Cracker Barrel

In a word: Fixin' to eat some good home cookin'?

The specs: #0102
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; chain's official web site;

JM ate the pork chop dinner with mac & cheese, steak fries, biscuits and a lemonade.
John ate the barbecue meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes, fried okra, biscuits and dumplins. 
Nichole ate the chicken and dumplins with fried apples, fried okra, greens, and a side of grits.
Rose ate the beef stew with corn bread.
The bill was $32, or $8/person, plus tip. Thanks, Mom!
John gave Cracker Barrel an A-; JM gave Cracker Barrel a B+ (A- if we're eating with John); Rose gave Cracker Barrel a B; Nichole gave Cracker Barrel a C+ (was B- until she tried the leftovers in next day's lunch) (see our grading rubric).

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This was the first time some of us had been to this chain catering to travelers, especially those of the Southern persuasion. And it weren't too bad.

The service was very nice and a managerial-type fellow even strolled through the dining room and asked how things were. The tabletop puzzles kept us occupied.

Rose and Nichole found the food a little bland. The stew needed salt and pepper, while the chicken and dumplins were, well, flour-y. Which is not to say bad. The greens and okra could have stood a lot more flavor, maybe even some heat.

JM, on the other hand, liked his meal fine. The pork chop was tender and the biscuits excellent.  He likes to eat a lot of smaller portions than one big thing and, to that end, Cracker Barrel delivers fantastically (although there were so many dishes on our table it felt like Coreana 2.)

John liked Cracker Barrel best of all, opining that it takes him back to his youth "further south" (when he says those words, they almost rhyme). He loved the ambience and the huge amounts of good food. Plus, he wrote, "anything to support my hometown of Lebanon, TN. Go Blue Devils! I think!"