quote:

Originally posted by jljones:

Chicken and dumplings with a side of dumplings. BTDT.

My mom, educated in Nazareth, Kentucky, at a Catholic boarding school, made kick-ass chicken and dumplings. Unbelievably light and fluffy with tender chicken to melt your stone cold heart.

It's late and a long, shitty weekend, dealing with the hatchet man my company brought in, so please forgive the lack of focus. 63 people gone and counting. F that.

She pulled a lot of crap at school, including dressing up with long, white gloves, to go drink Martinis at the Brown Hotel, but now it's apparently time for hospice care. This was a long time ago. Her godfather was Bull Halsey and her father a rear admiral.

An English teacher who would stand up and let the assholes know when things got too stupid, by saying, "I've been kicked out of better schools than this."

We've been to a few and they were okay. Did not know they were anti-gun. LOL! They would have kicked my butt out, each time, had they figured that out

Really missing her cooking, right now.

Was gonna take my wife, as she's been on a fried chicken kick, but now... what's the point?

Didn't know CB was a let down. Too bad.

To answer the OP, every time I have been to one has been fine. Not once was a disappointment, but cannot say thrilled. Then, again, i are in micchigan... :-P

Food is mediocre at best.
The gift shop that you’re forced to wait for a table in, is not good.
My pops likes to meet with my sister and her gaggle of cretins there, because it staves us from having to go spend time at their house with their canines from the seventh level of hell.
It’s the only place one if the cretins eats out, because they have chicken nuggets.

quote:

Originally posted by BigWhupp:
tried the fried chicken tenders, which resembled some bland tasting thing poured out of a box from the freezer and lightly fried. Pass on that from now on.

That’s the only thing the kid eats. He’s 19 or 20. Only nuggets. Nothing else. Ever. I’m not exaggerating. The kid will only eat breaded, fried nuggets. Otherwise he will starve himself.
(Yes, he has mental issues).

I agree with preferring local chains, when in the South. Decent Southern food is hard to find north or west of the Mason-Dixon.

Overall, CB is a ‘meh’ facsimile of real Southern food. “Mediocre” is the perfect word for it. Once you find that tiny whole-in-the-wall shack with collard greens, fried okra, black-eyed peas, and biscuits to die for...to hell with CB.

I grew up in the South and never could understand how folks in that area could like CB so much; seems like a Mexican liking Taco Bell.

Eaten at many of them, many times. One close to me has poor service more times than not. The rest have been fine. Good food. My parents go about 3 times a month.

My wife and I discovered CB when we moved to Nashville in 1980. At that time, they had stores in Tennessee and Kentucky.We both loved it! As the company expanded, it seemed their consistency faltered. A good meal at one store didn't guarantee the same at another.
Now, I eat there occasionally, mostly for a hearty breakfast. It's a coin toss now, even at the same location, whether or not the visit is a pleasant one.

I really like their pancakes. I keep the small syrup bottles and fill them with Crown Royal.

Breakfast only around here, as far as I’m concerned. It’s hard to beat their Uncle Herschel’s breakfast, but lunch and dinner are ‘meh’ at best.
Plus it’s a 25 minute drive and I have a Pitt Grill in town, locally owned. Their grease agrees with me better. It should, since I was raised on it.

Sit down version of fast food. More like a southern version of a Howard Johnsons.
Not terrible but never great either.

When I lived in Indiana, there was a really good one, would eat there 4-5 times a week. Then they took the item off the menu that my ex always ate, we'd still go. I ALWAYS got chicken pot pie. Eventually they started having chicken pot pie only on Wednesdays so we only went once a week. I absolutely LOVE their chicken pot pies, & a side of dumplings. Then I moved far away so never went cos there were none around. Every time I'd fly home, I'd book my trips on Wed & the entire family would meet up at Cracker Barrel both arriving & departing.

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:
Cracker barrel varies wildly in quality from location to location and sometimes meal to meal.

You can say that again!

We stopped at a CB on the way up north several years ago. Don't recall what my wife had, but I had cheese grits with shrimp. My meal was terrific and so was hers. Service was top-notch. Place was clean as a whistle.

Stopped at the same place on the way back. Food sucked. Service sucked. Place was dirty. One of our worst dining experiences ever.

We haven't been in a Cracker Barrel, since. Now that I know they're anti-gun I've one more reason never to go back.

Acceptable quality, but no great shakes, in my view. Lots of factory (Sysco) food.

Cracker Barrel is what it is. Comfort food in a clean, polite environment.

We don't have one around me but do often pass one when I go hiking/camping in VA/WV. If we are going out early on a Sat. we sometimes plan to stop there. Good big breakfast before a long weekend hiking and camping. Will also hit it if the timing works for dinner on the way home.

If you looking for anything but American style comfort food you're going to be disappointed.

I never make it past the Mason Dixon line, but it's my go to for lunch when on a trip. Biscuits vary as to local and some are better than others. But none have left me hungry. Country fried steak with smoke flavored white gravy, mashed potatoes with the same. And of course fried Okra on the side. For desert is their biscuits split and buttered with fried apples placed on top. Totally worth the fat and calories every blue moon.

I stopped at one after a late tournament with the kids a couple years ago and ordered a cheeseburger. It was small but outstanding. It was clearly cooked on the same grill as the sausage and had that flavor. I haven’t been back since but I should.

Excellent place, but it doesn't beat the Country Store in Jackson, Tennessee.

One of my go-to choices for breakfast on the road. Conveniently, they do all-day breakfast so I don't have to deal with their lunch or dinner menu.

Around here (TampaBay), for maybe the past year, CB has been serving Southern Fried Chicken. We went once,, found it pretty good and will get back eventually.

On the road, we always stop there for breakfast, food is always, in our opinion, the same and not bad at all. In Florida, there seems to be one every few exits on I75, so it is convenient for us when traveling.

Bob

Used to like them. Like others I've seen the portions go down, prices up and the service is generally awful, and slow. We've written them off.

I'd love to see an episode on Food Network where chef Robert Irvine goes in and evaluates their food. I think it would be entertaining...

My wife and I eat there about every few months. I LOVE turkey and dressing so that's the only place I know of that has it.

We used to eat at the Black Eyed Pea, and I was devastated when they closed the ones in our city due to their wonderful turkey and dressing...among other things.