Miss Mary Bobo’s- A Day Trip Back in Time
A little over two hours from Birmingham is a wonderful dining experience in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House is a wonderful step back in time to when strangers became friends at the table. If you have not experienced Miss Mary Bobo’s, I strongly recommend this destination restaurant as a day trip or overnight getaway. Located around the block from the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Miss Mary Bobo’s is more than a convenient place to eat while in town to tour the distillery. This is also no place to go to sample Mr. Daniel’s wares! My dear Aunt Minnie, who died last year at the ripe old age of 103, loved to ride to Miss Bobo’s for special occasions and I can assure you that she has never even held a bottle of alcohol in her life! She just loved the idea of eating family style with people from all over the world. The food was the authentic southern fare that she loved but she didn’t have to put on an apron! The last time I went with Aunt Minnie, it was for her 99th birthday. When we told the other folks at our very large table, Aunt Minnie said “Now, hush! You don’t have to tell everything you know!” Where WERE my manners?!
Miss Mary Bobo was a real person and this was a real boarding house. The boarding house was operated for many years, with Mr. Jack Daniel, himself, visiting almost daily. While there are no longer boarders and Miss Bobo is gone, the history and the tradition continue. When you arrive at the house, (see below for reservation information), you wait, of course, for the ringing of the dinner bell. Then you are escorted to the parlor to wait to be called to dinner. There are several rooms in the boarding house and your party will be directed to one of these, along with your other dining companions for the day. There were five of us when we last went and we were seated at a huge round table with a couple from Australia and a family from New Jersey. There is also a host who sits at the table to direct servers when to serve the bowls and plates of steaming hot homestyle meats and vegetables. As the dishes are passed family-style, the host introduces herself and talks a bit about the house and it’s history. She starts conversations among the guests to get the interaction started, introduces the dishes as many guests have never experienced soul food and answers any questions diners may have about history or the food. Then everyone digs in!
The food is plentiful and delicious. The menus change daily and are equally tempting. The last time we went, the entrees were fried chicken and pork loin with gravy. The sides were candied apples (a boarding house specialty), fried okra, green beans, broccoli rice casserole and mashed potatoes. Cornbread and rolls were also served. HOW to decide what to get? That is the beauty of Miss Mary Bobo’s! You don’t have to choose! You can have some of everything and even seconds because it is all there on that huge table to be passed to you as needed! The availability of such wonderful food made it hard to handle the dessert offerings! Two pies are offered daily and my choices for the day were chess pie and fudge pie, both with homemade whipped cream.
The dinner is a fixed price for the family style meal, $29.95. Children under ten are $10.95. This may sound expensive for lunch, but the quality and abundance of food, along with the experience, makes it quite reasonable to me. I will say that the price and distance makes this an occasional treat for our family. If you are interested in the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, this is a great place to dine before or after the distillery tour.
Miss Mary Bobo’s takes reservations for lunch seatings at 11:00 and 1:00pm and have added 3:00pm seatings some days. This is a very popular place so reserve as early as possible, particularly if you have a larger group. You can reserve online at Missmarybobos.com
While I was browsing in the small gift shop at Miss Mary Bobo’s, I found the “Jack Daniel’s Cookbook- Stories and Kitchen Secrets from Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House”, written by Lynn Tolley, great-grandniece of Jack Daniels and proprietor of the boarding house, along with food writer Mindy Merrell. This is no ordinary gift shop destination cookbook. It has become one of my favorites with several recipes that I make time and again! Some are southern traditional recipes and some are more modern dishes. Some have Jack Daniel’s in the ingredient list and some do not! But everything I have made from this book has been delicious. I would like to share one with you!
Peppery Jack Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey*
- 1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Blend well
- Cover and keep refrigerated
Notes
- The photo is a hint! I like using the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey in place of the regular whiskey. I also add an additional tablespoon of the whiskey. Don't judge!