There’s something for everybody at Grandmaw’s

BRUNDIDGE — The name of the place is Grandmaw’s Kitchen, and it’s located on Main Street, so you’d better believe you’re getting authentic, southern, country fare.

This is where your grandma’s cooking smashes into the American invention known as the buffet. It’s all you care to eat, to the delight of your taste buds and the disdain of your waistline. Grandmaw’s may be a bit out of the way for the Wiregrass to find this nondescript building in Brundidge, but the drive will build the appetite and the food will be worth the trip.

Last Sunday’s visit produced a satisfying binge. Fried chicken (of course). Baked ham. Baked chicken. Pot roast. Hamburger steak and gravy.

And the sides. Creamed corn. Turnip greens. Mashed potatoes. Rice and gravy. Chicken and dumplings (you gotta love a place that counts chicken and dumplings as a side). Purple-hulled peas. Dressing. Green beans. Macaroni and cheese. Nearly all of these are cooked in the traditional southern way — which is to say, completely. Forget blanching and ice-water baths here. The turnips are cooked down. And they’re delicious. So are the peas and the beans.

There is a salad bar, too. My wife visited there, but I could not, in good conscience, visit that station with so much meat to sample. There’s more. Fried cornbread. Rolls. We’ll get to the desserts later.

But start with the fried chicken. Grandmaw’s version is battered a bit heavier than most, but that coating, which is at once salty and peppery, keeps the chicken hot and moist on the inside.

The baked chicken, too, held up better under those buffet lamps than I expected. It wasn’t dry, despite our arrival at nearly closing time, and went nicely with some dressing.

The pot roast was also better than I expected, although I thought more carrots and potatoes should have accompanied the roast.

Frankly, I salute any place that tries to provide this cornucopia of food for so many people. Not everything was spectacular. My wife loves Grandmaw’s creamed corn, but on this trip she thought it had been overcooked or sat too long. But just the sheer attempt of trying to satisfy so many tastes is noteworthy.

And then there’s dessert. A variety of pound cakes. Apple pie. Banana pudding. Chocolate pudding. There’s soft-serve ice cream, too.

In short, not every item is for everyone; but there is at least something for everyone. Grandmaw’s Kitchen is a pretty good value, too.

The Sunday buffet is $8.95. During the week it’s $7.95. Your drink is included. Grandmaw’s offers plate lunches, too, meat-and-threes and veggie plates. Three of us ate for $27.51. We were more than satisfied. Actually, we were stuffed.

Ken Rogers can be reached at .

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Grandmaw’s Kitchen
175 S. Main St., Brundidge
Phone: (334) 735-2300
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rating: Three out of four stars