit of chopped pork inside and 4 pickles. In other words, it was a pickle sandwich with a little chopped pork sprinkled on top. Terrible taste too! My mother-in-law order the Bruswick Stew is it was just plain BAD! The service was terrible and the staff was not very nice! Personally, I don't want to talk about this place anymore. It makes me mad that I waisted gas driving to this Hell Hole. DON'T GO THERE, people!!!!

The Varsity (Atlanta, GA) - Always a stop for our family when we drive through Atlanta. We always get F.O.s and they are always good. Occasionally Chili Dogs as well but not this time. Always a fun stop. Tommy (my son) loves the action in there too!

Swett's (Nashville, TN) - WOW was this place a dream come true!! Located in a tough part of Nashville, we were pleased to see so many people eating there. Once we went through the cafeteria-style line and started eating, we immediately knew why! Everyone was SO NICE at Swett's and we even were visited by Mr. Swett himself who asked if our trip from FL to Swett's was worth it. Turns out that he saw our license plate in the parking lot. The fried chicken is some of the best I have ever tasted! And the blackberry cobbler is to die for! Cornbread, turnip greens, mac-n-cheese, green beans, corn and baked beans were all 100% Top shelf! Again, can't wait to go back!!

Pancake Pantry (Nashville, TN) - The day we were planning to leave, we woke up and made our first stop at PP on the way home. We got there somewhat early (8:30 am) and it was only about half-full. The staff were super friendly and the food was outta-this-world good! I order the Carribean Pancakes which consisted of 3 Buttermilk Pancakes with coconut shavings, bananas, strawberries and pecans. The coffee was very good and the OJ was very freshly squeezed. There were a lot of kids in this place and Tommy loved it. When we left at about 9:30, there was a 30+ person line out the door. Simply a great meal and experience and we can't wait to go back!!

Nikki's Drive Inn (Chattanooga, TN) - This place came to us from "MellowRoast" here on the forums who immediately got our attention when he mentioned Route 66. Any true car person will perk up when someone says Route 66. Anyways, our GPS took us right to the (extremely cute) front door of Nikki's. Once we saw Nikki's we knew we were in for a treat! I had just spent the day mountain biking over 20 miles on Raccoon Mountain and was STARVING! When I walked in, one of the waitresses walked by with a heaping pile of onion rings. Then another waked by with a double cheeseburger. I nearly fainted on the spot. That was exactly what I was dreaming about while I was deep in the woods earlier. That, combined with a chocolate shake and a coke could not get any better to me at the moment. In fact, I could hear MellowRoast saying "See, I told ya so!" in my head. Not only did Nikki's serve it up fast but their food was fan-freakin'-tastic! What a find and I owe it ALL to MellowRoast. Thanks buddy! You've made our A-list! Can't wait to go back!

Old South BBQ House (Valdosta, GA) - We came across this place by accident while we were filling up with gas. We were hungry for BBQ and found this place on our GPS. When we drove up to it, it reminded me of the GA Pig in Brunswick, GA. A little shack just off the highway covered in BBQ smoke. This place is owned by an older couple and their menu is real simple. My wife ordered the smoked sausage and I got the Big BBQ Pork Sandwich. Both were very very good but I have to say that their BBQ Pork Sandwich combined with their BQ sause (homemade) was simply the best I have ever had (and I've had a ton). The owners came out to talk to us and were very pleasant. Their sweet tea was just the thing to hit the spot while driving on a hot summer day. Complete luck but what a way to end our trip. Can't wait to go back!!

Sorry no pictures but I like to think I am old fashioned and make you all use your imaginations when thinking about these places. If you've been to any of these places, then you know....

Don't Lift!
Rich

quote:

Originally posted by Bluemaxx
Harold's Barbeque (Atlanta, GA) - Everyone knows of this place because of their history of good BBQ. I have never been to Harold's and always wanted to go.....WOW!!!.....WHAT A MISTAKE!!! This place was simply AWEFUL AWEFUL AWEFUL!!! First off, it is located in a very bad neighborhood which does not bother me because it adds character in my book. But when I entered the place and saw two (2) policemen on duty there with no one at all in the joint, I became concerned. Again, no biggie. Let's just eat! I ordered the BBQ ribs. They were very dry with no meat at all. They also smelled rotten....YUCK!! My wife ordered the BBQ Pork sandwich wich was a joke! It was two slices of white bread with a VERY little bit of chopped pork inside and 4 pickles. In other words, it was a pickle sandwich with a little chopped pork sprinkled on top. Terrible taste too! My mother-in-law order the Bruswick Stew is it was just plain BAD! The service was terrible and the staff was not very nice! Personally, I don't want to talk about this place anymore. It makes me mad that I waisted gas driving to this Hell Hole. DON'T GO THERE, people!!!!

Buffetbuster and I warned you about Harolds. You described it exactly as I remembered it, however I thought the Brunswick Stew was good...

You now have me convinced that your experience at Harolds was NOT an isolated incident (sorry Ort, nothing can convince me otherwise)

WJ - yes, you definitely warned me and you were EXACTLY right!! I am wondering if they have new owners???

Great descriptions, Bluemaxx.... and I just used my imagination like you said to do! (and you've got my imagination in overload now!)
Sorry to hear about awful Harolds BBQ.... I like the way you HIGHLIGHTED the word AWFUL. (and other key words) That place sound disgraceful. (sounds like they are definitely "resting on their laurels"!) Being served old food by nasty servers, who needs that , right?!?
I will definitely not be trying that Harolds. I'll stick to the other Harolds, the Harolds Deli in NJ
(no relation, thank goodness)

I believe we did Swett's on the Nashville Roadfood tour... it may have been about the last stop.
(I'll have to review my pics; I believe I had their baked chicken, but did'nt eat too much of it, as I was too full already)

No HOT CHICKEN for you in Nashville?
No LOVELESS Cafe?
This will just give you even more reasons to be excited about going back....in addition to spending time with Erin's family.

Wow; a 20 mile mountain biking ride, followed by a cheeseburger and a choc. shake!
I would say that you definitely earned that choc. shake!
I did about a one mile powerwalk tonight (barely).

Thanks for getting back to us so quickly. And glad Tommy enjoyed his pancakes!

Glad to hear you liked Swett's, as my wife and I loved it last fall. She said her fried chicken edged out the Loveless chicken ( not that it was anything less than fantastic, though.)

Bluemaxx-
Thank you for the very descriptive report of your eating adventures. Even though my experience at Harold's BBQ was also really bad, I was hoping you would have had better luck. It is a shame to see a longtime Roadfood place like this struggling.

I couldn't be happier that you enjoyed Pancake Pantry as much as you did, since it is my favorite breakfast place in the country. I'm just shocked that it was only half full at 8:30AM. Consider yourself lucky, my friend!

Although I prefer Arnold's Country Kitchen over Swett's (and Sylvan Park), I still remember just how good that mac & cheese, green beans & cobbler were.

Bluemaxx: Thanks for the great report. The next time I am Chattanooga, I will try Nikki's.

I have been on Raccoon Mountain several times. I huge engineering feat. I have enjoyed the overlook at the top and enjoyed the Grand Canyon of the south.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Where is Nikki's Drive-in? I pass through Chattanooga when travelling to Nashville. I usually stop in Dalton, GA but Nikki's sounds like a winner!

Bluemaxx - Yeah, the Pancake Pantry is really good. If you get to Pittsburgh one day, you have to try Pamellas (sp). A completely different pancake experience, but equally as good, if not better.

I loved the action at the Varsity, too. That's what I love..To see huge crowds, lines, etc. Owners making lots of money. Their onion rings are not bad. The hot dog..just so so. "What'll you have! What'll you have!" Yup, it's a classic.

Thanks for the report.

Great trip report, Bluemaxx! I was in Nashville over the 4th for a barbershop quartet convention. Only ate at one "roadfood" location.
Pancake Pantry was great. Lots of varieties of pancakes to choose from, and I always end up ordering the plain ol' buttermilk kind.
Tried to eat at Loveless Cafe, but the wait was an hour and forty minutes. Ikow it's good, but when you're hungry that's just tooo long.
Did get to eat Demo's downtown. Very good food and very reasonably priced.
Also ate at the Puffy Muffin out in Brentwood. It's a bakery/restaurant and the baked goods were very tempting. Breakfast was exceptional with wonderful omelets, really good coffee and our server was just a delight.
My first time in Nashville in quite a while, but it won't be my last.

Doctor Dan

Hey Rich, You found a gem in Ft. Valley, GA with Lane packing Co. It's one of those places that you are either referred to or stumble across. When I was on the road road I went through there every five weeks on my way to Columbus, GA.