I love learning new things. Marie Lupo Nygren's introduction to Mary Mac's Tea Room explained that tea rooms were established as alternatives to the sometimes gritty environs of establishments serving the "meat and three." It's a small thing, but it's enough to enchant me. Also reading how several cooks, bartenders and servers had worked at the Tea Room for over thirty years astonished me given that the turnover in restaurants is quick. Their longevity at Mary Mac's tipped me off that this was, indeed, a special place.
Classic southern staples such as fried chicken, mac n cheese, and sweet potato souffle are still on Mary Mac's menu. Customers write down their own orders at their tables and are presented with a gratis cup of pot likker and a slice of cornbread. The widow Margaret McKinsey owned the tea room for over thirty years and it supported her and her family.
The book's arrangement strays from the norm. It flip flops between narrative and recipes. Many cookbooks are all narrative in the front and all recipes in the back. This one is well-balanced. The recipes are typical southern items such as fried okra, fried chicken, chicken n dumplings, bbq ribs, ham and red eye gravy, hushpuppies, pecan pie, peach cobbler, and the like. And the narratives is dense with the history of the tea room, it's owners, the workers who contributed to the ambiance and dining experience, and the changes --like better kitchen equipment to make the kitchen staff's work easier.
But there are also healthier, trendier recipes such as grilled salmon with roasted vegetables. Okay, I think that was the only one. Perhaps the salmon with mustard and soy sauce. But that's it.
Photos of devoted employees and customers are scattered within its pages, as are reminiscences of like the time a man stripped off his clothes in the main dining room and Margaret covered him with an apron before finding someone to help her remove him. The photos of devoted customers accompanied by a few sentences about their relationship with the tea room illustrates the extent to which Mary Mac's has become a part of Atlantan's lives and waistlines. The book's photographs were taken by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn. They showcase each dish in the best manner and indicate a sharp perspective and tasteful styling. I love the photo of fried gulf shrimp and oysters. Not every cookbook features stellar photos, but this one does.
Mary Mac named a peanut custard after Jimmy Carter when he ran for governor. And Chelsea Clinton visited the tea room on the recommendation of her mother who had eaten there a year before. The next time I visit Atlanta Mary Mac's tops my list of must-dos. In the meantime, I'm narrowing down the list of recipes I must try to a realistic number.
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