By BILLY MURPHY
:Laugh Lines

First, the Beauty:

“Be right with ya, baby!” Those were the first words I heard when I entered Crossroads Family Restaurant for lunch last week. And with that pledge, I knew that I had entered a beauty of a lost tradition; the home-owned, Southern-style restaurant.

It was rather daunting, checking-out this new eatery, being that I think every vehicle in the parking lot was a pickup truck, except for mine. Would Merle Haggard be playing on the AM radio in the joint? Would I have to wade through a fist fight to get to a table? Not at all.

This was the most refreshing ambience and menu I have eaten a meal through, in a long time. I ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes with the skins and turnip greens. Tell me anywhere you can have a sit-down meal anymore that serves this kind of food.

I am so sick of chicken fingers, I could hunt down that cartoon KFC Colonel and bludgeon him with a salad plate. Give me the bones, the skin and a little bit of cornmeal in the mix.

There is a lot more on the menu than just Southern cooking (fresh seafood is delivered every Tuesday) but this set as comfortable with me as my old Remington 870 pump shotgun.

I eat out a lot and Fayette County has gained quite an amalgam of trendy franchise restaurants, but this is just the shock I have been needing to my system. I have become quite the Stepford food patron. So much so, that lately I am confused to which chain restaurant I am eating in... “Wait, do you have the Bloomin' Onion or is that Outback? Yours is the Awesome Blossom? Oh, that is Chili's' name for it? I am confused now, just give me the fajitas... again!”

It was great to check out of my comfort zone and drive an extra 10 minutes to the corner of Ga. highways 85 and 16 in Senoia for a truly original dining experience. So if you are tired of following the crowds, put on your Old Navy, climb into your SUV and drive on down to some place different. Odds are, no one will notice what you drove up in and what you're wearing, but they will call you “baby.”

Now, the Beast:

Everything in this world says I should not desire what I desire. She has dark skin and she's warm to the touch. I feel nervous as those around me in the restaurant keep staring at us together. I, of course, am talking about the Chocolate Volcano desert at Don Pablo's Mexican restaurant.

Reputation is everything to banks and high school girls and it has been no less important (or devastating) to Don Pablo's, The most original and attractive eatery in Peachtree City has the terrible distinction of just plain stinking. You need to try the place again.

Management has changed, some prices are being lowered and most of all, it is just the coolest franchise in town. Since its doors opened, this is one of my favorites. It is for sure my kids' favorite as they serve alphabet tater tots and chicken fingers (Okay, for kids, whattaya gonna do?).

I have always found Don Pablo's to have good service and good food, yet it seems next to Janet Reno, it ranks at the top of everybody's “bad rap” list. I think it is just that, a bad rap.

The Yugo doesn't deserve a second chance. MC Hammer doesn't deserve a second chance, but Don Pablo's, this place deserves a second chance. Just please, when you do come back, don't stare.

[Visit Billy Murphy on the Internet at http://ebilly.net.]

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