Watkinsville, Georgia sports a new restaurant, recently opened by none other than my sister. What started as a seemingly hare-brained idea hatched when she found herself unemployed last spring is now a wildly popular reality.
Both of us adopted our mother's kitchen skills, but my sister has always excelled at cooking the rich, traditional southern foods: sweet potato souffle, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and the like. Now she can share her love of cooking and all the traditional southern classics with the world (or at least the fast-growing population of Oconee County).
Just three weeks after opening, the lunchtime crowd was lined up out the door on election day, also a holiday for the schools, whose many employees had yet to have the opportunity to sample the food at this weekday-only cafeteria. With a rotating menu, each day of the week offers something new to try, and the variety of daily side dishes could keep a diner occupied for weeks trying to sample them all. I can personally vouch for the meat loaf and the macaroni and cheese (it's to die for!). Despite being a born-and-bred southerner myself, I'm no fan of collard greens, but I found Gail's to be quite edible and not too soggy (my chief complaint about most greens cooked in the south).
Lunch was so good, I had to come back for breakfast before I left town. Gail has employed a top-notch biscuit maker in Pat, a wonderful woman who turns out tender yet not-too-crumbly mounds that delightfully sandwich a crisp pork tenderloin or soak up the perfectly seasoned sausage gravy. Accompanied with sides of grits and cheese-eggs, the breakfast plate is a delicious and artery-clogging experience. For the diet conscious, never fear—fruit, oatmeal and cooked-to-order eggs are available for the asking.
Gail remains committed to serving quality, fresh food (nothing from a can, she says, except the pinto beans) with a smile. I'll admit a touch of bias (Gail is my sister after all), but was not disappointed in the food or the service and hope her little cafeteria maintains its initial popularity for years to come.
Photo courtesy of my mom, Diane Boykin
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