Drive By Try - Mary’s Fabulous Fried Chicken and Fish , Ann Arbor, Mi

Have you ever been past a place and thought to yourself, “Someday I have to try that place. “ Well after saying that about Mary’s Fabulous Fried Chicken and Fish, we decided today was the day.

  At Mary’s, you walk to the counter and give your order.  There is only one table in the place and the condiments are on the table.

  I decided to try the 3 piece fried chicken dinner, and Rebbel decided on the 2 piece fish dinner.  I asked for three thighs because I love the thigh.  Meaty and juicy dark meat. Can’t go wrong! I found the chicken to be all that with a little bit of heat way in the back.  It was very good chicken.  The dinner came with cole slaw and mashed potatoes.  The potatoes were good, but could have used a bit of salt in my opinion. The slaw was excellent. A good sweet slaw. Only complaint was that it was ground pretty small and resembled mush, but was still tasty. A roll was served with the dinner and was good but nothing special.

  Rebbel did not fare as well with the fish. She found it to be chewy instead of flakey.  It was a white fish but the kind was not listed. Her fries were good. Medium size, no crinkles. 

  We would definitely stop again in the future, but would stick with the fried chicken.  Mary’s also offers  hoagies, clams, and shrimp on their menu.  They are located at 3220 Packard St. In Ann Arbor, Mi.

Southern Buffet in the Old South - Blue Willow Inn, Social Circle, Georgia

Deep in the heart of Dixie, about 45 minutes east of Atlanta, life gets slower and you seem to travel back in time. You see old towns with single owner party stores, old towns, gas stations with only two pumps with no credit card slots, and lots of older homes. In this area dwells a historic southern cooking icon called the Blue Willow Inn.                            

   Located in the town of Social Circle, The BLue Willow has been around since 1991. The building was renovated and a kitchen area added. It opened for business in late 1991. A gift shop came soon after along with expansions to get to where they are today.

  We arrived for the lunch buffet.  The buffet had ham, fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, field peas, squash, and pies and cakes. 

   We found the menu to be a very good example of down home southern cooking. The chicken in my opinion was a bit bland and a little bit of a letdown.  The rest of the meal was good.  While we didn’t indulge in the deserts, some looked like they were made outside the restaurant but I withhold judgement, because we were too full to try them. The price was a little moderate, but for a true taste of the south, this would be a good place to try. This was our second visit and probably our last as we are ready to move on. I was happy though, to try them out.   If you would like to try them out , they are located at 294 N Cherokee Rd Social Circle Georgia. Find them on the web at www.bluewillowinn.com

An Amish Buffet In Sunny Florida - Der Dutchman, Sarasota Fla.

On our recent trip to Florida, we decided to visit a buffet we has first found out about on You Tube.We drove down to Sarasota which turned out to be a pretty long drive.  Der Dutchman offers a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner also, but we went there for the buffet.  We got there early, so we browsed through the gift shop and looked through the bakery and the pies and doughnuts as big as a manhole cover.  Lunch did not start until 11:30. We finally made it to lunch and our server was prompt and friendly.
 The lunch buffet include he regular Amish food staples you find in Shipshewana or other Amish buffets. Noodles, creamed corn, dressing, salad selections, and soups. For meats they offered fried chicken, meats like pulled pork, and turkey that you could make a sandwich

  We found the chicken to be crispy and juicy on the inside and very good. The only thing we did not like, was that the food wasn't hot enough. That migh be because we were early birds and the food did not have a chance to warm.  They had a few desert choices and ice cream was served with the buffet. The place was clean and service good.  We were not sorry we visited, but would not put it on our list to have to visit.  If you are looking for an Amish meal in sunnu Florida though, this is the place for you. Der Dutchman has locations in Walnut Creek, Ohio, Berlin Ohio, and several other locations in Ohio. The location in Florida is located at 3713 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota.  You can find them on the web at: http://www.dhgroup.com/restaurants