Countryside Cafe crew (Photo by Mark Gilliland)More Info
COUNTRYSIDE CAFEAddress: 8223 Mahan Gap RoadHours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. SundayPhone: 423-344-8646
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This spring, Countryside Cafe is hosting a number of giveaways, including gift cards, family feasts and even cash. Stop by for more information. But don’t forget: Countryside will be closed on Easter Sunday.
The deliciousness is in the details at Countryside Cafe — and that is what sets this long-lived, ever-evolving Southern restaurant apart.
While all of the Tennessee Valley is now ripe with strawberries, at Countryside diners will find springtime’s favorite fruit in fresh, creative recipes. Take its strawberry salad, for example, featuring ripe strawberries, blueberries, spinach and walnuts tossed with zesty, house-made vinaigrette.
“Tomatoes will be next,” said cafe owner Marlene Geren.
And tomatoes will be used in an array of Countryside’s recipes, including the refreshing tomato casserole.
“We use over 100 pounds of tomatoes a week, and even more when summer arrives,” Geren said.
But even when cooking in that high of quantities, Countryside doesn’t skimp on the delicious details it’s known for.
“I have to brag on our cooks,” Marlene said. “At any point of the day, our stove tops are busy with pots of macaroni and cheese; our ovens are busy with fresh cornbread, biscuits or rolls, along with casseroles as well as cobblers. We peel our own potatoes … and we prepare our own meatloaf, chicken and dressing, and chicken and dumplings the old-fashion way. Did I mention we cook all our desserts in-house?”
And those desserts include, of course, strawberry shortcake and strawberry cobbler, as well warm banana pudding and dozens more. Yes, all of the Tennessee Valley may be ripe, but at Countryside the flavor is a touch sweeter.