A few weeks ago we spent a long weekend in Macon, Georgia for a 95th birthday celebration.  Macon is just over an hour south of Atlanta, but far enough from that bustling megalopolis to experience some genuine southern eating. There are whole categories of restaurants and food sources there that you can’t find here on the Gold Coast.  In a four day visit we explored three of the options for authentic local cuisine – cafeterias, casserole carry out and barbecue.

Cafeteria conjures up memories of sitting in cliques for bad school food. Gray meat on the steamtable, jello, white uniformed servers in hair nets and milk in cartons come to mind.  But in the south, Cafeteria has another meaning. Much beloved cafeterias serving popular, high-quality regional cuisine abound all across the south and have for decades.

S & S cafeteria lineIn Macon the favorite is the S & S Cafeteria.  Generations have been served from these gleaming lines. Lunch, dinner, and after church, it’s where the locals gather for their favorites – hot, tasty, and unchanging.

Sliding your tray along to make choices is the only thing in common with school food. The display here is colorful, appetizing and attentively maintained.  Eight of us sampled a broad spectrum of southern dishes at lunch.  Carrot Salad with raisins, Ambrosia, pea salad, congealed salad and deviled eggs were the introduction to the line. Dessert came next under the old saw of “eat (or at least choose) dessert first” offering a remarkable sweet custard pie, chocolate meringue pie, coconut cream pie, pumpkin and sweet potato pies, pecan brownies, an apple dumpling and more.

The selection of main dishes included Trout Almondine, Southern Fried Chicken, Roast Beef, Broiled Fish, Chopped Steak, Beef Liver with onions and Chicken & Dumplings.  Thirteen vegetable choices included corn pudding, Fried Green Tomatoes, collard greens with turnip, and their famous Sweet Potato Balls (mashed sweet potatoes with a marshmallow inside, breaded with corn flakes and baked).  By the way, Mac & Cheese is listed as a vegetable – there is no pasta category.  Corn bread, biscuits, yeast rolls, crackling bread and sweet tea finished up the line. This is the genuine food of the south that has stood the test of time and boy is it tasty.  It can be pretty rich and certainly has lots of calories, but our plates were clean, the place was packed and there was a line to get in.

There are eight S & S cafeterias across Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.  The third generation of the Smith family is leading the company and the fourth generation is moving up through the ranks to ensure the continuity of real southern food.

In South Norwalk visit Mama’s Boy restaurant for a nearby taste of Southern Cuisine. Although not as deep south as the S & S, Mama’s Boy serves delicious Low Country Southern food including killer Collard Greens, deviled eggs, crab cakes, shrimp and (marvelous) grits and Low-country bouillabaisse along with delicious house made and smoked sausages.

Casseroles are another tradition thriving in the South. Stop by the Casserole Shop in Macon for freshly made family favorites ready for the oven.  This novel approach to take out food puts all the hard work on the store, but still yields a dinner fresh from the oven, “We make – you bake”. Its a great idea – the shop is thriving.  More than 20 main course choices include Shepherd’s Pie, Lasagna, Pot Roast, Chicken Divan, Mexican Chicken, Chicken Tetrazzini, and Shrimp Creole.  A host of sides and appetizers round out the menu.  The Casserole shop is a bakery too. Pick up a pie, pound cake, or some cookies for dessert. We may like to think that casseroles are out of fashion in our area, but think about the ubiquitous mac & cheese, the ever popular lasagna, and trendy paella – casseroles if ever there were.

S & S vegetable MenuYou can’t visit the south without getting some Barbecue.  There are lots of ‘cue restaurants here in our area, but they all reference the south for their authenticity, style and technique. Georgia, like most of the South, has a long tradition of slow-cooking pork over a wood fire. While sauces vary from place to place the heart of the matter is the slow cooking. There are lots of Barbecue sources in Macon and each has their partisans. Satterfields, Fresh Air, Finchers and Georgia Bob’s are just some.  We only sampled a delicious few, leaving more research for the next visit.

You won’t find any Seafood on the dock in Macon, and Pizza there is not a cult art form like it is in Connecticut. The latest trends in Spanish and Latin food haven’t popped up there.  Instead there is a thriving food scene based on native ingredients, home-grown cooking, and local style. When you travel, be sure to look for the local cuisine even if it is masked by the national chains. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Let me know about your travel food discoveries at notbreadalonefw@gmail.com

Mama’s Boy Southern Table and Refuge
19 North Water Street
South Norwalk, CT 06854
203-956-7171  www.mamasboyct.com

S & S Cafeterias (2 locations)
3724 Bloomfield Village Dr
2626 Riverside Dr
Macon, GA

The Casserole Shop
4420 Forsyth Road
Macon, Georgia  31210