2 Edgewood Drive

Butler, Georgia 31006-5743

(478) 862-2445

Georgia Fried Chicken Sign

Traveling west of Fort Valley, Georgia on the way to Columbus I saw the sign for Georgia Fried Chicken. Just the thought of some good homestyle fried chicken for lunch peaked my interest. As I drove around the building looking for the proper entrance and parking lot I finally found the door and the parking lot. Walking up I could see the outdoor patio seating for up to 50 or so people. I walk past the copper rooster into the restaurant and walk to the counter, not knowing that I was to find a seat. The two waitresses that were on the clock on this day were kind but not gonna go out of their way to be too helpful.

Dining Room

In the middle of the dining room is where I decide to take a seat. My server (actually who I thought was my server) asks me about what I would like to drink. My first thoughts were to get a Diet Coke but opted for the water as to the fact that I did not want to spend two dollars for a drink. After sitting there for a while I was then approached by another server who had even less desire to be there than the other one. She was there specifically to take my order and I was glad to see the fried chicken on the special. Along with the option of pork chops and various veggies that included mac n cheese, coleslaw, and beans. My order was the fried chicken white meat, squash, and the broccoli cheese and rice casserole.

Menu

For the next few moments I sat there and listened to local hunters as they talked about each of their adventures. When you pull into the lot there is a large sign letting you know that HUNTERS ARE WELCOME. Since I am not a hunter I was oblivious to some of the terminology that was being used. Luckily my food came soon. However, after really thinking about it, I do not think I was that lucky after all. The chicken was o.k. but really greasy, I mean really greasy. My squash was, well, it was bad, I mean really bad. If you want an onions with a little bit of squash casserole then this is the place for you. The broccoli casserole was very good though. The waitress had asked me if I wanted the cornbread or the biscuit. So, I asked her which one is better, her suggestion was the biscuit. When I touched the biscuit it split perfectly in the middle. Thus letting me know that they were not homemade but either straight from a can or frozen. Not letting this deter me I decided to eat the biscuit anyway. In the long run I wish I hadn’t. I ate as much of it as I could and left over half of it on the plate.

Chicken Dinner

The servers never came back to my table and never offered to refill my water or a box for my leftovers to go. The other tables there were being served and had food that was not on the special, and those plates looked very good. Stuffed potatoes with BBQ and the burgers which were all about 7 bucks looked very good. If I lived in the area I would hope that the other items are better than the item that is featured in the company’s name of Georgia Fried Chicken. They do offer a kids menu with all items in the 4 dollar range. As I went to leave I asked for a take out menu and they actually looked lost, it was kind of funny. They do have drive thru, but I challenge you to try either the potato or a burger instead of the chicken.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

1312 Newcastle Street

Brunswick, Georgia 31520

(912) 267-5630

Jim's Store Front

On a trip to visit family we decided to take a detour to see the city known as Historic Brunswick, Georgia.  On this journey we find almost no places to grab breakfast in the downtown area. Near the end of the downtown area is a little place called Jim’s Corner Cafe Dessert Bar. The building is very old, I am guessing from the early 1900’s. You really do get the feel of stepping back in time as you grab your table in the cafe. Seating is limited in this charming cafe, with only a few tables and chairs, and no booths. Lighting is a little bit dimmer than that of most places but it is a historic building and not so dark that it is an inconvenience.

Jim's Dining Room

The gentleman that was waiting on tables this morning was very nice and quick to help us. He gave us the menus and it did not take us long to decide on the omelets. When it comes to the breakfast items they are a little bit limited on the choices but not so much that you can’t find something. The omelets are priced as most places are in the $6 to $7 range or you can choose a cheese omelet for just over $5. What I was looking for was the Ham and Cheese omelet with biscuits. In my quick response I ask the young man if they have a side of gravy so I can make me a plate of biscuit and gravy too. He checks with the kitchen and they can do it, yay me!

Pie's Breakfast

While waiting for the food I am soaking in the atmosphere of what was either an old drugstore or maybe a grocery store. The place was pretty well filled with customers and when I asked the waiter if Jim was a real person he said yes that he had been in the back of the dining room for the first few minutes that we were there. Just a few moments later our food arrived and quite possibly the fluffiest omelets I have ever seen. They were almost like a piece of culinary art. Not to forget the biscuits were huge! A few minutes later the waiter brought me a side of gravy to pour over my biscuits. This was a perfect breakfast with a cook that knows what to do in the kitchen. As a matter of fact I cannot rave on the omelet or the biscuits and gravy any more than to say it was fantastic. If not for Jim’s Corner Cafe Dessert Bar being over an hour away and also the smell of the paper mill in Brunswick we would make this place a regular stop. Apparently this is a regular stop for those who go to the resort areas of St Simons or Jeckyll Island.

Rhonette's Breakfast

Upon receiving our bill we were offered drinks to go, which we decided not to get. The bill however was a bit of a shock to me, due to the fact that they did not give me a side of gravy. Instead I was charged for a full order of biscuits and gravy. It is one of those things that I look at and say, that meal was fantastic I just won’t order the gravy next time. If you find yourself in Brunswick then swing through the downtown area for a meal. They are closed on Mondays but offer breakfast and lunch all the other days of the week. With a menu that offers burgers, sandwiches, soups, and pastas that all range from $6 to no more than $9 you have you pick of what has proved to me a great meal.

Front of Jim's Menu

Review by Pie, email: pie@piesplate.com

Aspen’s Mountain Grill

5700 Hwy 354

Pine Mountain,GA 31822

(706) 663-2001

Aspen's Mountain Grill

One of the friendliest little towns that I have experienced, (in recent memory) is the small village of Pine Mountain, Georgia. While driving through I had the need for a good clean room and a meal. So, I put down my passenger window and asked a gentleman walking up to a local art gallery a couple of questions. First question was if he was either from the area or at least familiar with the town. He said yes…we are off to a good start. The next question was for a room for the night, maybe a bed and breakfast or something that is not a chain. When traveling I am trying to help the ‘little man’ if I can. This nice man started telling me the best options for me to stay and oh by the way, he wanted to make sure that he introduced himself to me and shake my hand so as not to be speaking to a stranger. We ought not talk to strangers ya know. After he directs me to the inn that I decide upon, he asks me if I am hungry. In his words ‘Have ya had a meal tonight?’, If not the place you should go to is just down the street on the corner named Aspen’s Mountain Grill. He also lets me know of the gallery opening as other events and things to do, but I am ready for a meal and a bed.

Cozy Fire

After I go and check into the country style motel a couple of miles out of town I make the drive back to Aspen’s Mountain Grill which is very close to the entrance to Callaway Gardens. This brings much tourism to the area, yet Pine Mountain is not a typical tourist town. There are no souvenir traps, Ripley’s, or trolley rides, just a good country town. As soon as I walk up the steps and into Aspen’s Mountain Grill I am greeted by a sweet young Georgia girl with the southern drawl that is slowly disappearing from the south. She grabs a menu and sits me next to the fireplace which is warm, inviting, and comforting for this rather cold December night. With the flames warming my back I look over the diverse menu. The menu is not too extensive but if you can’t find something to eat at Aspen’s Mountain Gill, I question your pickiness. With appetizers covering everything from chili, nachos, onion rings, sweet potato fries and the item I decided to try in the strange sounding but good collard greens, smoked turkey, and cream cheese dip. This is a creative item that Aspen’s Mountain Grill claims as their own. It is served in a large side dish with thick chunks of turkey, strips of collard greens, and cream cheese melted over it. Using the freshly made wonton chips to eat this I realize that this is the strangest combo but really good. For only $6.95 I was already impressed.

The rest of the menu will take you from salads that have either chicken, steak, or even lobster. All of the salads are over eight bucks each but look fantastic. Fearing that this could be a very expensive place I looked on into the menu and saw burgers and flat breads in the seven dollar range. This particular night I was more interested in a main course item or as the menu says Aspen’s Mountain Specialties. Under Aspen’s Specialties the options include steak tips, rib eye, pork chops, chicken fingers, trout, and the meal that peaked my interest is the seared shrimp and white cheddar grits. My meal was one of the more expensive items on the menu but with the range of items from $9.95 to $18.95 on the specialties menu, you do have a good list of options to satisfy most any palate. 

Shrimp Grits Meal

My server let me know that she was going to put my main order in just a little bit later so I was not sitting there with both my appetizer and my meal at the same time. This is a gift that few servers understand. So Nicole gets bonus points for that. It was almost the exact same time that I was finished with my last bite of the creative and flavorful dip that my meal was ready. If you have been to the low country of South Carolina then eating shrimp and grits is nothing new to you. However, this was a different dish than the shrimp and grits that you find in SC. According to the menu at Aspen’s the meal is served in a Cajun cream sauce. To me Cajun means a little bit of kick. Sort of a spice or something, but not in this meal. The shrimp and grits in S.C. feature a Tasso sauce that is fantastic but the Cajun sauce here does not match up. Now that I have totally degraded the meal I must let you know that it was good. I would recommend it to anyone and would order it again the next time I am there. It was just not what I expected from the description on the menu. My sides that I ordered were an extra side of the white cheddar grits and the sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms were great and I actually put them in my shrimp and grits bowl. The side of grits I ate separately and did enjoy them very much with some salt and butter.

Store Front Window

Nicole was very good and kept my water filled and checked on me regularly. But, even though she was sweet and kind and attentive and all the wonderful things you look for in a server. There is an issue that I need to point out. After I had placed my order I overheard another server telling the table near me of the special of the night. I was not given this info or told about the homemade soup that was available. Also I decided to order a hot chocolate to go for my dessert. Nicole forgot to tell me that there was the option for desserts as well. Don’t get me wrong, she was great and knows how to wait on tables but there are a few things to tweak. All of the servers there were sweet and went out of their way to help everyone, even when a family that was ignoring the fact that the toddler that they had under the table was screaming and making things uncomfortable for everyone in there. One of the servers saw this as her way to make things better and went to pick up the little one. The family said ‘oh just let her carry on cause she does that’. This server knew that something had to be done, thank you oh random waitress. I do look forward to the next time that I am in the Pine Mountain, Georgia area and will stop into Aspen’s Mountain Grill again.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com