February 3, 2009

This is certainly NOT California Cuisine.

CRACKER BARREL!!!
Cracker Barrel


This place was a total experience, I tell ya. Big Dude ordered chicken fried chicken with fried okra off the Fancy Fixin's section of the menu. I got a grilled chicken cheddar sandwich (and scraped, I kid you not, about 1/4 cup mayo off the bread!!). The boys got mac n' cheese and chicken fingers. All very good. Tho, that said, even if we had Cracker Barrels in SoCal, I don't think we'd go again. My waistline thanks me.

This guy was hanging out outside by our table. Playing checkers against himself. But you can't tell me he was impartially playing. I think he totally favored the reds.

cracker barrel checkers-000001


Thus ends our lunch adventure. Next stop: one of my two favorite places on earth.

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Susan,
We have a Cracker Barrel here. I ate there once while waiting to pick someone up from the airport - the WORST hash browns ever. I think I had two bites and left the rest. I did return once more, but only to purchase something in their gift shop that I had seen on my first trip.
Your pictures are so beautiful, I'm afraid you'll give many the wrong impression!
Looking forward to seeing one of your favorite places on earth.....
Janet

Anonymous said...

We love stopping at Cracker Barrel whenever we head south (into the northern US)! It's certainly cold-weather food, but the atmosphere makes up for it :-)

Melinda said...

That's hilarious! Although I am quite disappointed you didn't even try the grits : )

Kelly Sauer said...

I love your collages! Beautiful work!

Heasleye said...

What a fantastic collage! You'll remember so many details with shots like those. Wonderful, wonderful!

Skeller said...

Melinda - no grits. no how. I'm just not THAT adventurous. ;-)

Unknown said...

Really great pictures.

Anonymous said...

What I don't get is how all Southerners aren't 100 lbs overweight. Only some.

Aunt Tea said...

there used to be a cracker barrel in orange county but i don't remember where. it was probably late 70's early 80's going there. i mostly remember mason jars for glasses and there being barrels.

love your capture of it.

do you use your big camera for car shots and restaurant stuff etc? i usually use my point and shoot.

Skeller said...

Aunt Tea-
Just my big girl camera - it's all I brought on this trip. Admittedly, a p&s camera would have been much better for the out-the-window shots!

I can't remotely fathom a Cracker Barrel fiscally thriving here in OC.

Unknown said...

I am deep in Cracker Barrel country. haha! I live in Southern Mississippi right on the Gulf Coast. Cracker Barrel is usually our road trip pit stop. You can find one at just about every other exit around here. :)

I love the biscuits and sweet tea.

Love the photos! When we were in New Orleans the other day, there was the most interesting man sitting in front of us. He had the oldest looking hands with the longest fingers I've ever seen. He kept moving his fingers around like he was playing the guitar. He was eating alone. His hands just 'told a story'. I kept wanting to get a picture of his hands... I almost went right up to him and asked him if I could. A point and shoot would have been a great thing to have had at that moment. LOL

Jennifer said...

Oh, how funny. We do everything we can to NOT stop at a CB when we are on 95. Yet, we always do, thinking it a better choice than fast food. Not so sure about that...

Jennifer said...

And thank you for the tip about sensor dust!

Jennifer

Beth@Pages of Our Life said...

This would be my boys favorite restaurant. They always have to order the "big breakfast". :) And you are right country cookin is not good on the waist line.

angie {the arthur clan} said...

We rarely ever go to Cracker Barrel ~ first because of the "fat explosion" and second because of the whole experience of trying to keep the little boy's hands off of all the fun things in the gift shop. Love your pics of the event though! :)

I Love Purple More Than You said...

Sigh. Do you even know that I wrote the Cracker Barrel company and asked if/when they would ever open a store in Southern California??! It's the restaurant I miss MOST since moving here. Fried okra, cheesy hashbrown casserole, green beans dripping with butter... MMMmmmmm! (not to mention all the candy goodies in the shop outside the dining room)

Becca~CapturingSimpleJoys said...

I used to love to look around the store. A friend of mine picked up a natural peanut butter stirrer at a CB and I've always wanted to find one. I haven't been to a CB in YEARS!

Irene said...

There used to be two CB's near me here in the Long Beach/Lakewood area. One was about 3 miles to the West (after going through 3 different restaurants the place was bulldozed and a Walgreens built) and the other about 2 miles to the East (it became Hunnys and still is). I'm not sure why they closed up shop here in So.Cal. but it's been awhile.

fxmixer said...

Grits!! Sigh. Fun to hear about your first experience. Growing up in the South it was a common sight. I do love me some Cracker Barrel, but I agree it's probably best for me that it's not around here.

Tracy P. said...

We have a CB on the "southern" end of the city--great place for my Georgia Boy husband to get a fix. The kids love the checkers and other stuff.

I love that you took pictures of that man. They are awesome. You should be a photo journalist.

Teri said...

Oh boy do we ever have Cracker Barrel out in our neck of the woods. And I also do not frequest this place for the very same reason you do not. That gravy is the last thing I need. But it is SO good.