Review: North Carolina's Historic Restaurnats and their Recipes

North Carolina's Historic Restaurants and their
recipes by Dawn O'Brian c 1983 2nd edition

I got this one a few years ago while thrift shopping.
I had checked it out several times at the library and
was delighted to find it for a couple dollars.

This book includes information on 50 of NC's historical
restaurants. It includes a brief history and pen and ink
drawing for each place, and more than 150 recipes with
clear step by step instructions. From the coast to the
mountians, NC is blessed with restaurants steeped in
history and atmosphere.

I've had the pleasure of eating at three of the restaurants
that are included in this book one being the Dan'l Boone Inn
in Boone. This is definately not the place to eat if you're
on a diet. Meals are served family style, which means the
entire menu is placed upon your table in bowls or platters.
Then you decide what and how much to eat. Harold and I had
breakfast here once and they brought sausage, country ham,
bacon, grits, homefries, gravy, eggs, stewed apples, biscuits,
OJ and coffee. This area is close to the Blue Ridge Parkway
and other beautiful picnic places and according to the book
the Inn will even fix box lunches to go. Included in the box
lunches are two pieces of fried chicken, green beans, stewed
apples, two homemade country ham biscuits, two plain biscuits,
home baked cake, and a beverage. The recipes in the book from
the inn are Dan'l Boone Inn's Cranberry Relish, Prune Cake,
Stewed Apples, and Buttermilk Icing.

Another place from the book that I've had the pleasure of
eating at many times is the Greenfield Restaurant located
in West Jefferson. The school I work at has had our end of
year breakfast several times and once lunch here. This is
also the 1st restaurant that Harold and I ate at when we
started dating. This is mostly country style cooking and
you can choose to be served family style or order from
the menu. You can order a light fresh fruit salad or vegie
salad at lunch, and the management is happy to comply with
special dietary requirements at dinner if you give notice
before you go, however most people go to Greenfield for the
fried chicken, country ham and other simple, old-fashioned
foods for which the restaurant is famous. They also have
wonderful fish including trout and most are served either
fried or broiled. In addition to being served 3 meals a day
at Greenfield you can go camping, canoe, ride horseback,
hike and swim. On alternant Sat. nights in summer you can
attend an evening of square dancing or bluegrass music.
Recipes inclued in the book from Greenfield are their Bean
Casserole, Biscuits, and Rice & Pineapple.

The final place I've had the pleasure of dining many times
while growing up is Shatley Springs in Crumpler. This is
another family style restaurant where you sit down and the
table is loaded before you with country food. You choose
your drink and what kind of cobbler for dessert and whether
you want it with homemade ice cream or plain. They bring
platters of fried chicken, country ham and all the trimmings
including biscuits and corn bread. You can even take home
some of their Spring water or cured country hams. Recipes
from the restaurant included are their coleslaw, creamed
potatoes and rhubarb cobbler. You won't get a recipe for
their famous fried chicken since not even many of the people
who work there know what it is.

There are several other places in this book I've planned to
eat but haven't yet. One I hope to eat at soon is Salem
Tavern in Winston-Salem which happens to be located in the
same restored historial village where my daughter attended and graguated from
Salem College is. The Moravians, a devout Germanic
people, immigrated to Pennsylvania to escape religious
persecution in the 1730's. A segment of these people
migrated to NC in 1753 and eventually built a planned
community (including one of the first women's colleges).

At Salem Tavern you sit in Windsor chairs at tables set with
pewter plates and are served by waiters and waitresses in
period costumes. I've been told their chicken pie is delicious
as are many of their other dishes. Recipes included are Salem
Tavern's Hollandaise Sauce, Wiener Schnitzel Holstein, Paprika
Cream Sauce, and Corny Corn Bread.