This place was a total surprise. First of all, it's in a truck stop. I used to subscribe to the theory that any restaurant in a truck stop was going to be divey at best. So I would typically pass them up for "better" fare. Man now I wonder what I've been missing!
After a long hot morning of flea markets & garage sales, my family and I were understandably famished. So we discussed potential stops. Well after about 10 minutes of shooting down each others suggestions, we figured we'd hit the road and just stop somewhere that came up. The first place we came to was the old Tekhi truck stop (now called TA Battle Creek). I've known about this truck stop for decades and it's never even crossed my mind to eat here. So anyway we stop for gas, and my bro suggests we may as well eat here. I'm extremely doubtful but mom is tired so she says "sure, why not.". So we head into the restaurant, called "Country Pride".
Immediately we were struck at how clean and welcoming it was! I stopped in the restroom to wash my hands and it was huge, spotless, and super modern! By the time I came out, my family had already been seated. Our waitress was this amazing little lady who was so complimenting and accommodating! I know she was shilling for tips, but it really felt sincere :) She informed us that the best thing in the spot was their buffet. It sounded like a good move as we were all starving.
MAN was it a good move! it wasn't the biggest buffet I've ever been to, but every dish was fresh, pipping hot, and TASTY! Great selection of southern home style comfort foods! Mac & Cheese, mashed potatoes, fried catfish, greens, meatloaf, fried chicken, buttered corn, fresh baked bread, etc.. man I'm getting hungry typing this! I couldn't fill my plate fast enough. Everything was cooked to perfection. As a matter of fact, my one & ONLY gripe was their very limited dessert selection, but it's a small gripe as I was really too full to indulge anyway :)
To sum it up - Visit this spot! Food that will make you miss your grandma, and great service! Price for the buffet was around $12-13 if I remember correctly. I learned my lesson about being snobbish about truck stops! read more