Roadfood_ Revised Edition - Jane Stern [102]
Dew Drop Inn
1808 Old Shell Rd.
334–473–7872
Mobile, AL
LD | $
Hot dogs and cheeseburgers are the main reasons to come to the Dew Drop Inn, but there is a whole large menu of po-boys, gumbo, Gulf shrimp, and hot dinners accompanied by such good vegetables as turnip greens and rice and gravy. Coca-Cola is served the true-South way, in its shapely classic bottle alongside a glass full of ice. Banana pudding is the choice dessert.
Mobile’s oldest restaurant (since 1924), the Dew Drop Inn is best known for hot dogs. In fact, local food historians believe that the hot dog was introduced to southern Alabama right here by original proprietor George Widney. Dew Drop dogs are so beloved by natives that the waitresses here tell tales of former Mobilians now living in Memphis, Louisville, and even farther north who return like exiles so they can weep for joy over plates of Dew Drop dogs. The hot dogs themselves are merely bright red steamed franks of medium size, but the presentation is awesome—in toasted buns, topped with cool sauerkraut, a moist layer of sweet beefy chili, mustard, ketchup, and a pickle slice. A minority of hot dog connoisseurs order them “upside down” (the dog sits atop the condiments) and it is also possible to get them “shaved” (without kraut). The same unusual chili can be used as a topping for Dew Drop cheeseburgers.
The setting is cool and comfy, a wood-paneled roadhouse of laminate tables with little flower arrangements in Coke bottles on partitions between booths. Service is speedy and there is no waiting for the check, which arrives with the meal.
Jackson’s Family Restaurant
234 Lime Quarry Rd.
256–772–0191
Madison, AL
BL | $
Halfway between Huntsville and Decatur, the small town of Madison is home to a great small-town restaurant. What a pleasure it is to ease into a Naugahyde booth and open up a menu to find a piece of paper clipped inside that lists all the various elements from which you can choose your fundamental southern plate lunch of meat-and-three. That means one meat and three vegetables from a choice that might include, among the former, country fried steak or barbecue, and among the latter, fried okra, vinegar slaw or mayo slaw, greens, beans, and hush puppies.
The star of the show is catfish, which is crusted with a fine, crumbly cornmeal coat and fried whole, meaning it is the customer’s task to pull succulent hunks of flavorful meat from the bones (mighty easy with catfish). You get two catfish per order, obligatory sides being hush puppies, coleslaw, and French fries. To drink: Coke or iced tea. And for dessert, you’ll want a slice of pie that is baked locally for the café, preferably either pecan or apple.
Meat-and-three is a ritual of lunchtime, but Jackson’s is also a terrific place for an early morning breakfast of country ham and biscuits, and on weekends, it is open for dinner and the menu expands to include grilled (not country-fried) steak and slow-baked potatoes.
Martin’s
1796 Carter Hill Rd.
334–265–1767
Montgomery, AL
LD | $
Oh, such biscuits begin supper at Martin’s! Warm, flaky-crusted with gossamer insides, they would be insulted by the use of butter. The only thing better than the biscuits is corn bread, in the form of soft-textured muffins, also warm.
The dinner menu at Martin’s is good-size, including such main-course choices as whole fried catfish, stuffed deviled crabs, and fried chicken livers. At lunch, choice is limited to daily specials: catfish fillets, smoked sausage, country-fried steak, chicken and dumplings. At either meal, you can count on a roster of side dishes that epitomize the southern way with vegetables: velvet-soft cooked cabbage, pot-likker-sopped collard greens, pole beans, buttery mashed potatoes, plus, of course, Jell-O salad in rainbow hues.
Of all the things to eat at Martin’s, the one essential, at lunch or supper, is fried chicken. Fried chicken has been the main reason Montgomery citizens have favored Martin’s for over half a century. It’s crisp gold