In Eckleburg's Eyes - 5/7/2008

I spent Tuesday with JTH hanging out and trying a new restaurant.

We met at the church where JTH was working out. (I had already finished my workout.) We got to watch our friend MoT practice with her AAU basketball team. JTH was once her babysitter. We are getting so old...

JTH and I then went to Big Fatty’s Catering Kitchen Restaurant (located at 5005 Kingston Pike) for the first time. The restaurant is concealed from the street, nestled between West Knox News and Fisher Tire. The same building once housed Little Star. It was opened on January 2, 2006. Studies have shown that new customers tend to dwindle after a restaurant has been opened for two years, but Big Fatty’s seems to still be adding regulars because of their poor roadside visibility.

The restaurant’s interior looks like an old time diner. We were greeted by Kelly, a waitress who has worked there since its opening. She was informative (the source of my information) and delightful. She immediately sold me on the blue plate special (which changes daily) - chicken & dumplings. The menu says: “We served these to a movie crew from L.A. and they were ready to move down south (don’t worry, we talked them out of it.) If a restaurant serves this dish, there is a good chance I am ordering it.

The dish was served on vintage Shoney’s Blue Plate Special plates. The restaurant did not steal them (though that might be kind of cool if they did, says the sinful part of me). They get all of their plates from either Best Priced Equipment (a store that sells discarded restaurant supplies at 1719 N Central) or from Goodwill. They also serve their pudding in traditional striped popcorn bowls. I love the concept.

I also got to sides: Scalloped potatoes and Brunswick stew. Brunswick stew is tomato based and chocked full of various meats. It is traditionally made from the likes of roadkill. It is named from its place of origin though there seems to be a debate as to where that is. In Georgia, a plaque on a pot in Brunswick states that the first Brunswick stew was cooked in it on July 2, 1898. A competing story, however, claims that the dish hails from Brunswick County, Virginia. Only in the south would there be a debate as to who originated a dish made from roadkill.

Both sides were great. JTH let me sample his fried okra as Kelly had told him that she thought it was the best she had ever eaten. Indeed, it was good.

I loved the atmosphere. The restaurant has a foosball table. (Not a Water Boy reference, but an actual foosball game.) In addition, Motown songs played throughout our stay. They even played the rare Temptations song “Don’t Look Back,” one of the few singles in which Paul Williams sang lead. If you cannot tell, I loved this place!

If the words calorie or cholesterol mean a great deal to you, do not go here. If you want a great Southern meal, go and go often. The place also caters and dopes take out orders. If interested call 865-219-8317.

After gorging ourselves and feeling like big fatties, JTH and I ran errands at Wal-Mart and McKays. JTH actually bought more at Wal-Mart than I did! (I bought nothing.) Naturally, the same trend did not follow at the book store...