She Who Feasts: The Country Boy

We all have those restaurants that define part of our childhood. Mine was a church in south Texas that converted from a fellowship hall to what was once named some of the best bar-b-que in Texas. I can still remember the feeling of the sticky chairs and smoke-heavy rooms of a restaurant I visited with my grandparents in West Tennessee while I was growing up. Luckily, thanks to the restaurant owner, Johnny Weber, patrons can still create generational memories in The Country Boy, an iconic treasure in Leiper's Fork.

We ventured to The Country Boy a few weeks ago to feast for fifty. This diner opened in 1968 and closed its doors in 2022. It was a devastating loss to the local community. Johnny and his business partner came together to reopen the restaurant in 2023 after perfecting classic menu offerings and ensuring the interior felt untouched after half a century of service.

We ordered a menu sampling for the three of us on this particular day due to prices that don't feel as over-inflated as other establishments. We started with biscuits and gravy, a mammoth-size homemade buttery biscuit smothered in a rich sausage pan gravy, just like grandma made. We also got a pancake which was light and fluffy with a perfect texture for soaking up syrup.

For meals, we ordered the "Backyard Bennie," a twist on Eggs Benedict with a fried green tomato serving as the vessel in place of an English Muffin and salty country ham. It was served with a biscuit and a bowl of creamy grits. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and the crispy fried tomato paired perfectly with the light and lemony hollandaise.

It's hard to skip a fried bologna sandwich, and this one was worth the caloric splurge. Where I expected a thick slab of bologna, this was instead thinly shaved seared slices piled on top of mayo-coated toasted white bread, white onion, lettuce and tomato. Iconic. We opted for onion rings for a $2.00 up-charge and were served a mountain of disc-size rings coated in a slightly sweet, super crunchy batter and fried to perfection. My youngest gobbled up his Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, which delivered an outstanding balance of approachable heat and a generous pile of fries.

Johnny happened to be in when we visited and pointed out various facts about the restaurant, including the window markings that change every few weeks to honor those two-legged and four-legged friends in the community who have gained their reward. He also took us to the Tornado Room below The Country Boy. This dimly lit, sultry space serves as a bourbon and whisky tasting room with live music on the weekends and fire pits outside, perfect for sitting and gathering with friends. It's the perfect adult retreat for the local community to carry on the essence of Leiper's Fork, where friends and family come together for good food and good conversation.

I'm sure I am one of many who would like to thank Johnny and his team for reminding us about the good old days and helping re-establish The Country Boy as the perfect greeting hub to the Leiper's Fork community.