The Smithfield Inn Restaurant

I was so excited when daughter Shirley called me. "Get all dressed up, Mom", she said. "We are going out to lunch."

"Where are we going", I ask.

"It's a surpise,"  she says. Well, someone must know where we are going for we soon arrive at the Smithfield Inn Restaurant 

and were seated at a table in the garden area. We were surrounded by tall white columns and southern charm. Flowers were blooming and their sweet scent filled the air. The atmosphere just screamed for sweet ice tea, you all. 

We both were so happy with what we had ordered. After we had finished, we were offered the dessert menu. We were thinking, 'no, better not' and then something just took hold of me and out of my mouth came "I think I will have the lemon sorbet". Oh how refreshing. 

I was surprised when Shirley turned down dessert and had a cup of hot tea instead. Our waiter, John, brought out this wooden box filled with an assortment of tea bags. So, the conversation turns to 'what do you call a 'box filled with tea bags'? You should have heard all the things we were calling that innocent little box. We googled it, not much there. Finally we decided it was just a tea chest, you know, like a treasure chest, only filled with tea, not gold and trinkets. 

Shirley is an excellent cook so naturally she critiqued our food... 

Fried Green Tomatoes are difficult to get right, but The Smithfield Inn certainly has the correct recipe! Their BLT is brimming with crunchy Smithfield bacon, lettuce and a fried green tomato. Then, as if this was not scrumptious enough, they top it all off with pimento cheese, all on a soft roll. If you were not talking with a Southern accent at your first bite, you certainly will be by the time you finish!

Oh, and be sure to order the Sweet Potato Fries. If you are going Southern, do it right! These fries are crunchy on the exterior and light on the inside and served with Caramel Aioli.  (What kind of chef decides that Caramel and Mayo- with a few secret spices- would go together well?) But, it's amazing and is perfect with the fries. Our only problem was trying to make sure we had enough aioli in the dish as we grabbed up our last fry!

This had been so much fun. Just a spur of the moment thing, not planned or anything. Shirley says, 'Let's do this more often and I think we ought to blog about it but I don't know how'.

'Well, honey', I tell her, 'just give me a minute. I may be 82 years old but I am not dumb. We'll have our blog. You just wait and see what Mama comes up with'. 

Shirley is sitting there with her mouth agape... and I laugh and laugh at her. Don't ever underestimate what your Mama can do, Girl!! 

To learn more about the restaurants, be sure to click on the RESTAURANT tab at the top of the page

posted by Shirley Barton Dietz and Willie Latane Barton