T-Rays Burger Station: a taste of Americana

 

T-Rays Burger Station

 

First the essentials, for my three faithful readers who have millisecond attention spans unless whiskey is being poured.

 

Open six days a week, 0700 to 1400.  For readers who are unfamiliar with the 24 hour clock, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt about 0700, but for 1400, just start with 12 and show me two fingers.  By Jove you’ve done it!  See how I’ve improved your self-confidence instantly?  By next week, I’ll have you learning 3 o’clock by starting with 12 and holding up three fingers!  For the nimble of mind, education never stops!

 

When I say “By Jove” I hope I haven’t added to the confusion. You surely know who Jove is.  But, for those who consider learning of the Greek and Latin deities as sacrilege, I’ll explain it, but not make you say it.  Jove is the Greek version of the Roman god, Jupiter, king of the gods, owner of the skies.  I’m told that in a Greek court of law, they still swear by Jove to tell the truth.  I do not know this for sure and hopefully will not find out on a personal level.

 

Now, where was I…..hummmm…..Ok, let’s leap forward to the present and enjoy a bit of true Americana with a meal at T-Rays Burger Station.

 

The saga begins in 1972 with the opening of a Standard Oil gas station in Fernandina Beach, Florida.  Mr. Ray Mullis ran it.  Then his son got involved….this is the short version, I promise.  The son started selling sandwiches (First fashioned by a cook for the Earl of Sandwich…you remember him, right?).  Soon the sandwich/gas station was very popular and thrived with the slogan, Eat Here and Get Gas.  People began bringing in chairs and tables to sit while they ate.  Then the son talked his daddy into expanding the menu with family recipes.  There’s something magic about family recipes.  Nothing fancy, nothing phony and aromas that bring a sense of calmness and contentment.  With T-Rays, you may drive by once or twice without stopping.  You notice families and smiles and few tables empty. You’ll stop the third time and the aromas will magnetize your taste buds and the atmosphere will  put a smile on your face.  T-Rays is much more than a place to eat; it’s a step back into the America you grew up with.  Good times. Soothing. Satisfying. A sense of belonging.

 

Around 2003, the gas station became a full time restaurant, but kept the appearance of a gas station, as well as the odd collection of tables and chairs. People also dropped off football regalia, and various other pieces of Americana.  Yes, it’s one of those great places that you find in America and nowhere else!

What about the food?  Locals flock to T-Rays and it’s not just to look at Georgia and Florida football regalia. Besides the normal menu, T-Rays  has specials everyday except Saturday. And they close on Sunday. For me, Friday is the big attraction.  Local shrimp, very lightly battered, and fried to perfection. An alternative are crab cakes.  I haven’t tried those yet.

 

I know many of my readers, all three of them, are trying to work their way back into the size they were in high school and are foregoing fried foods.  For good reason; as the famous baseball pitcher, Satchel Paige said, “Fried foods anger the blood.”

 

Ok.  I get it, but lightly battered and fried shrimp have a special dispensation from Jove.  So, my advice is, eat the shrimp on the Friday Special and skip the overly delicious French fries.  That’s what I do.

 

On different days, other Specials include fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, and fried fish. Read more about the T-Rays story and check the full menu and daily specials here:  http://www.traysburgerstation.com

And, for goodness sakes, let's not forget the burgers!  Hey, it in the name, T-Rays Burger Station!

 

Yes, they serve beer, bro!  Order food at the window and they bring it to the rustic table of your choice.

 

This is the Deep South transplanted to Florida, and all the servers are women, so expect to hear plenty of darlin’ and honey and y’all.  For my northern friends, it’s call being graciously friendly.

 

Now, let’s review the bit about the 24 hour clock….for the evening hours, you may have to put down the whiskey or burger and use both hands, or get your significant other to help.

 

T-Rays Burger Station, a fabulous bit of tasty Americana!

The Cedar Oak Café and The Olde Towne Gallery

 The Cedar Oak Café and The Olde Towne Gallery.

 

On a Wednesday morning, I woke up thinking of heading up the road to a rustic bit of Americana, The Cedar Oak Café in St Marys, Georgia. For those familiar with the military, you may recognize the name, St Marys being the home of Kings Bay Submarine Base.

 

As one wag said, Kings Bay has more satellites overhead than anywhere on earth, so don’t forget to smile and wave when you drive into town.

 

St Marys is an historic town that belonged to Spanish Florida until 1763, when it became part of Georgia.  So between history and submarine, there’s much to do here.  Museums, festivals, and don’t miss the huge and beautiful homes in the historic district.  

There are also excursions to the equally famous Cumberland Island.  Here’s a link: https://www.exploregeorgia.org/city/st-marys

 

But, the Cedar Oak Café was my center of attention.  Breakfast is my favorite meal and to do it properly, ya gotta git away from them boring Hut this and House that!  I like rustic and off the beaten track, BUT, the food has to be interesting and well prepared.  Not saying the typical breakfast is not good, but if you’re going to drive a few miles, there should be a delight at the end of the journey.

 

I found all the delight I could handle at the Cedar Oak Café in St Marys.  The café shares a building with an artists’ co-op, the Olde Towne Gallery and I’m glad they do.  This gallery shows off local talent that centers on the beauty of the surrounding area.  So, crafts and stuff?  Oh, so much more than that.  This co-op has art and crafts and many of the paintings and sculpture and jewelry would enhance many museums, as well as your home and mine.  Creativity flows down a lengthy hallway and into separate artists’ ateliers.  A combination of a feast for the eyes and a salve for the budget. So reasonably priced, the tags will make you blink.

 

This setup of quaint café and gallery is marketing genius!   And, no they’re not combined in the same room, but you have to go a few paces down the gallery hallway to enter the café.

And in the café, you’ll find an old time décor, with a breakfast and lunch menu with variety, culinary quality, and wonderful service.  This is not just a bacon, eggs, toast and coffee establishment, although you can surely order those.  I opt for the Breakfast Special, of country fried steak, grits, eggs over easy, whole wheat toast and coffee.

 

You have to realize that country fried steak is one of the ten commandments for any southern restaurant.  An addendum says, “Thou shall serve it with delicious sausage gravy!”

 

Now, I make some pretty good country fried steak at home, and my gravy isn’t bad either, but now I am shamefaced.  My attempts are woefully inadequate when compared to the fare at the Cedar Oak Café!  The breading on the steak was delightfully crunchy and the gravy was very close to heaven from a pan.  The rest of my breakfast was equally excellent!

 

My traveling partner ordered an omelet, stuffed with bacon and feta cheese.  I admit, I had my doubts because I am not one who ever gets a craving for feta cheese.  But, I figured, what the heck, I’m getting my country fried steak, so why should I give a hoot?

And then my partner offered me a taste.   My mind flipped a switch and my lips formed the words, “Gimme some more!”  The huge amount of crumbled bacon was crispy, and a touch of feta complimented perfectly the salt crunch of the bacon and the soft flavor of the eggs.  I never would have dreamed of putting these three flavors together and yet, they were perfect!  This talented chef knew what she was doing! 

 

I walk away happy when I know the meal is so good that I couldn’t compete.  This breakfast was so good I won’t even try!

 

I not only have no complaints, but I awoke this morning thinking I  should make another trip to the Cedar Oak Café and I should do it pronto!

Well, Smack My Lips: Couple of Small Charmers in Charleston

When it comes to regional food, I thrive on Americana.  Off the beaten path.  Smaller the better.

Pop into a big name chain and grab something raised in Montana, processed in Chicago, shipped frozen to the distribution center in Southern California, and finally flipped on a bun in Rocky Junction?  Not this kid.  To paraphrase a long-time friend, why eat when you can dine.

Before you let the word ‘dine’ throw you for a loop, let me clarify.  I’m not talking about a place that can take your two-week paycheck in a single bite, or…on the other end of the spectrum…a greasy spoon adjacent to a major highway.

I’m talking about real Americana, a place highlighting simple dishes that take on complex flavors because somebody in the kitchen gives a damn, knows what they’re doing, and isn’t relying on speed and cheap meat to make a living.

How can you tell the good from the bad?  Small and slightly frayed at the edges.  Down a couple of little side streets.  Food so unexpectedly delicious and atmosphere so comfortably special, any little travel inconvenience makes no difference.  Ya, just gotta go there to scratch that itch.

I’ve found a couple of those in Charleston, SC.  Usually a line outside.  Normally, a mention in the newspaper or flyer that this wayside spot you’ve never heard of has won awards year after year.  Maybe a friend steers you in the right direction.  If he’s excited and presses you to let him join you, you’re onto something.

Moe’s Crosstown Tavern

Burgers and beer.  Find that anywhere, you say?  Not on your life.  Eight years running it’s won awards.  Why?  Things like a perfectly done burger, made with prime beef, slathered in melted blue cheese and dressed up with crisp lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a pile of home made onion rings?  If you’re not a burger fan, there’s plenty more to pick from.  And the beer on tap?  Some old favorites, but many are small town and haven’t made a name for themselves except among beer lovers.  Undecided?  Ask.  These folks know their beer.

You park down the street.  Amble into a small building that hasn’t had a facelift in awhile.  The Tavern is mildly dark, like a cloudy day in the evening.  Lots of dark wood.  Long, well worn, inviting bar.  But, you’re a party of four and op for a booth.  Your friends are telling…no begging you to order this and order that.

The waitress is patient.  You order an appealing beer, but it doesn’t do any good for me to slide the name past you.  Moe’s changes handcrafted beers with the tides.

The burger comes with fries, but of course your friends insist on an order of hand battered onion rings.  Yeah, well, force me.

The meal isn’t just filling, it’s everything a burger and fries should be, washed down with a dark brew that sails lightly on the tongue.

You walk away, wondering if anybody would object to coming back tomorrow…

I’m just sayin’, if you’ve ever in Charleston…

The Early Bird Diner

Sunday morning.  Yeah, you could just go home after church, or head to one of the many, jam-packed chains for breakfast.  Why in the world would you do that when The Early Bird Diner is right down the Savannah Highway?  Yep, it’s gonna be packed, but this small, eclectic touch of charm is worth the minor inconvenience of a wait.

Biscuits are delicious.  Fried chicken and waffles make your eyes dance and your stomach start to gallop.  Yes, that combination is THAT good.  Or, you can do what I did and settle for a low country favorite, shrimp and grits.  These shrimp and grits are anything but bland.  Dark red, rich gravy.  Creamy grits.  Fresh-off-the-boat shrimp cooked only until they are exactly done.  Succulent.

Want to try something simple and simply delicious?  Go for the grilled pimento cheese sandwich.  Crispy, crunchy, creamy.

Sorry, chain restaurants, but you’re never going to serve a breakfast this good.  Just ain’t gonna happen.  The Early Bird Dinner just may make you want to get to church more often.  Praise da Lawd and pass the biscuits.

Just a bit more about Charleston restaurants in general.  There was a time, when they were just ordinary.  No longer.  Charleston has developed into a foodie haven.  You can spend a little, or spend a lot, but wherever you dine, the bar has been raised.   I’m talkin’ “Look out New Orleans, Charleston is catching up.”

Moe’s and The Early Bird are leading the charge.

http://www.moescrosstowntavern.com

http://www.earlybirddiner.com

Americana à la Carte

When you enter an American city, even a small one, the tendrils of old time America trail off and disappear into the bulldozed, concreted urban mass.  I’m taking about the fruit and vegetable stands, the mom and pop groceries, the cheap diners with stained tablecloths, and the seafood shops whose hot grease aroma washes over you when you step out of your car.

Across the street from where my parents once lived, there used to be a good-sized stand with a hand painted sign advertising sweet melons.  Bushel baskets of brown skinned onions sat about.  Hand-sized wood cartons of bright red tomatoes, green peppers, green cased ears of corn, and yellow summer squash sat on long, trestle tables.  Down the street, a BBQ joint selling thick sandwiches of smoked pork welcomed you with wisps of fragrant smoke.  No longer.  They’ve been replaced by a branch bank and a big-chain supermarket.  You want some Americana, you have to venture farther a field.  Don’t even bother to look until you glance out the window at green pastures and rows of corn.  That’s when you find out it’s not just the vegetables and BBQ that’s missing.

I was outside Whitesboro, Texas, when I stopped at a vegetable stand.  Didn’t need vegetables.  “I’m lost,” I confessed to a man in jeans, a calico shirt, and a baseball cap.

“Fred,” he twanged at one of his customers, “Do you know where (whare) that road is?”  Fred didn’t know, but he suggested the guy running the bait shop next door might.  I started to walk that way, but Fred had already left.  “Jest a sec,” the owner told me.

About 30 seconds later, the man from the bait shop walked in.  Turned out he didn’t know either, but he led me back to his shop where he had some maps.  The maps did no good, so he called his friend who’s a fireman.  A little while later, I was on my way straight to my destination.  Folks with big, friendly hearts are never too busy to help.

I’m pleased to report I found similar hospitality in the sprawling outskirts of Atlanta.

Truett Cathy’s first Atlanta restaurant was called the Dwarf Grill, a humble beginning to what has become the second largest fast food chain, Chick-fil-a.  Now a nation-wide collection of 1500 plus restaurants, with over $3.2 billion in annual sales, something new has been added, a group of nostalgia-laced eateries called Truett’s Grill, featuring a 1950’s era décor, complete with old cars, gas pumps, naugyhide covered booths, a toy train that races above the diners, and one heck of a southern breakfast.  But, more than that, the waitresses greet you with a “Mornin’, Hon” and hustle to take your order.  Coffee appears as if by mental telepathy.  All of this reflects the humble beginning and humble heart of their employer, Truett Cathy.  Never met the man myself, but good or bad, everything starts at the top.  Talked to a couple who go to church with Truett and couldn’t stop talking about all he’s done for the community and especially for small business just starting out.

Best of all was the breakfast of fried chicken filet, two eggs over easy, grits, and biscuit.  But, I have to admit the meal tasted a little better knowing about the warmth of the man who made it possible.

On the rough edges of Orangeburg, South Carolina, I found Duke’s BBQ.  Found it on a Saturday, as I passed through. Normally, I'm not attracted to BBQ restaurants with a buffet.  Normally.  Dukes was different and even if the smoked pork lacked a bit and the green beans were cooked past their prime, it was still worth a stop, just to observe the folks inside.  If the rough edges of South Carolina still hold to the old ways, you’d never notice at Duke’s. People of every background flock to the place.  High school grads, still wearing their mortarboards came in with their families.  Workmen wore stained clothes while they gobbled their ‘cue.  In one corner, a family and friends in coats and ties and dresses sat and prayed before digging in.

I’m not one of those who hunger for the good old days.  I like some of the big chain stores and the convenience of Internet shopping.  Sill, it’s nice to know the simple, friendly heart of America still beats as strong as ever.