Y'all Eatin' Here?

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

Exit 151 on I20

I have to admit it was the sign that attracted us. The bright green neon maple leaf, white glowing Queen City script and the TRUCK STOP text placed inside a classic red stop sign. It was just so non-corporate, that we had to stop and check it out.

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

The retail store was small, almost cramped but functional. The wood panelling, red brick floor and suspended ceiling lent a sense of nostalgia. This was a place where you could stock up on basics: soft drinks, candy, potato chips, tobacco, coffee but not much else. In fairness it was getting late and two days before Christmas, however, there was not a piece of fresh fruit or anything else that looked particularly healthy anywhere in sight.

It was only a few hours since our last meal at the Huddle House, so we were not really that hungry, however, we could not resist the temptation to check out the adjoining Magnolia Restaurant.

Magnolia Restaurant Menu

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

I have to admit that this was a big leap of faith for me. I am not a foodie, but I am pretty particular about my food and where I eat. I figure my rules are pretty simple - fresh, no unidentifiable sauces, and not greasy! Pretty simple really - but surprisingly difficult sometimes. However, as most of the truck stops we had visited have been populated by corporate or chain run restaurants and based on some of the truck driver blogs we had been following there appeared to be a preference for more traditional Mom and Pop dining establishments and the Queen City Truck Stop seemed to have a love / hate following. So I was willing to put my personal reservations aside and give this a try. Well actually, I was not so willing to personally give it a try, but I managed to convince Phil that we needed to go in and that he was going to order coffee and something to eat!

Throughout our trip the advice I read on the truckerphoto.com blog continued to stick with me. The Trucker Restaurant Reviews section opens with: "Normally in a truck stop, you never want to get exotic when you order food. It's usually best to stick with the basics, since these are harder to screw up"

Magnolia Restaurant Dining Room

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

The Magnolia Restaurant had a certain rustic ambiance with a slightly southern flair. We were still in Mississippi after all. The wood paneled walls of the store were replaced with rose / lilac coloured walls complete with a painting of a scene featuring a traditional southern plantation mansion. The restaurant was not dirty, but not really spotlessly clean either. As we sat down the seats, table and menu felt somewhat sticky in a well-used sort of way.

Magnolia Restaurant

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

The waitress eyed us somewhat suspiciously, or maybe we were just feeling a bit out of place ourselves. We told her we needed a minute to look over the menu. She placed our plastic wrapped forks down on the table and told us to take as long as we needed. We got the distinct impression that ordering a coffee and Pepsi was not going to cut it. It was dinner time and we were expected to order food.

We looked around at the diners at the nearby tables. I was thinking I would order the Grilled Chicken Breast Salad for $9.99 until I noticed the salad that one of the truck drivers sitting across from us was eating. His plate was piled high with iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, and chopped tomato, however, it was the texture and shape that allowed me to differentiate between these three foods, not the colour. I decided to pass. His partner had ordered what looked like the Grilled Chicken Breast Evening Lunch Special for $7.49. The Evening Lunch Special came with tea or coffee and a choice of three items from a list that included: creamed potatoes, french fries, green beans, potato salad, coleslaw, sliced beets, early peas and banana pudding.

Grilled Chicken Breast Evening Lunch Special

Magnolia Restaurant

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

Phil decided to be brave and give it a try. I have a strong aversion to pretty much anything from a can or that is over-cooked, but wanted to document this, so was quite thankful that Phil was willing to give it a go. He declared that the chicken breast was tender, if not exactly overly flavourful, however, the early peas and green beans were mushy, overcooked and tasteless. We also questioned the presentation wondering why they needed to use an institutional segmented plate if they put everything in separate bowls anyway?

Magnolia Restaurant

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

I ordered a Pepsi with lemon, thinking the chances of getting a fresh lime wedge were pretty slim. I got some sort of cola beverage and two packages of lemon juice instead. The waitress gave me a somewhat disapproving look when I stated that I was okay with just my Pepsi, so decided to heed the advice of truckerphoto.com and stick to the basics. So for the first time on our drive I abandoned my eating healthy mantra and ordered a side of fries. Unless they are cold, it is pretty difficult to screw up fries. Or at least that is what I thought!

Magnolia Restaurant

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

I had not seen crinkle cut fries for years and I am sure the last time I had eaten them was at a grade school birthday party. There was something about these limp greasy fries sitting on an off-white plate that was particularly unappetizing. I was trying to work my way through my fries as we were being watched by our waitress. I am sure she was wondering "Who are these freaks taking photos of their food, the menu, the restaurant?"

We noticed that the plates being cleared from tables from across the room were all clean, not a morsel of food left. As we contemplated how much of our food we should eat, how much we can get away with leaving, how tastes and choices of food are both regional and contextual; we realized just why every plate heading back to the kitchen was clean. One of the kitchen workers pulled up his cart next to our table to clear the table of the truckers that were sitting across from us. His cart was complete with a tote box for dirty dishes and a large black bucket. He was wearing elbow length rubber gloves and held a large kitchen scraper. He picked up one of the plates from the adjoining tables and quickly scraped any remaining food into the bucket. YUCK!

Okay, I know we have all done this in the privacy of our own kitchens, and we know that this happens in the kitchens of restaurants, but right in front of you at your table while you are still eating? No thanks! We decided that it was okay to leave the rest of our food. Our waitress would never know how much we did or did not eat - as it was going to be whisked away into the black bucket anyway.

Magnolia Restaurant Dining Room

Queen City Truck Stop

Meridian, MS

We made our way to the cashier to pay for our dinner. I could not resist the tiny wooden toothpick holders that they were selling for $1.99 with the restaurant name and address stamped into the surface. As I signed my Visa slip, the cashier smiled and said "Y'all come back Hon!"

We noticed two local ambulances parked out front as we made our way to the car. Pookie excitedly greeted us as we got into the car and was even more excited as I reached into the back seat to find the package of dried blueberries we had brought on the trip as a snack. We needed something that had some semblance of healthy nutrition after our experience. As we got settled ready to drive off a large 1980's Cadillac Coupe De Ville pulled up next to us. The elderly gentleman called to his wife to look at Pookie. I rolled down our window to say hi and let him scratch Pookie's ears.

He asked, "Where y'all from? Y'all Eatin' Here?" We half smiled, nodded and before we could say anything he continued. "Good food. Good cookin'. Have a good night y'all," before turning and walking inside.