Mattie's

By Billy Curtright

Cuisine editor

Soul food is the backbone of all Southern cooking. The homemade flavor is what separates the real soul food from just a plain old country kitchen. Necessities are cornmeal, flour, fresh vegetables and fat. Lots of fat. Keeping all of this in mind, my last restaurant visit took a turn to downtown and into Mattie’s.

As I entered the classic Old Mobile row house on St. Francis, the entire crew was in the corner waiting for the lunch rush. I was the first one in that day and felt like royalty when I was greeted by the hostess and cooks all at once. The atmosphere was circa 1972 with funky vinyl booths and chairs, none of which matched. An old TV was turned up to the max, and no one minded when I reached up and turned it down.

I surveyed the short-but-sweet buffet line in the back corner and noticed an array of vegetables and mounds of fried chicken. Some of the items were hard to see due to the heavy steam oozing off the dishes. I went with the fried pork chop swimming in brown gravy with a side of rice. I had turnip greens and macaroni & cheese to round out the feast. The signature turnips were rough-cut and barely needed a shot of hot pepper sauce to bring out their full flavor. A cornbread muffin was added to my tray along with a Styrofoam cup of bread pudding. Once I found my seat, a fresh-brewed, sweet tea was brought to me.

Two of my friends arrived a few minutes later and basically got the same selections. Some of the other buffet options were baked or fried chicken, meat loaf, sweet potatoes and various beans and peas. The amazing thing is that the entire lunch was $7.95. That might sound high to some of you who frequent country diners with their classic canned foods, but not a thing on my plate came out of a can. It was all homemade and had the right amount of fat to prove it.

Over the next 10 minutes, the place started filling up with the regular crowd. A nice line formed in front of the fat-laden trough. I overheard a new arrival ask if chitterlings made the day’s menu. When a cook yelled back with an affirmative answer, she snapped her fingers with excitement. She is only one reason I had more than a meal at Mattie’s. I had an experience. A true soul kitchen experience.

Atmosphere – 3 stars (out of a possible 5 stars)

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