Meat and Threes are an American institution. The idea that you can order one select meat entree with three different vegetables, usually with either a roll, cornbread or biscuit, plus a glass of iced tea for one set price is a beautiful thing. Many of the best of these are found in the South, what Roadfood.com calls “A Dixie Delight”. These are a combination of either country or soul food restaurants depending on whether they are white or black owned institutions.
While the food varies, there is some consistency in what is on the menu. For entrees you can usually choose from a choice of fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, roast beef, country fried steak, meatloaf, fried catfish, pork chops or country ham. They serve many, many vegetables including mashed or creamed potatoes, green beans, butter beans, blackeyes peas, fried okra, okra and tomatoes, squash casserole, fried green tomatoes, creamed corn, turnip or collard greens, and rice & gravy, just to name a few.
Often these places are called Blue Plate Lunches, because the foods were served on blue colored China plates.
Nashville, Tennessee is considered the epicenter of Meat and Threes with some amazing places like Arnold’s Country Kitchen, Puckett’s, Swett’s, Wendell Smith’s and Monell’s. All are simply wonderful.
Here are some others outside of Nashville:
- Bully’s Soul Food in Jackson, Mississippi
- Wade’s in Spartanburg, South Carolina
- Mary Mac’s in Atlanta, Georgia
- Café 209 in Augusta, Georgia
- Niki’s West in Birmingham, Alabama
The OK Café in Buckhead in Atlanta is a very upscale Meat and Three with amazing food. They have white acre peas when they are in season.
So, who am I missing? Let me know your favorite Meat and Three out there.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Each month we spotlight one of the “very best but now gone” places to eat. Today, we’ll share one of the all-time great and unique Meat and Threes – the historic Revolving Tables restaurant at the Mendenhall Hotel in Mendenhall, Mississippi.
This place got its start in 1915 by Frank and Annie Belle Heil, when the train came through, and the train crew had to stop to refuel the steam train. The hotel, next to the train depot, put out a buffet lunch for the crew and the train’s passengers to eat quickly and served it on gigantic lazy Susans sitting on three large round tables. Each table’s revolving lazy Susan was covered in dishes – meats, vegetables, breads and desserts. You grabbed what you wanted and rotated the lazy Susan so everyone could get access to all the dishes. The food was magnificent, with never-ending selections.
There was a needlepoint sign hanging on the wall that said, “Eat Until It Ouches”. That pretty much said it all.
They closed the hotel and restaurant on December 31, 2001, but it’s a place that while gone is not forgotten.
THE LAGNIAPPE
A lagniappe is a Louisiana French Creole word meaning “a little something extra”. It can be a small gift included with a purchase or a special little food treat at a meal in a restaurant. Each month I will give you my gift of a lagniappe or a little something you may not have expected ON THE ROAD WITH RICK.
Pimento cheese is a classic southern dish used for sandwiches, hamburgers or served with crackers. They serve an amazing one at The Masters. There are many variations of this dish but here is my RECIPE which was largely stolen from the late, great Nathalie Dupree:
Combine:
- 6 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 oz grated white cheddar cheese
- 2 (4 oz) jars of diced pimentos drained
- 1 cup of Helmann’s mayonnaise
Pulse in a food processor until slightly chunky but still spreadable
Salt and ground pepper to taste.
I love it with crackers or with celery spears.
UNITED TASTES OF AMERICA
Our new podcast/vignette series, with my partner iHeart Podcasts, United Tastes of America, is off to a terrific start. We continue traveling to each of our 50 states to tell the culinary history of America by selecting one iconic dish from that state to spotlight. You can find our video vignettes on You Tube and our weekly podcasts on iHeart, Apple, Spotify and others. And, if you like them, please pass them along to friends and family!
Today, we take a sneak peek look at the four states we will be releasing in March – South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia and New York.
South Carolina
- My home state has wonderful southern food largely influenced by African American recipes. Our featured dish is Shrimp & Grits, prepared at the 88 Queen Restaurant in the historic French Quarter of Charleston.
New Hampshire
- You’re in lobster country in New Hampshire and we salute Lobster Stew at the legendary Newick’s Lobster House in Dover.
Virginia
- Virginia is known for Peanut Soup and where better to showcase this dish than at historic Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.
New York
- There’s nothing finer than New York style Cheesecake, and no one does it better than the legendary Junior’s in Brooklyn.
I hope you are enjoying this monthly newsletter and encourage you to pass it along to anyone else who might enjoy it. Next month we will spotlight some of the great classic traditional Tea Rooms across the country, as we continue ON THE ROAD WITH RICK, with five new states from our series UNITED TASTES OF AMERICA.