Mary's Southern Cooking

There's a saying above the front door at Mary's Southern Cooking. It says "the smaller the place, the bigger the taste." In my food adventures, I have found that to be true and I have added Mary's to the list.

Mary's is a cafeteria-style, meat-and-three restaurant. It offers a selection of meats that range from fried fish to lasagna, pork chops and even chitterlings depending on the day. If you think the meat selection is big, the vegetable or the "three" portion is just as large. On this day, I saw everything from corn on the cob to stuffing to greens and mac and cheese.

I walked in the door and straight up bypassed the chalkboard menu near the door. I was drawn to all the food on display! I was surprised to be greeted by the owner, Mary Smith, herself. I like that the owner was working the line. If you are a regular reader, I have mentioned a time or two about my fondness for mom and pop shops. I love spending my money at local businesses. Ms. Mary (yes, I decided to add the Ms. It's the Southern in me) kindly explained how everything worked before she was called away. 

I was torn between the seafood platter because the fried catfish looked so fresh and the lasagna. The lasagna was down to its last portion in the pan so I assume it was a popular item. I asked the lady dishing up the meats which she prefers. She unequivocally pointed me to the lasagna. I get a HUGE portion and two sides for about $10. It was the only thing on the menu that came with two sides. I chose the mac and cheese and boiled cabbage. I felt like both were southern staples that had to be done right for Mary's to live up to its name. First, the lasagna was delicious. There was layers upon layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese. I'm not talking about little crumbles of meat either but nice big chunks! I thought the cheddar cheese was a nice change to mozzarella. The cheddar gave it a boost of flavor that the mozzarella lack. While there wasn't a red sauce running everywhere, the lasagna wasn't dry. There was a nice balance. The mac and cheese is some of the best I've ever had. I find most mac and cheese at restaurants to be too bland. I would usually have to add salt and pepper. This was not the case. There was plenty of both. If you don't like pepper though, this may not be for you. I also appreciated that the pasta was not too cooked either. This still had a bite to it. The boiled cabbage was good. It was sweeter than I expected but very buttery. I was immensely happy.

What is a trip to a southern restaurant without ordering fried chicken? My brother surely could not resist. He got a piece of dark meat and a piece of white, dressing, greens and mac and cheese. I sampled some of the chicken breast. The crust is very crunchy yet the meat was juicy. I would hazard a guess the chicken was brined to make sure it stayed moist. Is there such a thing as frying chicken in bacon fat? Because it sure tasted like this chicken was done in such a fashion. For some people, I can see the chicken being too salty but I liked it just fine. Let's address the sides. The dressing had a whole bunch of meat in it. I don't know if you can tell by the picture but oh boy, there was meat in every bite. It was just the way I liked it. It was moist and the gravy really takes it up another notch. The greens rival some of the best of them. You can taste the smokiness from the ham hock or neck bones. You may even get a little bite of it so I suggest you proceed with caution. Biting down wrong on a piece of ham hock could mean a chipped tooth. I could taste a hit of hot sauce. It wasn't so much that it overwhelmed the smokiness or even the taste of the actually greens but it gives a little something more. The greens were so good I think I ate half of my brother's. Oops.

Aside from your regular drink options like canned soft drinks, bottled water, sweet/unsweet tea - Mary's also serves a signature fruit punch. I think I may have unlocked the secret to the fruit punch though. I got a peek of the jug and it was labeled Kool-Aid. OH MY WORD. Could this infamous fruit punch really the same stuff as the Kool-Aid man? Now, I really want to try it out myself to see.

Mary's is a rather small restaurant but interestingly enough, there is a lot of seating. I think it could seat 30-40 people max. It's hot though, y'all. They had fans going and maybe even the a/c but I was "glowing." In case you didn't know, Southern ladies do not sweat. We glow. =)

One thing to keep in mind when you go to Mary's is the parking situation. It's tight people. The parking lot is one way and not the direction coming from the main street. You will mostly likely have to park on the side street or behind the restaurant. It's a little inconvenient but I think it is worth it.

Mary does have a Facebook page but it hasn't been updated recently. I was looking up Mary's website when I saw Al.com did a feature story on Mary's. I thought it was an interesting read. Take a look.