I Miss Mayberry...

I miss Mayberry, sittin' on the porch drinking ice cold cherry coke, where everything is black and white... - Rascal Flatts

Nothing on our Indiana trip seemed to go as planned, especially when it came to timing and schedules, but one thing we did make time for was a visit to the Mayberry Café in Danville, IN. Fully decorated in 1960s themed Andy Griffith style, the Mayberry Café is a split level restaurant that plays reruns of the Andy Griffith show all day long. It’s kind of epic. We were seated upstairs, and since it wasn’t super busy on a Tuesday evening, we had a lot of space and I wasn’t quite so worried about the kids being loud or disturbing people.

The menu reflected a wide variety of “Aunt Bea” style down-home cooking, pasta, and sandwiches. We started our order with some fried pickles, which is a “must order” for me on any menu in my attempt to find someone who makes them as well as my dad. Our waitress also brought us a basket of bread and some cinnamon butter that was amazing!

J had a black and bleu burger, while I opted for some of their famous fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The kids went for pizza and hot dogs, but in true toddler form, E enjoyed pickles, a hot dog bun, and several spoons full of ranch dressing.

The kids were very satisfied with their meals, and it seemed like the portion sizes were large. J’s burger was grilled, which he definitely appreciated, and my chicken was excellent. I did the “cheater” version of fried chicken and ordered the fried boneless, skinless chicken breast, which I know isn’t real fried chicken, but if you’ve met me you know I have an aversion to touching my food, so the fact that I could cut it with a fork and knife was a big plus for me. The highlight of my meal? The mashed potatoes and gravy. Holy yummy. They were just like homemade (probably because their food is made to order), and rivaled something my mom would make. I won’t say “something I would make” because let’s be honest. I make real mashed potatoes about once a year, and gravy even less. Sorry husband.

We weren’t able to save room for dessert, although E’s baked cinnamon apples tasted just like the inside of an apple pie, so we ended our meal by allowing the kids to spend their tokens (provided with each kids meal) in the little “store” area downstairs. We left with a football, handcuffs, and a paddle ball game, though the tokens could have also been spent on ice cream. We finished our experience with a quick picture outside the café next to the replica Andy Griffith squad car.

I will definitely be back to visit, because the hot beef sounded so good that I almost ordered two meals for myself, and I’m pretty sure a handstand picture in front of the car is going to be a necessary component of #HandstandsAcrossAmerica.