In this
posting, we checked out a small local Farmer’s Market and we revisited 2 of our
favorite local places for a casual meal…
This is
the former combination Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot in Greenback
Tennessee. It was built in 1914 and it
served rail freight and passengers in the area until 1954. It was restored for use as a community events
center in the early 2010's and it was listed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 2013. It was a rainy day so I stayed under cover...
In this
instance the community event was the weekly (in season) Farmer’s Market which
takes place on Tuesdays from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Since
we visited the market in mid-May, available produce was minimal. Most of the market’s offerings consisted of handicrafts
and miscellaneous food items.
Love
the original old wide plank floors! This
is the upper level of the depot where the freight was handled. It was higher than the passenger section so
that freight cars could be loaded directly from the depot through the building’s
sliding freight door.
One
vendor on this level was selling various types of lettuce and mixes of them as well. The lady at the lower left was selling ready
to eat pierogi, (aka pirogi, pirohy, pyrohy, or varenyky), and apple
turnovers. We bought 2 of varenyky for
later. They were pretty tasty too…
This is
the lower portion of the depot… The passenger area was in this half of the
building. Most of the walls have been
removed. The space was originally
divided into three sections: the colored waiting room in the southeast corner
(still enclosed at the upper left), the general waiting room in the southwest
corner, and the ticket agent's office adjacent to the waiting rooms. A baggage area was positioned between the
ticket office and the freight area.
Another
lady on the lower level was selling bread and sweet rolls.
We bought a loaf of bread for the freezer as well as a loaf of cinnamon bread. It was very tasty! We did manage to avoid the sweet rolls…
William H. Jones, a Loudon County court clerk and local businessman, served as Greenback's station agent from 1910 until his death in 1954. This included the entire period that the depot building was in use for its original purpose. Along with selling train tickets, Jones issued hunting, fishing and marriage licenses from his depot office. As a county official, he officiated at more than 3,500 marriage ceremonies, many of them in the depot. By the early 1950s, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad had ceased passenger service at Greenback, and operated only two freight lines a week to the town. After Jones's death in 1954, the railroad closed the depot.
This is
a close up of the items for sale at a booth selling handmade jewelry. It was at north end of the market on the upper or freight level. There were some nice imaginative creations…but
Laurie resisted temptation!
This is
a view of ‘downtown’ Greenback Tennessee from the cover of the overhanging roof on other side of the depot. Greenback has a population of around
1,100. The town was founded in
1883. By the late 1890s, Greenback had
three stores, a barbershop, blacksmith shop, school, livery stables, a hotel,
and two baseball teams (segregated between white and black players).
The building
behind that red SUV on the street is the Greenback Drug Company. It opened in 1923. The drugstore is long gone but the building has
served as a community restaurant and diner for the past few decades. Locals
still call it "the drugstore" and meet there for food and socializing.
Factoid: In 2011, H and R Block featured Greenback
in its national advertising campaign. The
campaign, known as "Greenbacks for Greenback," included a review of
many of the citizens' taxes - a program H and R Block calls "second
look." The campaign saved locals
more than $14,000 in taxes. The savings
were revealed in a celebration with the community at Greenback School. Television,
radio and print advertising featured the Greenback Depot, the Greenback
Drugstore/Diner, Greenback School and the Greenback Historical Society as well
as many people who call Greenback home.
Now on
to recent experiences at a couple of local restaurants…
First,
there was a return to China Pearl in Farragut Tennessee. The Crab Rangoon ($5.75) were very nice. They are one of Laurie’s favorite Asian
appetizers.
I
continue to be boring when I dine in Chinese restaurants. I don’t like a lot of onion (texture issue)
and I don’t like bell peppers or mushrooms.
I tend to play it safe. This was
my order of General Tso’s Chicken with broccoli. ($11.25) I asked for it ‘extra spicy’ and the chef
obliged. It was just right!
This
was Laurie’s Chicken in Szechuan Sauce. ($10.50) She likes it spicy too. One of the reasons she ordered this dish is
that it had celery in it…and one of her favorite Szechuan Chinese chicken
dishes back up in Mt. Prospect Illinois also featured celery.
Laurie plated her Chicken in Szechuan sauce with part of our big bowl of rice so she
could take this photo.
We both
really like the food at China Pearl. It
is under new ownership and everything has improved…the menu, food and service. China Pearl Restaurant is in the Kroger
Shopping Center right off of Kingston Pike (US Hwy 11) at 115 Brooklawn Street
in Farragut Tennessee. Phone:
865-966-6936. Website: http://www.chinapearlknoxville.com/.
Our
next stop was at Fat Stacks Restaurant in Madisonville Tennessee. One reason that we love Fat Stacks is that
they serve breakfast anytime! This time
we were accompanied by friends and first time Fat Stacks diners Bev and
Larry. I will admit that I got a little
nervous when they went for Tex-Mex style breakfasts. After all, this is a local restaurant in
Eastern Tennessee. I didn’t know what to
expect…
This
was Bev’s Breakfast Fajita. I don’t eat
chunks of onion or green peppers so I would never order this. However, both Bev and Larry love Mexican
influenced breakfasts. Much to our
relief, Bev thought that this was pretty darn good!
Larry
ordered the Breakfast Burrito. It’s all
about the egg, beef, cheese and hash brown potato filling. Larry said it was very good and I will admit
that I might just give it a try the next time we stop at Fat Stacks. I would add an over easy fried egg on top!
Laurie
went for her standard breakfast but I ordered this hand-formed juicy
cheeseburger. I’d seen other diners
order some good looking burgers and I thought that it was time for me to give
one a try. It was very good!
It’s
hard to beat the value and the quality of the food at Fat Stacks. I didn’t record the prices from this meal but
on a previous visit Laurie ordered the Patty Melt with a 6 oz. super burger
patty. ($5.00) With the fries, her meal totaled $6.00! Fat Stacks is located at 4915 New Tennessee
Highway 68 in Madisonville Tennessee. Phone: 423-545-9540. Fat
Stack Restaurant is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Fat-Stacks-307184836304169/.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
I love Farmer's Markets, Dave! And the dishes look very nice! I love your posts. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWe have have since returned to Fat Stack's for another good meal
ReplyDelete