Hole in the Walls
As a family, one of our favorite traveling traditions is the search for “Hole in the Wall” restaurants. We always try to schedule time into our travels to find a hidden gem along our driving route. We have never been disappointed with our finds because our goal is simple, to go somewhere we have never been before. When we start feeling hungry, someone who is not driving is charged with the task of selecting a restaurant in an upcoming location along our route. Once a destination has been agreed upon by the family, the designated “picker” performs a search of restaurants in the area. Based on reviews and pictures a destination is handpicked. Not all of our choices can be categorized as a hole in the wall, but we always strive to find a one of kind place that will reflect the character of the community.
We have been to some amazing places, but our memories fail us, and we forget their names and locations so I am going to try to curate a collection of our finds here. Before I continue, let me write a disclaimer. We are not food snobs so if you are, this is not a post for you. We appreciate the hard work that goes into any service business. We also recognize that not every day can be perfect. We want to support those people who dedicate themselves to caring for and loving their communities and passing strangers with the gift of a meal and a comfortable place to gather with friends and family.
This past weekend my husband and I made a quick trip to visit family in Huntsville. As I was the driver for most of the trip, my husband was responsible for finding our restaurants. He did not disappoint. On our trip to Huntsville we stopped in Scottsboro, Alabama for lunch at the Liberty Restaurant. We knew we would love it the minute we pulled into our parking spot. We parked right off of the road by the front door. We walked in and found our own seats. I always love a place with lots pictures on the walls. The wall behind our table was filled with pictures of what I can only assume were locals who had served in the military. The pictures were surrounded by handwritten messages on the wall. The place felt old in a warm, familiar sort of way. I was ecstatic when I spotted finely sharpened pencils on the table. I immediately knew we were going to be writing out our own orders. In a few minutes, the man, who seemed to be in charge, handed us each a piece of paper with a list of available menu items with prices. It was a typical meat and three diner kind of place. We circled our choices and handed our completed orders to our waitress.
My husband ordered hamburger steak, fried okra, and creamed corn. I had chicken and dressing, fried okra, and a sweet potato. Everything was great. My favorite was the okra, but for my husband it was the creamed corn. He is still talking about it. They also had several pie options. We resisted that temptation, but I am sure they would have made for a perfect ending to the meal. If we are ever near Scottsboro again, we would love to visit this restaurant a second time. Our favorite thing about the place was the atmosphere. We loved being surrounded by the town’s history and tables full of families and friends. I wish I had taken some pictures to share here, but I completely forgot to snap some. You can easily follow the link above to their Facebook page or do your own search to get a feel for the place. Before moving on, I do have to mention that my husband even raved about how great the water was. You know a place a good when even the glass of water deserves praise.
We took a completely different route home from Huntsville to Atlanta. This time we traveled through Chattanooga and made a stop in Dalton, GA. My husband took a minute trying to decide between two options there, but he finally decided on the Oakwood Cafe. This one required a four mile drive off of Interstate 75, but when we got back on 75 South at the next exit, we realized it was not really that far off our route. The Oakwood Cafe was in the older downtown part of Dalton which we loved. Once again we walked in and seated ourselves. This place was not what we would consider a hole in the wall, but it was filled with locals and what appeared to be some Interstate 75 travelers. We had lots of options on the menu. They had daily meat specials and some daily vegetable specials, but there were many other options as well.
My husband, who is on a limited diet, once again had hamburger steak, fried okra, and a squash casserole. I had the same vegetables with a French dip sandwich. I love French dip sandwiches, and this was by far the best one I have ever had. It was covered with mushrooms and onions and the au jus was over the top amazing. I might even be tempted to use an adjective like robust to describe it, but I’m not quite sure how to do that. I will say the au jus was a little salty. If you are a person who doesn’t like salt, you might want to avoid it, but it made me moan a little as I was eating it. The food was worth the four mile trip, and the service was as well. There is one last detail that seems small, but it speaks volumes. At both of our finds this trip, we had to pay our bill at the register by the door. We love the nostalgia of waiting in a little line to pay that bill at a register. It brings back memories which at times seem much to far in the past.
If you are ever driving through Scottsboro, Alabama or Dalton, Georgia you may want to take a slight detour to swing by one of these places. If you are looking for something different yet familiar, they may be the perfect dining option for you. We appreciated the good food, the relaxing respite from travel, and the hard work and dedication of the owners and staff who keep hometown restaurants alive in a world of franchises. Thank you for representing your communities well and for making us feel right at home.