Having grown up in Mississippi where my maternal grandmother (with a lot of help from her cook, Lizzie) served a daily home cooked noontime "dinner", a meal with something like fried or smothered chicken, pork chops or meatloaf and an array of homegrown vegetables, is like a "fix" to me .
I never heard these meals referred to as "meat and threes" or "plate lunches" until I was grown and far away from my Mississippi roots, but whatever you call them, I love this kind of old fashioned comfort food.
The Nashville area has a number of good "meat 'n three" restaurants , but most of them will cost you well over $10 for a meat and two veggies. And that is without tea, or dessert.
So I was thrilled when retired Judge Barbara Haynes introduced me to Liz's Meat-n-3 Kitchen in Goodlettsville, where you can get a meat and two vegetables for $7.50, or a meat and three vegetables for $8.50. Heck you can even add a fourth vegetable and your tab is just $9.50, plus tax. And all of those options come with cornbread — baked, fried or Mexican.
Owner Liz Darden has been serving up what she calls "Food 4 the Soul" in her restaurant for eight years. It is a family operation with Liz's husband of 49 years, Bubba, and daughter Veronica and grandson Del, all part of the Liz breakfast and lunch team.
"We all do it together," says Liz, who got her start in food by catering all sorts of events in Goodlettsville, many of which came to her through her work as a custodian at First Baptist Church there.
"I've been cooking for 30 years," she said. "I did a lot of catering, for Sunday school parties, wedding receptions, meals on wheels. Everybody knows Liz — firemen, police, doctors, lawyers. I've cooked for everybody in Goodlettsville. This space came open and everybody said 'you ought to open a restaurant.' A lot of people encouraged me and I didn't have to borrow money," she said.
"We are all glad she opened it," said Judge Haynes, as she enjoyed her liver and onion lunch, with mashed potatoes, broccoli salad and cornbread on the side.
Me too, I thought as I feasted on a delicious piece of Bubba's hot out-of-the-fryer catfish, with a side of tartar sauce and an assortment of vegetables, and fried cornbread.
It took me back to my grandmother's Tate County table all those years ago.
My only regret was that my lunch date with Judge Haynes was on Monday, instead of Wednesday or Sunday, when my two favorites — fried chicken and turnip greens — are on the menu.
But that will be easily remedied by a return visit. I think I'm going to try the made-from-scratch banana pudding too. I wonder if they would count that as one of my three vegetables!
Stay cheap!
Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”
Good to know
Liz's is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is open until 8 p.m. on Fridays, and 11 a.m. -2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Closed on Saturdays.
Liz's was featured on "American Diner Revival" in 2016
If you want fried chicken and turnip greens, they are served only on Wednesday and Sunday.
The meat and vegetable lunch is cafeteria style, but there is also a breakfast and lunch menu that you can order from.
Fried catfish is offered every day. It is made to order (as opposed to being featured on the cafeteria line). You can order one piece and three vegetables for $9.50. If you want more than one piece, it will put you over my $10 limit.
Bubba's Ribs are only offered on Fridays.
Liz's is the only restaurant menu I have ever seen that lists a six vegetable plate, which by the way is just $8!
The menu also includes burgers ($5.25- $7.25), and salads ($8.25).
The most expensive item is the rib and three lunch, or the two pieces of fish and three veggies, both of which are $13.50.
Desserts, including a variety of homemade pies, and banana pudding (the most popular dessert) and cobbers are $2.25 per serving.
Sunday prices are $1 higher on most items.
There is plenty of parking.
Liz's Meat-n-3 Kitchen is located at 107 A Memorial Drive in Goodlettsville, across the street from the Delmas Long Center.
Contact: 615-851-4449
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