Cheap Eats - Country cookin’

Carver’s serves up good, plain country food

Sharon Carver gets up at the crack of dawn most weekdays and begins cooking meatloaf, fried corn, okra succotash, pot roast, broccoli casserole, and Creole cabbage — family recipes for her extended family. But this isn’t a family reunion meal or a church revival; these are the simple, year-round offerings of her and husband Robert’s little corner-grocery-turned- restaurant on the Westside. A humble sign shows they’re open for business, but looking for the line out the door along this bleak spot of Marietta Street is an easier way to locate it.

WHERE ARE WE?: Regulars abound and return again and again. One begs me not to write about the place. “We don’t need anyone else to know,” he explains. That’s when you know you’ve found a gem. For the rest of us, leaving the city skyline outside and entering the squat little building is a shock. “It’s like we’re eating in a bait and tackle shop,” one friend comments. He’s referring to the vestiges of the site’s grocery store past: Old self-serve coolers hold eggs and milk; rustic regalia covers the walls (one hand-painted sign reads, “If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen”); and plastic lawn furniture is crammed between aisles — all dusted with a fine layer of authenticity. This isn’t folksy kitsch; this is the real deal.

LIKE AUNT EDNA’S: When perusing the menu someone inevitably remarks, “It’s just like your aunt would have made.” No, sorry, none of my relatives could have come close to the staggering output of Sharon’s pantry. The tender fried chicken breasts, the pot roast with sweet carrots and potatoes, and the country-fried pork chop with its blackened skin and smoky flavor are way beyond my forebears’ abilities. Select a meat ($5.95-$7.95), get two sides and just try to finish it all. A slice of thick, oniony meatloaf is covered in brown gravy (but can still handle a bit of ketchup for old times). But the creamy chicken and dumplings — sweet and moist, with a thick, milky chicken topping — are my favorite.

“VEGGIES”: The sides cover the usual veggie choices (collards, green beans, cream corn) as well as the starchy alternatives. I’m usually disappointed with the mac-and-cheese at meat-and-threes, but Carver’s delivers with a rich, creamy cheese sauce that stays that way even as it cools off. The real winners, however, are the rutabagas. Initially I was loath to try them. But was pleased with the chunky revelation on my plate — a semi-sweet, complex root mash.

SWEETS: You know you’re in the South when junk food becomes an ingredient. Sharon’s famous chocolate Coca-Cola cake ($3) is a super-sweet favorite, but I prefer the carrot cake ($2) with its tangy cream cheese frosting. Also, check out the homemade chocolate chip cookies with pecans. Don’t worry — there’s no grandma to slap your hand for taking two.

jerry.portwood@creativeloafing.com