After moseying for a while, we arrived at our destination: The Loveless Cafe
There was a sizable crowd there, and we were told that our wait would be about 80-90 minutes. Apparently that’s pretty typical for a weekend, so while Justin and Phil explored the shops, Penka and I decided to go for a drive further south. We went only about 12 miles or so down the road, through Fairview, TN. Along the way, we passed through a few rain showers, and passed a variety of roadkill. When we got back to the Loveless, the weather had cleared up a bit, as well as the crowd.
Finally we were seated, and treated to a good comfortable southern meal, starting with freshly made biscuits and fruit preserves.
While Phil stuck with a simple chicken sandwich, the rest of us went full-on southern. Justin got the “Combo” plate, with fried chicken, catfish and BBQ pork. Sides were macaroni and cheese and sweet potato fries.
Penka got the fried catfish, with a side of fried okra and green beans.
Unfortunately for me, the last thing on my list (country fried steak) was only available as the daily special – on Saturday. So, I opted for the catfish, and based on the recommendation of our waitress Virginia, got the creamed corn and caramelized sweet potatoes as my sides.
It was awesomely tasty, and I kept some leftovers for dinner to eat at the airport. Green? Who needs green? We’re in the south! Heck, the bathroom smelled like bacon. (See below for more explanation.)
But before we left, I had to try their infamous cobbler for dessert. The flavor today was Blackberry and Peach. And it was truly heavenly. I opted for it without ice cream, since lord knows I didn’t need any more calories than I’d already ingested this weekend. (Oh, the gym will be delightful on Monday!)
The store at the Loveless had a nice selection of hams, jams, preserves, sauces, and more. I got a t-shirt, and a jar of peach preserves. But I found it fascinating (and scary) that there was actually bacon air freshener (probably what I smelled in the bathroom) – and bacon flavored floss.
All in all, it was an awesome meal – I feel it was well worth the wait. But the day was far from over!