Freedom Deli

Yesterday, the hubs and I were in the mood for a sandwich. It's been pretty dang hot here in Middle Tennessee, and since this is his last week on leave, we wanted to go out for lunch, instead of make our own rinky-dink PB&J's. We frequent Subway quite often, but in our quest to try out new restuarants, especially "Mom & Pop" places, as we like to refer to them, we decided to try out the Freedom Deli off of Lowe's Drive, which is nearby in Clarksville, TN. Just hearing the name, Freedom Deli, in a military town, means one thing. This was verified, as we walked up to the door: "Veteran Owned" was written in big white letters on the glass door. Veterans are some proud people, I tell ya'.

And the atmosphere did not disappoint. It was clean and crisp, with military memorabilia all over. Metal signs, an American flag, miniature airplanes and a mural of fighter jets and flyboys adorned the walls; the owner even said he had just ordered two fighter jet ceiling fans. Wonder what his MOS was? That means job, to all you civilians. :) They even had a POW/MIA table in the corner in honor and remembrance of those missing in action. (It is a table set for one, that no one will ever sit at for those brothers and sisters who will never come home.) It can stir up some emotion...

When you got past all of the patriotism, the menu was awesome! With names like The Heavy Lift, Fat Albert Airlines Meatball, Philly Flyer, Yellow Peril Reuben, Stealth Veggie, Officers' Club on a Sub; whose taste buds wouldn't be standing at attention ready to devour what was placed before them? They even had a Cherub's Menu, for the kids to order off of - how cute! I ordered the Officer's Club on a Sub, but be jealous...I got it on Pretzel Bread. Yes, you read that correctly. Pretzel Bread, that was thick and chewy and A-MA-ZING! Num num... Haha! They sliced their own cheeses and meats right there and had a few different sides other than chips to choose from. They even had homemade desserts, including cannolis, which made my husband's little heart go pitter-pitter-pat, because he loves those things! And get this, they deliver!

This deli just stole my heart and went from unknown to right at the top of my list of local eateries! If you get a chance, check out their website www.FreedomDeliUSA.com, where you can see some pictures of their amazing sandwiches, or like them on Facebook. And if you live in Clarksville, drive over there right now, and go eat one of their sandwiches - seriously, right now! Do it!

Red Top BBQ

Eric and I have been talking since he got home about really wanting some good barbecue. Our go-to place in town, Golden Rule, closed down pretty abruptly during his deployment, so we were on a quest to find a great place that specialized only in BBQ! Having barbecue chicken off the back of a menu at a regular ol' restaurant just doesn't cut it sometimes. This past week, we went for a little drive into the country in Kentucky, just to see what we could see. When we drove through the blip of a town, known as Guthrie, we saw two BBQ joints, that looked down-home and "real". Today, we tried out the first of the two, Red Top BBQ, and I am happy to say that it did not disappoint!

From the outside, it looks like a sit-down restaurant, but ended up being an order-at-the-counter type place with hard booths to sit at. If the atmosphere didn't impress, the food sure did! I had the chicken plate, which served about half a chicken, and two sides. I chose hash brown casserole and broccoli and rice casserole. Yes, you can get these kind of items at other places, but this food tasted like it came out of a Southern woman's kitchen.

And if you've ever had food in a Southern woman's kitchen, you know you're eatin' good! I'm pretty sure everyone at the table was pleased with what they ordered. Waylon didn't eat much, but was pleased as punch about his Yoo-Hoo we ordered him. He drank it like it was going out of style! So, if you're ever in Guthrie, KY, be sure to stop in at Red Top BBQ. You will be glad that you did!