Family restaurants draw locals in Polk County seat

BENTON, Tenn. — The town’s just over two square miles in size, according to the U.S. Census. The downtown area along Highway 411 is small enough that chain restaurants do not dominate the skyline. Instead, you’ll find mom-and-pop-style eateries filled with locals as well as “leaf lookers who come in the fall,” said Eddie Sloan, owner of Tin Roof Sub Shop. Here are four places you might want to remember if you’re in the area for leaf watching or riding the rapids on the nearby Ocoee River.

El Poblano

El Poblano, a tiny, green-painted restaurant with a gravel parking lot, is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it place for those not familiar with the area, but locals know it’s the only near-authentic south-of-the-border restaurant in this western neck of Polk County.

“We have a lot of rafters who come here during rafting season, too,” said Carolina Reyna, who’s worked at the Highway 411 restaurant since it opened almost two years ago.

This is the kind of Mexican restaurant that offers the expected tacos, chimichangas, burritos, enchiladas and the like. But the kitchen also puts the wow factor in such dishes as Parilla Azteca, a beautiful presentation of fajitas for two with towering skewers of grilled shrimp, as well as the Fiesta Platter, an appetizer-turned-entree heaped with nachos, taquitos, quesadilla and salad.

The decor is simple, with colorful sombreros and Mexican blankets decorating the walls. A deck with tables and a couple of umbrellas allow for dining outside when weather permits.

You’ll walk out the door thinking “muy bueno” (very good).

Kathy’s Cownty Kitchen

It’s all about country cooking and family atmosphere at this restaurant, which is decorated with cows throughout — from the kitchen to the bathrooms, floor to ceiling.

“My husband said he was glad to finally get the cows out of the house,” said owner Kathy Hicks.

Kathy’s is slightly off the beaten path, sitting high on a hill beneath massive old oaks. You’ll take a right at the only red light in town, then turn up the hill once you’ve passed the laundromat. The mailbox out front will let you know you’ve arrived.

For the early-morning drill, plates are filled to overflowing with omelets, eggs, country ham, pancakes and French toast. The lunch hour ushers in such favorites as the patty melt, homemade chicken salad sandwich, bacon cheeseburger with fries and the meats and veggies of the day.

Though there’s no set schedule for many of the specials, Wednesday’s made-from-scratch chicken casserole and Friday’s fried Alaskan pollock, barbecued pork, taco salad and hamburger steak attract throngs of folks.

It’s a favorite place for local groups, including the West Polk County Fire and Rescue Squad, which has dubbed the restaurant “Station 8.”

“Everyone feels like they’re at home when they eat here,” Hicks said.

Lottie’s Diner

The sign out front along Highway 411 advertises the house specialty: big, fluffy “cathead” biscuits made from scratch every day.

You can have them slathered with butter and jelly or country gravy. Or add a gigantic Western omelet on the side, and you won’t need another bite till sundown. At which point you may want to head back to Lottie’s for country-fried steak, chicken livers, fried flounder or the pork chop platter, just a few of the specialties of the grill.

Robert and Lottie Theros opened their roadside diner five years ago.

“Momma started out making the biscuits,” Lottie Theros said. “Then I took over when she could no longer cook them. And people come from out of town just to see what a cathead biscuit looks like.”

“We have one man who comes from Blue Ridge, Ga., every month to pick up a dozen,” said April Dodson, who’s worked at Lottie’s for the past four years.

“We get people from Cincinnati who come down to visit friends, but they say they also come to eat here,” added Dodson’s co-worker, Cathy Riffey, as Dodson pointed to a Canadian $5 bill mounted on the wall and signed by some of the diner’s international patrons.

Tin Roof Sub Shop

Eddie Sloan had had enough of the corporate food world, having been an executive chef for a large corporate food service for years.

“I decided I wanted to do my own thing,” he said. Six months ago, he opened a sub shop along Highway 411 with business partner Gary Rogers.

The two prepare at least five soups and chili from scratch each day to serve on the all-you-can-eat soup bar. You can enjoy one with a baked potato and salad if you want. Or sidle up to the counter to have a sandwich prepared. Meats include turkey, meatballs and mesquite chicken. Reubens and Philly cheesesteaks are the top sellers, Sloan said. The Italian sub, made with capicollo, ham and salami, is another house favorite.

The restaurant is just a simple cinderblock with a tin roof. Any given lunch hour, the place is packed and the phone rings with takeout orders.