I'm a bit of a creature of habit. Which is why I don't really treat this blog like a food diary; I'd be embarrassed for the world to know how often I eat the same thing over and over. But to anyone who's been reading a while, it's pretty clear that there are several places here in Nashville I love. Woodlands Indian Restaurant...Miss Saigon for Vietnamese...Los Rosales for Mexican...and McNeil's produce stand to get produce.
So I shouldn't be too embarrassed to admit that I visited two of those places this weekend. Saturday night, the Momster was in town for a reunion of some of our extended family (hi Perrys!) and I wanted her to experience this place. The SO and I also invited his parents, brother and sister-in-law and their daughter. Luckily, we got there early because (good news) the place got pretty busy Saturday night.
I did branch out a little bit this time and instead of getting the stuffed avocadoes, I got the enchiladas verdes that Laura at Fixin' Supper ordered on her visit. It was kind of a gamble because I really don't like cooked spinach at all (the smell makes me gag, actually), but the (organic) spinach in this quesadilla is cooked very delicately. No gagging at all; it was delicious.
The SO's mom got the stuffed squash that I'd considered and let me try a bite. She and the SO liked it, but it was a bit rich for my taste. I'm not a huge fan of eggs and they're fairly prominent (which is why the SO liked it). But there's plenty for me to eat.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal (I certainly hope they weren't just being polite--though I know my mom would be honest) and we had a great time.
Now for the bad news. This morning, I took the Momster out to McNeil's produce stand because I knew they'd have some fresh corn. When we got out to the spot, the building was gone. Mrs. McNeil was set up under some tarps off to the side, but all that was left of the stand was a concrete slab. I thought surely they wouldn't be remodeling in the middle of summer, but what really happened didn't even occur to me. Last weekend (actually, the night of my last visit), thieves robbed the stand and then burned it down. When Mrs. McNeil told me about it (I missed it when it was on the news), I was stunned. Who would do such a thing? They are such nice people. And it's a produce stand, for crying out loud. It just doesn't make any sense. I can't help but feel pretty angry about it. That may seem odd, but that's just how happy it makes me that they're out there.
But they're not letting this setback get them down too much. As I mentioned, they're still operating. It's a bit smaller an operation, but they still had some great tomatoes, green beans and fresh corn. They've got the bi-color Peaches and Cream as well as Silver Queen, a white corn I had for the first time this evening. I highly recommend it; it's delicious, sweet and juicy. If you're on the west side of town, drive on out there and pick some up. As I've mentioned before, they're on Highway 100, just west of the Loveless Cafe and the Natchez Trace Parkway. If you're coming from I-40, take the McCrory Lane exit and drive south until it dead ends at Highway 100 and turn right. It's down the street on the right just a little way. It's worth the trip.
6 comments:
Your meal out sounds amazing! I'd love to try some vegetarian restaurants in the US some time! And I feel pretty cross to for the lady and her produce stall. Some people are just morons! Have a great week!
How sad and unjust! Good for them for setting up again.
OmG how could they rob a produce stand. What is wrong with people. I will totally go and support them. Thanks for the info.
Like, what did the thieves steal? Cantaloupes? Surely the McNeils didn't keep cash in that flimsy building. Really, this may be a good way for them to start over -- I was in there last year, and they were sweltering, poor things. I could hardly stand it for 5 minutes. Maybe it was heavily insured and they can rebuild with air-conditioning.
I'm a bad friend... I've just bookmarked this... I need to visit here more often!
I just don't understand why they would rob and then burn down that produce stand. How much money could they have even gotten? It's so peculiar. Too bad they didn't have insurance. It makes me want to stop by there on my way home from work to help support them.
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