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

Just Plain Good-Das Dutchman Essenhaus, Middlebury,Indiana

On our trips to Shipshewana, Indiana,in the heart of Amish country, we always make it a point to travel 6 miles down hwy 20 to Middlebury to visit one of our favorite Amish cooking restaurants called Das Dutchman Essenhaus. On our most recent trip, we learned from our brother in law Tim, that Essenhaus was eat house in German, and that is exactly what I did! Eat.  TheEssenhaus offers menu dining, and  family dining, but we always go for the buffet. It's nothing fancy, in fact it's pretty simple.What is offered is good. mouth watering crispy,juicy, fried chicken, which is the highlight for me. They also have beef and spaghetti, vegetables and good, moist, dressing; potatoes, soups,noodles and salads. Sometimes you can get there just at the right time and they still have the breakfast buffet up and you can get some of that too. Still not enough?  Meander past the crafts to the bakery, where you can choose a doughnut as big as your head or a house made pie along with other bakery goods. Das Dutchman Essenhaus is located on hwy 20 in Middlebury Indiana. You can find them on the web at:
 http://www.essenhaus.com/page/13/Restaurant-Bakery

Sunday Brunch Hunch - Firepit Grille, Holland Ohio

On our weekly trip to Sam's Club, I am always looking for somewhere new to

eat.  I noticed that the Firepit Grille always seemed to have a bunch of cars early on Sundays. I had a good hunch that they were serving brunch!  I looked them up on Trip Advisor and found that they do indeed have a Sunday Brunch,  We had to visit.
  The Brunch was very nicely set up. They have a table with carved hamans Sirloin Beef that was cooked perfectly and omelettes cooked in front of you to your order, On another table they served barbecue chicken quarters, tender peppersteak with rice, green beans almondine, salads, fruits and other selections including french toast and of course bacon. On a third table there was a selection of desserts.Thre were pies of the peanut butter and lemon variety and other sugary concoctions.
 The service was pretty good from start to finish.  Plates were removed right away. Some ofthe food looked like it might have came from Sam's Club or GFS, but all of what I tasted was very good, and I would definitely go back again. Firepit Grille also has a dining option of inside or under a covered,heated patio by a large fire pit.  They also have a full menu featuring ribs, pizza and other items during the week. They are located at 7723 Airport Hwy, in Holland Ohio. You can find them on the web at.http://www.firepitgrille.com/

Rebbel Finds Some Friends/ Sweet Tomatoes, Orlando, Fla.

"I wish you could find my friends." ,Rebbel said. Once again something had triggered her memory of two people she had known since she was a little girl living in Petersburg, Mi. Joyce and Jack Wittman were people that lived in the same subdivision across the road from Rebbel. Rebbel used to go over to their house and just hang out, play Monopoly with Joyce, and just visit. I picture a Dennis the Menace, Mr. Wilson type relationship.
It must have been pretty bad because the Wittman's moved to Lambertville, but Rebbel still managed to keep in touch. She would continue to stay in touch with them until about 1991. Joyce had told her that they were living in Florida. Soon after, we moved and Rebbel lost the post card with their new address and she lost touch.
For the past few years Rebbel has been trying to find Joyce. I would dutifully search for them on the internet every time she would bring them up. This year, I was able to find a Wittman in Florida and Rebbel called.
"Is this Jack??" , Rebbel asked. "Did you live in Petersburg? Are you married to Joyce and do you wear a size 10 shoe?" You really got to be sure you have the right person after 15 years. "This is Rebbel." Silence while Jack processed which Rebbel it could be. Then a light went off and he remembered. Joyce called back a little later and the two friends went over old times. "Remember how you always wanted to play Monopoly all the time?? I hated that game, but I knew you liked it.", Joyce said. "That's funny." Rebbel said, "I hate that game, but I thought you liked it."
When we visited Florida, they were so nice, I felt I knew them forever. They treated us to a place called Sweet Tomatoes in Orlando. We had heard about Sweet Tomatoes from other friends and all of them that gave it high marks.
Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantations are chain restaurants located in 15 states. The Sweet Tomatoes restaurant we went to was like a large salad bar buffet.
They had a great variety of fresh vegetables for their salads, different variety of soups, muffins, prepared salads, pastas and even desserts. They even had tea and pomegranate juice! The word here is healthy. Don't expect fried chicken, or ribs. It isn't that kind of buffet. If you like soup and salad you will love Sweet Tomatoes. On the other hand, if you love Monopoly, don't ask Rebbel and Joyce to play. They both hate it! You can find out more about Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation at http://www.sweettomatoes.com/