If you live or work in Wetumpka, or are just passing through, you need to know about a great little “meat and three” place that just opened up on 231, close to Riverside Chevy.  The Must Stop Cafe is a winner in my book.

They are having a soft opening so lunch was free when I went by there today. A friend tipped me off, but don’t think the free eats affected my review.

They started us off with “orange rolls” which were basically an orange flavored cinnamon roll type thing. Yum.

They have a daily menu, country style or meat and three style, whichever you prefer. I got the country fried steak, purple hulled peas, and okra. It came with cornbread, they didn’t even ask. I like a place where they assume you want cornbread!

Mine was really good. The steak was not too bready. The peas were fresh and not overcooked. The okra was good, but the real surprise was the mac and cheese. I was expecting the normal runny deal but it was more like grannie’s mac and cheese casserole. It was firm and cheesy, not runny. Excellent.

According to their website, they officially open on March 2, 2010, so maybe the days of free lunch are over. But I can tell you – I will be back!

Today I took my kids to eat at one of our favorite lunch spots: Chappy’s Deli in Peppertree Shopping Center. We had a great lunch and it was fun to be “off” of work. However, I guess I ruined someone else’s fun today, because when I got back to my truck, I found this note tucked under the wiper:

I guess I should be thankful there was no cursing. Actually it was pretty polite (see “please”). It is way too nice to submit to a site like PassiveAggressiveNotes.com.

Here is my parking job, the shadow hurts the shot but you can see the offending entry on the white line:

Here’s a shot from directly in back. Snoopy is right, I broke the barrier:

The irony is not lost on me that normally this time of year, Snoopy’s in a great mood. He’s on TV a lot, doing Christmas specials, etc. But here he is back to his dejected position on the dog house, looking straight up at what the person had to write. Clearly, I have disappointed him.

I would like to say to this person: I was wrong. I did a bad job parking there. Please know I will pay more attention in the future.

Maybe the moral to this story is that Montgomery is such a nice town, even the “nasty” notes people put on your car are pretty polite.

Oh by the way….. Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!!

Farmhouse Kitchen in the Town of Hampstead in Montgomery, AL, is a gem of a restaurant. We knew it had a good chance of being cool simply because it’s part of this unique East Montgomery development, but what about the food?

We ate dinner there last night and it exceeded our expectations.  Here are 4 reasons we love Farmhouse Kitchen:

1) Staff – This has to be #1 on our list because the service and hospitality were excellent.   We ate as part of a large group, but the servers and staff took care of our every need with ease.  I even got a hug when we left!  It’s not contrived hospitality – it’s the real deal.

2) Food – We tried the shrimp and grits, and it was fabulous.  Easily one of the best renditions of this dish we’ve had.  The skillet cornbread that’s brought to the table before the meal was fought over, and the homemade vanilla ice cream on top of our pecan pie was far better than any we’ve made in our own ice cream churn.

Fresh tomato, cucumber and onion with vinaigrette

Shrimp and Grits in a HUGE bowl

Chocolate cake

3)  Atmosphere – Open and casual, you would not mind bringing your kids for lunch or dinner.  The decor is simple and comfortable, but not hokey or contrived to be “country.”  It serves a purpose and does not get in the way of the experience (which is the food).

4)  Location – If you haven’t been to Hampstead, head south on Taylor Road and take a tour.  We had fun walking the main street and enjoying the architecture before the rest of our group arrived. It’s definitely an escape from the strip mall experience.  We both commented that it would be fun to live in Hampstead and have a great place to eat within walking distance.

Forget chain restaurant, greasy, “country” cooking.  Farmhouse Kitchen is more like eating at your grandmother’s. And the service is just as good!

For a menu and hours of operation, click here.