Barnsley serving Sunday dinner

I KNOW JUST from hearing from some of you how much you enjoy a nice Sunday drive, particularly in the spring when the weather starts showing signs of warmth and change. So head south on I-75 about an hour to Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Ga., where Sunday lunch will be served beginning May 3. The menu will be served family-style and will be complete with all the fixings that make Southern fare a memorable meal.

Cost is $19.95 for adults, $12.95 for children 6-12. Not a bad deal for a family.

Once you’ve finished lunch, there are lawn games to play and strolls through the gardens and grounds to be made. Don’t forget to tour the ruins of the Barnsley mansion. I hear they’re haunted.

For reservations, call 770-773-7480.

LAST WEEK I received an anonymous letter complaining about restaurants here in Chattanooga, as well as telling me I must have “completely lost (my) tastebuds” for a review I’d written about a local establishment.

Judging from the handwriting, I’d say the missive was penned by a woman. Judging from the tone, she couldn’t have been more displeased with her meal at the restaurant I’d recommended. On her visit, the potatoes were watery, the green beans tasted as if they’d been dumped from a can, and the grilled chicken fingers were merely “eatable” (edible).

As I’ve said before, restaurant reviews are a personal thing, and food/service at any restaurant can change from day to day. I can only vouch for what I ordered. I didn’t have the potatoes or the green beans. And I had the fried chicken tenders, not grilled. I stand by my review that the fried chicken tenders were among the best I’ve ever had. My greens were fresh and very good, as were the fried green tomatoes. The coleslaw was OK.

Ms. Anonymous went on to say that the city has “very few good restaurants.” Even the private clubs, she added, “have mediocre food.”

She’s longing for a return to the Green Room, once a hallmark of dining in the Read House. I remember the Green Room. Yes, it was a nice place and at one time the only nice place in town to take guests.

But now we have a slew of good places. I always recommend Back Inn Cafe, Hennen’s, Blue Plate Diner, 212 Market, St. John’s, Niko’s Southside, Market Street Tavern, Broad Street Grille, Blue Orleans and Terminal BrewHouse, among others. All give good service, good food and a different dining experience.

Another complaint from the writer about local restaurants was that “most have teenage cooks.”

Not a single one of the aforementioned restaurants has a cook that young. In fact, I don’t know of any teenagers cooking in local kitchens.

This is 2009, and dining has changed, as have menus. We’re seeing a focus on local ingredients, and most privately owned restaurants are joining the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign.

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the letter because it really got me thinking about how far Chattanooga restaurants have come since the dearth of eateries in the 1950s and ’60s and the fern-bar restaurants of the 1970s.

Still, I think saying Chattanooga has few good restaurants is totally off-base.

I’d like to know more about the letter writer’s preferences. I invite her to call me at 757-6285, and we’ll do lunch.

OFF THE BOOKSHELF:

Readers have come to really enjoy Relish, a special pullout food section that appears in our paper once a month. Now, the editors of Relish have released “The Best of Relish Cookbook: Celebrating America’s Love of Food” (The Countryman Press, $24.95).

This is the kind of cookbook I like. First, it’s filled with pictures. Don’t you find it easier to make a new dish when you know what it’s supposed to look like? Most importantly, these are recipes we would all most likely make. No fancy-shmancy foods, just ones that everyday cooks might enjoy trying, like lasagna with cheddar cheese, giving you a break from ricotta. Or this yummy chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. I might even double up on the frosting, just for good measure. This is the kind of cake that will be perfect for upcoming potluck dinners and family reunions.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Cake:

Cooking spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 /4 cup granulated sugar

3 /4 cup packed brown sugar 2 /3 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 1 /2 teaspoons baking

powder 1 1 /2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 /2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup boiling water Frosting: 5 tablespoons butter,

softened 1 1 /2 cups plus 2 tablespoons

powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup smooth peanut

butter 2-5 tablespoons 2 percent

milk

Heat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. To prepare cake, combine flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat vigorously with a whisk until smooth. Stir in boiling water; pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer on medium speed to combine. Add peanut butter; beat till smooth. Gradually add 2 tablespoons milk, beating until very creamy. Add up to 3 tablespoons additional milk, if necessary, to achieve desired consistency. Spread frosting over cooled cake.

E-mail Anne Braly at abraly@ timesfreepress.com.