At Cracker Barrel restaurants, some of the 'vegetables' hide meat

The homey dining room of a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store.

Small bowls of turnip greens, left, and pinto beans contain ham. The sweet potato is cut open and served with a couple of spoons of brown sugar inside.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On vacations, my family soon learned that Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores were among the few reliable roadside places to eat, have coffee and rest up for the next few hours in the car.

On Monday, when I visited Mechanicsburg, Pa., I made sure to stop at a Cracker Barrel for a light lunch before driving back to New Jersey.

Looking over the menu, I saw a list of vegetables and side dishes, and decided to order a Country Vegetable Plate -- four selections for $7.59 -- because I don't eat meat.

The menu said nothing more about the vegetables, only that they are prepared "in the traditional country style."

My platter included okra -- beautifully fried -- but I added hot sauce for flavor.

 Greens with ham

Cracker Barrel serves turnip -- not collard -- greens, but I know they are usually prepared with turkey or meat, and asked the waitress.

She came back from the kitchen and said the turnip greens contained ham, but I ordered them anyway, thinking I could separate the meat from the greens.

I was wrong. There was shredded ham throughout the greens, and I didn't eat most of them.

The pinto beans I ordered contained diced ham, but the pieces were easily removed. A sweet potato and fried okra completed my platter.

The Cracker Barrel menu could be more helpful to people like me who want to avoid meat. 

And the Tennessee-based restaurant chain might consider making non-meat versions of greens, beans and other side dishes.

A beautiful rotisserie chicken

Image via Wikipedia

Our dinner last night was a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods Market in Paramus and it was a revelation. This bird was raised in Pennsylvania on vegetarian feed and without antibiotics, and it's moist throughout, simply the best I've tasted in North Jersey.

A whole chicken yields at least two meals in our house. We eat all of the dark meat for dinner, plus the back, and use the leftover white meat for baguette sandwiches or quick tacos. Last night, we served the chicken  with quick-baked sweet potatoes, organic salad greens and a Whole Foods organic baguette ($1.79 on sale, cheaper than Balthazar Bakery's $2  baguette, but not as good).

The bird weighs only 1.75 pounds after cooking and costs $7.99 -- 50 cents more than when the store opened in March. But it's well worth it. The leg and thigh pulled easily away, as did the wings, and the white meat remained moist even after three minutes in the microwave.

Our bird was prepared with an herb rub, which includes rosemary, thyme, parsley, sea salt and paprika. The seasoning was perfect. And a glass or two of Chateau Bellevue bordeaux made it even more enjoyable. I want to thank my frugal friend Jay, who recommended this chicken. He's tasted them all.
 
Here is the Web Site:  Whole Foods Market