Wednesday, February 18, 2004
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004 |
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Savor Fresh and Simple Southern Cuisine at Sandra’s Cafe By ELLIE WHITE-STEVENS There are magazines and books on simplicity. Ways to cut back clutter, make life less stressful. Sandra’s Cafe is one of those places that defines simple. This is functional, clean decor and southern-style home cooking without palate-irritating frills. The fried chicken tastes like fried chicken should. And it’s owner Sandra Jackson’s favorite dish. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. She taught me how to make it when I was ten years old.” Jackson grew up on the family farm in Mississippi. As one of 13 children, she and her siblings were integral in keeping the family — which included both parents and a set of grandparents — fed. “The boys did the work outside. The girls cooked,” said Jackson. “Our vegetables were farm-raised; so was our beef, chicken and pork. Even our fish was caught in one of our three catfish ponds.” That understanding of how fresh food is supposed to taste flavors the food Sandra Jackson serves in her Fayetteville cafe. Every day, selections like fresh greens are washed and prepared, real potatoes are mashed, homemade macaroni and cheese is served up. “I call it southern cuisine,” said Jackson. “We don’t use a lot of pork, salt or grease. We have a lot of vegetarians who eat here, because we don’t season our vegetables with pork.” The steam table at Sandra’s Cafe offers up a rotation of entrees and vegetables each week. Every Thursday roast beef and fried chicken are the choices. And every meat-loving person should consider the roast beef. Tender. Juicy. Seasoned perfectly. But that’s not to disparage Monday’s smothered pork chops. Let’s just say they taste far better than they look. The fresh vegetables are what Sandra says set her apart. Her rotation has comforting predictability. You know you’ll get broccoli casserole on Monday, fried okra on Tuesday, rutabagas on Friday. Ask the regulars. A customer Sandra calls “Mr. Steve” comes in every day for a vegetable plate. He takes his wife an entree plate and an extra side. Sandra said he joked with her that he even came in on a Saturday, the only day she’s closed, just to see if she might open by some miracle. Jackson doesn’t believe in seeing customers leave hungry or broke. She serves large portions at excellent prices. A meat entree with two side dishes is only $6.70 for lunch or dinner. Add her special-recipe sweet tea for a dollar, or a soft drink for a little more. The size of the portions may cause some to pass by dessert. A big mistake. Jackson and her sister, a talented in-house baker, make buttermilk pie, raved about by their customers. Buttermilk pie has the consistency of a custard pie, and is flavored with fresh coconut. The other customer favorite, according to Jackson, is the Million Dollar Pound Cake, a buttery rich delight. Also not to be skipped are the hot, gooey fruit cobblers available every day. At $1.95 each, desserts at Sandra’s are an affordable ending to a meal. On a recent afternoon, Bill Hines came in just for a slice of just-out-of-the-oven chocolate pound cake and a cup of coffee. One of Sandra’s regulars, he drives down from College Park to eat three or four times a week. He proclaimed the cake “delicious.” “I rely heavily on Sandra to prepare things for me on special events. My wife’s family came in from South Carolina, and Sandra prepared food for us. The food is fresh and good and everyone always enjoys it,” said Hines. “I’m going to have her fix me about a hundred cookies to take to my wife’s nursing home on Valentine’s Day.” Catering through Sandra’s is made as easy and affordable as her regular fare. She’ll cater events for $12-$15 per person, including two entree choices, three side dishes and dessert. At her Fayetteville location, she has a private room available that seats between 75 and 80 people. “I enjoy cooking and seeing smiles when people taste food that reminds them of their grandmother’s cooking,” said Sandra Jackson. That’s the simple reason why she opened just over a year ago, and why she continues to offer simply delicious home-style cooking to Fayette County. Sandra’s Cafe is located in the Lee Center, just a few miles north of Fayette Pavilion on Ga. Highway 314. For catering or to find out the day’s menu, call 770-460-6484.
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