Countryside Cafe deserves its many accolades

Italian creme cake at Countryside Café. (Photo by Mark Gilliland)
Italian creme cake at Countryside Café. (Photo by Mark Gilliland)

Did you know?

Countryside Café caters, offering all its wholesomeness to go. Full-service catering is available, as well as pickup and drop off options. Custom menus are available; so whether you need pans of roasted vegetables or buttery pastas, Countryside has you covered.

COUNTRYSIDE CAFÉ

Address: 8223 Mahan Gap RoadHours: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Phone: 423-344-8646

On a cold, gray afternoon, nothing tastes better than a hot-from-the-stove cup of vegetable soup. This was my revelation during a recent trip to Countryside Café . Or, "the award-winning Countryside Café," I could say - though the crew's new T-shirts do a fine job of getting the information across to customers.

The restaurant's fifth-place win in a statewide survey for best banana pudding, and the restaurant's classification as one of the "100 places to eat in the South before you die," are just a couple of the restaurant's accolades represented on the back of each worker's mauve-colored T-shirt.

Countryside's award-winning history is evidence that the restaurant's versatile menu appeals to the masses.

"People are different," said owner Marlene Geren. "They taste food differently. This is a great place to accommodate all sorts of diets: low-carb, Paleo, Mediterranean, for example."

Alongside the vegetable soup, I ordered a side of Brussels sprouts and new potatoes, two dishes boasting more flavor than one may imagine. The Brussels sprouts were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The potatoes were so tender I used them to sop up the last of my soup broth. It was truly a meal to feel good about.

To further help its guests' health goals, every week throughout January, Countryside is giving away a six-month membership to Fit One Gym in Ooltewah. Drawings are held every Saturday. Diners may add their names to the hat each time they visit the café.

And during those visits, be sure to "check in" at the café on Facebook. Then show your phone to the clerk at the register, which will score you a free dessert, such as a chocolate chip cookie or a brownie. After all, eating healthy is important - but so are sweet rewards.

Address: 8223 Mahan Gap Road

Hours: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Phone: 423-344-8646

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