June 14th - Jimmy Mac's - Bryson City, NC

Tonite it was pouring the rain and when we arrived at JM (Jimmy Mac's), it was packed with no street parking available on either side. So we had to park in the back alley. Thank goodness, I'm local and knew about that.

JM's is located in downtown Bryson across from the old Theater, which is now the community theatre. (Rabbit Trail - My aunt used to work as the ticket agent in the old theater and so I used to get in free. That was very cool, I thought and as a result, I spent many weekends there as a child watching such great old scary classics as The Blob, The Frogs, House on the Hill, Rosemary's Baby, The Fog. Great times). JM's is now in the location of The Family Restaurant, which was a staple in BC. The Barker's owned it and they all worked there; except I don't remember the daddy working there. All the girls did and the mom, who was THE BEST cook. You could always count on a fabulous breakfast. Just plain ole' good country cooking, which is rare these days. In fact, BC no longer has anyplace where you can get just a good home cooked breakfast, except at home. I was sad when The Family Restaurant closed. Jimmy Mac's owner, is from Florida, and was apparently known there for their burgers. The owners are really nice, and I know them somewhat from the local auction I attend on a regular basis. (Rabbit Trail - In fact I have been going to this auction since I was in high school and it was located in what was the old bowling alley. The same family has owned the auction for several decades. If you are in town and want some entertainment and a chance to grab a bargain cheap; whether it is antiques or household items, head to Almond Auction at the Almond junction. Antique auction on odd Wednesdays at 9 am and junk auction every Friday at 5 pm. ) Anyway, JM's owners and myself often bid against each other for the same items. I did not know at the time they were  
buying items for their restaurant.

JIMMY MAC'S DOWNTOWN BRYSON

The restaurant is decorated  in antiques with framed photographs covering the walls. Great old frames and photos both. Antique canning crocks of varying sizes, Coke memorabilia, blue canning jars, stained glass adorn every surface and wall, which antique/vintage furniture pieces serve as storage pieces. There are booths lining the large picture windows in front and along one wall, which tables are crowded in over the rest of the floor. The floors are the original wood floors and add to the ambiance.
Only one downfall for me.... a big ole' TV mounted on the wall. You all KNOW how I love those in a restaurant!

While the place was packed as soon as we walked in a table walked out so as soon as the waitress cleared it, we were in business. This is typically the case, since the selection of good restaurants in BC is limited. JM's business is mostly a dinner business, which means at lunch you can usually grab one of the window booths and watch the going's on outside. Of course, that  means that folks outside can watch you eat as they stroll by.

We asked about specials, and apparently JM's don't have specials. We took our time ordering, as they have a very extensive menu and you can even order off the lunch menu if you want a smaller portion. How accommodating is that!? Nice..

We were waited on very quickly, which is surprising, since the place as packed, with more folks coming in. The waitress was very nice and treated us like we were the only ones in the place.
We did not order an appetizer this time as the food is very filling with generous portions. JM's offers a great selection of burgers, with some great and unusual combinations, such as Hawaiian, S&M, Hot, Hot, Hot and a huge host of others. You can also have your selection in beef, buffalo or elk. I believe there are over 20 varieties.
They also specialize in seafood. Shrimp, Scallops, Tilapia, Grouper, Oysters, among others, as well as standards such as  Chicken and Steaks. The cooking methods also are vast, with your choice, of fried, grilled, blackened, broiled, or baked or in pasta. Deciding what to order is very difficult and will take some time. (Just a side note: while they do offer sweet tea, I do not order it as it usually tastes like it was cooked too long). Too bad, as I am an avid southern tea drinker.  I did ask about the freshness of the seafood and the waitress stated it was brought in weekly. They also make some of their own salad dressings.

I ordered the Fried Seafood Plate, which had Oysters, Scallops, and Shrimp. I had never had a Fried Scallop, but Pam assured me they were good. It came with choice of potato, corn on the cob and salad.

STANDARD GARDEN SALAD. NOTE THE GREEN BEANS.. MUST BE A FLORIDA THING? 

FRIED SEAFOOD PLATE. .




Greg ordered the Hot, Hot, Hot hamburger plate in Elk. His burger came with Jalapenos, Horseradish and Tomato salsa. It also came with Steak Fries. 

HOT, HOT, HOT HAMBURGER. LORDY! LOOK AT ALL THOSE JALAPENO'S

Lisa ordered the Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese.  It was topped with Bacon and Blue cheese. (See what I mean by unusual combinations?)

It also came with choice of Potato and an ear of corn. 

Pam ordered the Ribeye Steak. It too came with choice of potato, and ear of corn and a salad. 

RIBEYE WITH BAKED POTATO & EAR OF CORN

We had to wait quite a bit before our food arrived. But not so long that we became cranky! While we waited, we talked about books we were reading or had read. I just finished The Glass Castle. Not for the squeamish. And The Wet Nurse's Tale. I am currently reading The Two Lives of Billy Tipton. Very interesting. About a woman in the early 1900's who started dressing as a man when she was around 19 y/o and lived that way until her death when she was in her 60's. Not terribly fascinating in and of itself. But, to add to the intrigue, she was also married 5 times, to men and woman and raised several children. Her secret was not found out until her death when the emergency personnel attempted to perform CPR. She was a jazz musician. There were other notable women who lived as men such as one priest, a pirate and several performers. 

We did ask Pam what she did at the beach and apparently she and her friends did absolutely nothing. Which is quite the vacation... just relaxing, reading, walking on the beach and enjoying the company of good friends. This is a ritual of Pam's. She and her friends have been getting together for years and spending the week on Emerald Isle. What a great tradition. She did say they laughed a lot and made fun of their neighbors. 

She also had a question ready for us. If we could be an animal what would it be and why? She asked us to be specific.  Lisa chose the Eagle; as you have read. Pam chose an adult Sea Turtle so she could live free. Greg chose a Peregrine Falcon. I chose a butterfly who lived in the Butterfly Conservatory at Niagara Falls. I chose that because I wanted to be something stunning, but not be killed prematurely, as butterflies have short lives. There, in the conservatory, I would be protected, fed and admired and live as close to a natural habitat as possible. 

Pam was a little concerned about our fears of short lives, tragic endings at the hands of humans and added a contingency. If we could live as an animal without any fear of humans or short lives, what would we be? I chose a great, beautiful snowy owl. 

I was adamant that one thing no one wanted to be was a female duck. I have had probably 50 + ducks over time and for some reason, God saw fit to give the females the short end of the stick. I have never seen such a rough, brutal mating season as the ducks have. If one  can endure that short span and live to tell about it, the rest of the time is pretty OK. I will not go into any details, but lets just say... it ain't pretty! 

We also talked about some of the more colorful locals around town. Don't every small town have them, and I for one, think they make the town an even better place to live. The South wouldn't be the South without the interesting, eccentric folks we like to call our own. As Julia Sugerbaker said, "In the South, we don't keep our crazy family members locked away upstairs. We bring them on down to the  living room and show them off " And aint' we all the better for doing so. I think so anyway.

The food at Jimmy Mac's was very good. Everything was done to perfection, with plenty of taste and color. Pam wanted seconds on the corn. It was really good. Definitely not that bland, frozen stuff you often get in restaurants. This tasted like it came straight from the garden. The baked potato was also fresh and done perfectly. My seafood was delicious! The breading on the seafood was not heavy, and it was not frozen. The shrimp, scallops and oysters were fresh, full of flavor and cooked just right. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of my dinner. And from the looks of the others' plates, so did everyone else. I would highly recommend JM's...even if he is from Florida. If you like seafood... try it here. And if the dinner portions are too big for your appetite - remember you can order from the lunch menu. 

Pam drew for next week and we hope to see you all at the BBQ Wagon beside the old A&P in Bryson next Thursday at 6:30. We will not meet again until June 28 due to Pam and Lisa being out of town. Come join us!