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We finally got over to Taylor Grocery for dinner. The day before our visit, I was chatting with an elderly lady who grew up in, and still lives in Taylor who advised me “if you want to eat on a Friday night, you better be on the bench at 4:30 or you won’t get in the door.” Well, we took her advice and arrived at 4:30 pm sharp – the bench was already full! But…they have a lot of tables and we were able to get in on the first wave. And yes, they do strictly enforce the requirement that your entire party must be present to get a table.
We were promptly waited on by Melissa who was a wonderful waitress, hostess, and a bit of a “trail guide” as we explored the menu. If you have never been to Taylor Grocery, my suggestion is to do what we did and that was to order a couple of appetizers, especially the sampler plate. This plate includes catfish fillets, boneless “wings”, hush puppies, and shrimp, all of which provides a sneak peak into what a person might want to order for dinner. The catfish was awesome! It was perfectly cooked and its light and tender texture resulted in two of us ordering a catfish entrée. The others at the table ordered the grilled double pork loin chops served over brown rice and smothered in gumbo.
ALL OF THE FOOD WAS TOP NOTCH AND EXACTLY WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AND WANTING from Taylor Grocery. There is clearly something’s going on back in the kitchen that makes the food so great. I’m not sure what it is but they, whoever it is that’s back there, needs to keep on doing whatever it is that they are doing that is so good. Green beans – absolutely delicious, just like my mom used to make. Turnip Greens – better than the green beans especially when doused with a bit of the “pepper vinegar” that is made in-house and comes to the table in an old tequila bottle. Gumbo – Terrific – nothing is spared in the gumbo, by itself, a bowl of this and a handful of the hushpuppies is about all a person might need. I’m pretty sure I could take a bath in a tub of that gumbo and enjoy every minute of it. The fried okra, almost a good as the catfish fillets!
My advice for folks who might be considering making the short drive from Oxford down to Taylor Grocery: Do as the Romans do. Get on the bench and get on it at least ½ hour before they open. Cash is welcome, credit cards are also accepted. No beer, wine or other alcohol, but they do serve soft drinks and tea in humongous sized glasses and to boot, refill them about every 74 seconds! I was not able to find the bottom of my glass no matter how hard I tried!