Meat-and-Threes Are the Order
culture, dickson county, front porch restaurant, meat-and-threes, sisters restaurant, southern comfort,
Thursday is always a busy day at Sisters Restaurant. That’s when customers can order a heaping plate of turkey and dressing at the eatery, located at 207 E. Rickert St.
“Not only do we make turkey and dressing on Thursdays, but we also feature catfish dinner specials on Friday – so I guess we’re about as Southern as a restaurant can get,” says Janet Grimes, who owns Sisters Restaurant with her sister, Emily. “Everything we prepare for our customers is homemade, including the banana pudding desserts that are just like our grandmother used to make.”
Grimes adds that Sisters is not a large restaurant at all, and customers seem to appreciate its cozy, homespun atmosphere.
“We invite folks to stop in sometime for some fried chicken with turnip greens and corn bread,” she says. “We specialize in a meat-and-three menu, and we can really, really cook. If it’s a Southern dish, we cook it here.”
In fact, there are several restaurants in Dickson County that feature Southern fare for the lunch and dinner crowds.
At Joann’s Kitchen on Center Avenue, every lunch buffet includes fresh vegetables, meaning that no veggies are ever served from a can.
“That’s right, you won’t find a can opener in the kitchen,” says owner Larry Brown. “The menu here consists of down-home food like fried chicken, barbecue and grits, okra, green beans and other traditional Southern items.
“There are also fresh homemade cakes and pies on the menu every day,” he adds.
Other county hot spots where collard greens and hash brown casserole rule include The Front Porch in downtown Dickson, where the blue-plate specials are actually served on blue plates. The town of Burns is home to a pair of traditional Southern eateries – Buddy’s Restaurant and Donna’s Place.
City Lake Cafe on West Walnut Street in Dickson is another popular meat-and-three restaurant, where customers have their choices of side dishes such as white beans, sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese. And at High Point Restaurant on Highway 70 East, the kitchen staff offers a country lunch buffet each day and a dinner buffet on Friday and Saturday nights.
“People have been coming to High Point Restaurant for the past 33 years – we must be doing something right with our menu,” says owner Shirley Fiser. “For example, we make our homemade biscuits from scratch, and the grits and cobbler are always in big supply here.” The daily lunch buffet at High Point features a garden salad along with a choice of meat, vegetables and dessert.
The Friday and Saturday night dinner buffet can include rib eye steaks, sirloin strips, catfish, fried chicken and butterfly shrimp.
“We are an all-you-can-eat restaurant, plus we have hosted private banquets of up to 75 people,” Fiser says. “Every customer leaves High Point Restaurant happy and with a full stomach.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Brian McCord
