I made an announcement in the office the other day that left many people stunned -- I had just recently visited the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store for the first time ever over the weekend. They simply could not believe it.
Yes, for years I've seen and passed Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores (which opened its first store in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee) when visiting the United States, but never stopped. To be honest, there are so many restaurants, and good ones at that to chose from, so I had never darkened their doorstep.
It just so happens that I was on a mission with Bahamasair's manager for international sales, Woodrow 'Woody' Wilson and Star 106.5 FM and Hot 91.7 Programming Manager Tony Williams on a jaunt to West Palm Beach, Florida, and we took a drive down to Miami, and I was hungry. We were talking about where to eat and of course Woody spoke about how Cracker Barrel is a Sunday tradition for his family after church. I told him I'd never been there. The rubber on the tires burned as he pulled into the parking lot.
After the experience I had, I returned home and told my husband that on our next trip, we had to visit Cracker Barrel as they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Woody, Tony and I all opted for breakfast even though we could have gotten away with ordering lunch, considering it was the brunching hour. And being the nut lover that I am, the pecan pancakes called out to me - three buttermilk pancakes loaded with pecans and served with butter and a warm bottle of 100 percent pure natural vsyrup, with a side of turkey sausage.
Woody and Tony went with Momma's Pancake Breakfast - three buttermilk pancakes and two eggs with sausage patties.
When the plate was placed before me I was salivating - the pancakes just looked delicious, and they were chockfull of chunky pecans. I did not have to go searching for morsels. I had been considering ordering extra nuts when I ordered seeing as I love pecans that much, but I didn't have to. I dug in, and I was in heaven. The three pancakes were fluffy, light and delicious, topped with a drizzle of their warmed syrup poured out of individual bottles. They were also too big for me to finish, but goodness knows I extracted as many nuts as I could eat before I had to put down the fork.
In case you were like me and hadn't been to Cracker Barrel before, it's a restaurant you must seek out on your next visit to the United States. They also offer a Wild Maine Blueberry Pancake and French toast.
And if you're a fan of country cooking, you can get it all at Cracker Barrel - meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken fried steak, catfish platter, chicken n' dumplins, fried okra, pinto beans cooked with country ham and served with corn muffins, turnip greens cooked with country ham... and the list just goes on and on. If you're watching your calorie intake, they do offer salads... just sayin'.
While I've only had the pecan pancakes, and haven't tried anything from the lunch and dinner menu, I'm already looking forward to my next visit to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store for another stab at those pecan pancakes. Maybe I'll even try something from the lunch and dinner menu once I've gotten over my pecan pancake obsession.
Might I add that upon entering the establishment, which means that as you exit, you have to pass through the Old Country Store, which sells everything from apparel and accessories to food and candy, furniture and home items, gifts and gift cards, music, movies and books, toys and games and personal care items. Of course, my eyes were looking left and right, but leave it up to Woody to keep me on track -- we had to get to Miami for an interview.
I've finally joined the Cracker Barrel nation and don't think I'll be leaving any time soon. I can't wait to introduce my husband to their pancakes. He's a buttermilk kind of guy so I know he will enjoy them.
Just for your information, Cracker Barrel is open Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and there is a location in at least 43 continental U.S. states, so you're bound to find one wherever you go.

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