Anonymous wrote:Tom Siestema reviewed chain restaurants in 2017 and said Cracker Barrel was the best:
1. Cracker Barrel
Grade: A
Especially after eating a lot of food that tasted as if it came from a factory rather than a kitchen, it was clear: No other chain restaurant in my months-long survey comes as close to home cooking as this operation. If the chicken dumplings are a little doughy and the corn bread muffins prove a tad salty, just about everything else that crossed my lips in this barn-size dining room dressed with lanterns and license plates is something I’d be happy to try again. Seconds, please, of the tasty meatloaf streaked with vegetables, tender roast beef with peppery brown gravy, and lemony, skin-on trout fillets, a weekly special. You don’t have to eat rich here; a side of fruit brims with fresh pineapple, blackberries and blueberries, although the not-too-sweet pecan pie is worth the detour from any diet.
The all-American food is only part of Cracker Barrel’s charm. To reach the restaurant proper, you cross a porch set with rocking chairs (they’re for sale) and pass through a folksy retail store peddling candy, regional sodas, clothing, toys and Gwen Stefani’s Christmas release. Country music and a crackling fire — you read that right, the restaurant comes with a hearth — right any wrong you may have suffered that day, and the service couldn’t be more personable. Is the welcome mat out for everyone? An unfortunate history of corporate racism and discrimination has been addressed in recent years with inclusive declarations on the company’s website. An imbiber’s regret: no wine or beer to enjoy with my meals. Soda glasses are refilled without your having to ask, requests are met with “yes, sir” or “ma’am,” and should staff members see you struggling with a bag of leftovers, they rush over to help. Yes, I take what I can’t finish home with me. And every bite of those thin, well-seasoned pork chops, part of a “country boy” platter with fried apples and cheesy hash browns, makes me think of my grandmother — a feat matched by no other chain in my survey.
All that and hardened arteries.