You will feel the love at the Loveless Cafe in Nashville

Nashville has many wonderful places to dine. Music City will not leaving you wanting when it comes to great food. For a taste of downhome Southern cooking at its best, it is hard to be the Loveless Café. 

You will find out right away that there is no lack of love in the cooking at this small out of the way café which has defied the odds and provided great meals for more than 60 years. Generations have called this iconic café home when it comes to dining.


The loss of the face of the Loveless Café, Carol Fay Ellison in 2010 was a loss felt by the entire city and beyond but you can expect to taste her memory very much alive in the food that is being served at the café. One bite of the delectable biscuit will have you convinced that she is still very much here in the cooking. The biscuits are the best I have ever eaten and I challenge you to come and compare them to any you consider to be the best.

I also fell in love with the jam and when you combine the two, you have created a little bit of heaven in a bite. When I tell you this is even better than my mama’s biscuits, that says a lot. The best news of all is that if you go there and fall in love with their preserves, you can order them online. I loved the chunky peach and the blackberry particularly.

When it comes to dining, you can choose to order straight off the menu or have a family style meal. 

We were a large group, about 20 people and our large table was served family style. The plates just kept coming, the fried chicken, fried catfish, creamed corn, hush puppies, country ham and more. The way the family meal works it is all you can eat and the food is served in large platter to share.

You have a choice of which of the proteins they serve and then the sides. It is priced by the number of each that you order. Take your time and enjoy the food, there is no rush even if there is a line going out the door, which there was when we arrived. A reservation is a must. If you prefer, you can have a meat and three which is a Nashville staple.

Dessert is another adventure, try to save room. They make a homemade from scratch, banana pudding. There is no way to describe this pudding except to say it is decadently delicious. A wide selection of homemade pies are on display in the case in the front room as you enter the restaurant. I also took a small taste of the cherry pie which was also very near perfect with a flaky crust and a tart cherry filling.

Before or after your meal you can go across the parking lot to the motel shops. This is the place to pick up the items that you want to take home. They sell hams, preserves and more. The Loveless Cafe is one Nashville institution you should not miss.

Sunday Lunch at the Dartbridge Inn Buckfastleigh, Devon

One of the truly wonderful things about visiting and dining in England is the Sunday dinner. It can be found at any number of places. You would expect to find a good Sunday dinner at a fancy restaurant but truth be told; the best dinners are at country pubs and inns. If you have the impression that food in England is bland and over cooked, it is time to rethink that myth.

When we are visiting England, which we do with great frequency, we go out of our way to find a great Sunday dinner. Sometimes we find a carvery style of dining which is basically a buffet where different meats are carved for you and the sides and sauces that accompany them are also available.

A typical one might have a roast of beef, then roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted root vegetables and great beef gravy. It can also be lamb, pork and chicken or turkey.

On this particular Sunday we had been driving around in Devon and were on our way back to our bed and breakfast. We were hungry and we knew it was getting pretty late to find a good place to eat. We passed up a pub in the town of Paignton and as soon as we had regretted it because we never saw another place for miles.

Just when we thought we were going to have to settle we came upon the Dartbridge Inn Buckfastleigh Devon. It is a very typical looking British country inn, white and black and looking hundreds of years old. The parking lot still had a lot of cars so we were pretty confident that there was still food to be had.

The Dartridge Inn also offers lodging. It has a storybook appearance. Going inside didn't dispel the image at all. It was a bit of a faded gem with the bar area as soon as you enter. Keep going through the restaurant is in the back. The tables are numbered. The special are on a board on the wall and over the fireplace.

There are also menus on the table. Decide what it is that you want and then go back to the bar and tell the barman what you prefer. Let him know what your table number is so that your food can be delivered to the correct place. You can also give him your drink order.

The Dartbridge Inn had the usually Sunday dinner choices and we opted to try two roast beefs and one lamb dinner. It took a while but when the plates were delivered they made the wait worthwhile. The plates were heaping with slices of meat, a lovely big Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, carrots and gravy. With the addition of horseradish, it was just this side of fabulous. The meat was far from well done and had great flavor.

The dining room was filled with people of all ages from family groups to seniors. It was a cozy and comfortable place. We really wished that we had room to try ones f their puddings but we didn't. I would come here again if we are ever driving through Devon, I actually would like to try staying here. I highly recommend the Dartbridge Inn. On the way out, stop by at the bar again and pay for your meal. You will be amazed at what a good value it is.

Sammy's Italian Restarant Ocala, Fl.

There is no shortage of Italian restaurants in Ocala. Being from Connecticut we’re are used to good Italian food since we have a large Italian American population in our state. Finding a favorite restaurant takes time and patience but we have found several that remind us of home. Our favorite is Sammy’s.

Sammy is an Italian born New Yorker whose father had opened a restaurant in Brooklyn where he learned about Italian cooking. After coming south to vacation for several years he decided Ocala was where he wanted to open his own restaurant, we are very glad that he did.

If you are looking for fancy, keep on looking. This is a local restaurant and very popular. No tablecloths, paper napkins and a casual atmosphere. The food however is reasonably priced, generous and delicious and the greeting and service is always friendly.

Pizza is very popular here and they call it a pie. You have a choice of New York style or Sicilian. You can also have a calzone, stromboli, hot or cold Italian sandwiches, salads and generous entrees.

I have fallen in love with a special made with sausage, peppers and onions with a light olive oil sauce over penne. It is delicious and served with a side salad and a basket of warm bread. My husband likes their penne with meat sauce. Both entrees are generous enough to provide leftovers.

We have taken to arriving at off times to avoid the crowd and be assured, this place is not a secret and if you wait until 5:30 p.m. you may have to wait for a seat. Last night a huge party had reserved the second dining room so it was crowded even a 4:45.

If you like to quilt or thrift shop, you may want to come a little early and have lunch and do some shopping or do some shopping and have an early dinner. Jasmine Plaza has the Hospice Thrift Shops and an absolutely wonderful quilt shop.

If you are looking for a restaurant with very good food, where you will be welcomed and treated like a member of the family, I highly recommend Sammy’s on Route 200.

Review: Chobani Flip Almond Coco Loco

If you love Greek Yogurt and you love an Almond Joy, then I am convinced that you will also love Chobani Almond Coco Loco, If you haven't tried a flip it is in a square container and when you take off the lid there are two compartments inside. one has the coconut yogurt and the other has the chocolate and almonds.

You "flip" the chocolate bits and almonds into the yogurt, stir and enjoy. There are 240 calories which may seem like a lot but it has 12g of protein and 3g of fiber. I love them, they are creamy, not too sweet and feel as decadent as eating an Almond Joy without any of the guilt.