There comes a time after the holidays when the sparkle of the season has dulled and maybe your list of resolutions has come into question. It’s the coldest time of year, a time when all you want is comfort… and food is likely at the top of the list.
In Franklin, that means biscuits and barbecue, gumbo and tacos—the kind of dishes that warm the soul.
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Take Half Way Market on West Main, which opens early Tuesday through Sunday to serve fresh sausage-egg-and-cheeses or breakfast plates to order. Lunch includes their famous cheeseburgers and classic meat and three. Or head to Puckett’s just off the Square on Fourth Avenue, where you’ll find pulled pork and fried chicken for breakfast or dinner.
Within The Factory at Franklin, just over the Harpeth River from downtown, Edley’s Bar-B-Que is slow-smoking briskets, ribs and pork butts every day, while Mojo’s Tacos is smoking its tortillas. Their breakfast tacos on Saturdays are destination-worthy, and you’ll also love the two dozen shops you can peruse inside the newly-renovated 1930s stovemaking plant. Stay for lunch and get a cup of jambalaya and half a muffaletta at White Alligator. Dinner could be steaming green curry from Two Hands or a savory bowl of noodles at Otaku Ramen, as well as a cocktail or two at The Skylight Bar.
Back downtown, Merridee’s Breadbasket and Triple Crown are there to satisfy your sweet tooth, while McCreary’s Irish Pub serves up stews and cottage pies alongside a foamy pint of Guinness. If chicken and sausage gumbo meets your standard for comfort food, 55 South has the best in town. Two other solid options for guaranteed comfort near the heart of Franklin are Elroy Coffee Co. for its meat pies, and Franklin Chop House for its old-school Americana menu, which includes daily specials.
If you started your day with a drive through the hills and dales out to Leiper’s Fork for biscuits and gravy at The Country Boy, you could spend half a day exploring the village, then top off your shopping with a hot deli sandwich at the Leiper’s Fork Market or The Davis General. Next, hop on the Natchez Trace Parkway to see serious American history and stunning vistas. Finish with dinner at Circa Grill in Thompson’s Station, followed by a whiskey or gin tasting at Company Distilling.
This type of culinary therapy has been proven to knock off the chill just long enough to get us to the time when the daffodils bloom in late January. Then we know spring can’t be far off, set to burst in green and pastels across the landscape. It’s what makes these cold winter months worth it, and perhaps at that point, we can revisit those resolutions!
