It’s been a little while since we discussed the all-important topic of FOOD! As many of you know, I was transferred over to the Appling, Georgia area and now work at Clarks Hill Marina for the Eclipse Marine Services division of Brunswick. I love it over there. It’s a neat area pinched between the populated and good-sized cities of Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, and the absolutely beautiful country around Lincolnton, Sharon and Abbeville. So, I am 15 minutes to a Chic-fil-A or thousands of acres of nothing. It’s kind of nice.

However, in Novemberwhen my buddies Matt Henry, Brandon Barber, Perry Mattress, Mario Hill and I were all playing model and filming for a new product launch for Lowrance, we found a new lunch spot. Honestly, it just continually knocks it out of the park! It’s called Grandaddy’s Kitchen and is over on Clarks Hill Road at Pollard’s Corner in Appling. OH MY GOODNESS!I do love this spot. The nicest people around work there and the food is old-school, finger-licking-good, y’all!

First, let’s be serious. A lot of people think they can cook greens. They can’t. Most restaurants cook the ever-living fool out of greens, leaving them to turn mushy and soupy. At Granddaddy’s Kitchen, they don’t, so the collards are still intact and have a deep flavor that reminds me of my ancestors. Their mac-n-cheese has never seen a box and is made with so much love you will never question God or SEC football again. The cornbread is what you expect from Meat and 3 restaurants. It’s straight from the pan and crumbles into your greens so that you can eat it the way the Lord intended.

Now here’s the meat of the matter. Pun intended. In our trips I’ve tried almost everything there and between me and my coworkers, we have eaten the whole menu. First, my favorite thing is their fried pork chop with gravy. To me this is one of the hardest things to do and get right. Friend, pork chops are difficult to make juicy and crunchy. Yet they do. Their fried chicken and gravy is the same way. A chicken breast so big you can see the DNA of the T-Rex beating in its heart. Now not everything is fried. They also have grilled items, as well as grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with some serious chili. For the kids, they have chicken tenders that even my buddy Brandon couldn’t finish after a cold morning of fishing and posing for magazines.

Y’all, small restaurants that still know how to make good food and serve you with love and care are dwindling. There’s still places like this around, but you must search for them. There’s Pansy’s over in Louisville, The Cloverleaf in Dublin, The Bears Den in Macon, Beautiful Restaurant on Cascade Road in Atlanta, and Mamie’s Kitchen in Covington. I hear good things about Peggy’s in Wrens and Richards in Elberton. I hope you folks will go out and try some of these places. In fact, ya’ll send me the names of restaurants you love. After almost 30 years on the road, I know a ton of places and really rarely know the names. I just know where they are and when they are open deep in my soul… It’s called fat boy intuition.

Tight lines and following seas y’all!