Northport Diner

Northport, AL
$5-$8 Entrees

I've had a horrible week. I got a massive speeding ticket, my toddler hit me for the first (but probably not the last) time, my spouse has been grumpy, and my cat bit my hand as I was trying to scratch behind her ears. I haven't been sleeping well, and I've been generally cranky ... okay, I even cried two nights ago. I needed a place to go where I could "eat my feelings."

Northport Diner is the perfect place to find comfort food galore. As I entered the white brick restaurant with its crisp black and white striped awnings, immediately noticing a giant sign advertising homemade milkshakes, I knew I was about to receive the most effective therapy: culinary therapy. I crossed the checkerboard tile floor, seating myself at one of the red vinyl booths. Installed in this snuggery, I prepared for catharsis.

A pleasant waitress brought a basket of cornbread and small muffins. The cornbread was just fine, but the steaming muffins turned out to be slightly sweet yeast rolls. They were so good I took the Lord's name in vain. (He has since forgiven me.) First down!

Northport Diner offers soups (the best being the beef vegetable), salads, sandwiches, half-pound burgers, and an extensive children's menu. However, the winningest items on the menu are the Blue Plate Specials. Between 1920 and 1960, restaurants traditionally served a meat and three on a blue plate for a very affordable price. Although no longer served on blue plates, Northport Diner's specials do not disappoint.

A friend, another feelings-eater, joined me for lunch, ordering the baked chicken with cornbread dressing (that's stuffing to you Yankees) and purple hull peas. She and her Mama are the experts on how to prepare purple hull peas to perfection (try saying that three times fast). She said they were perfectly cooked, and I agreed. The dressing was the second best I ever had, and I have eaten a lot of dressing in my time. (The best was at The Bright Star in Bessemer.) The chicken was well-done but still tender and juicy. Huge gain for another first down! (In case you haven't noticed, I'm not above eating other people's food.)

I ordered the fried catfish with green beans and macaroni and cheese. My purpose in ordering the mac 'n' cheese was to put the diner to the test, as no mac 'n' cheese can beat my Aunt Libby's. Northport Diner failed to beat my Aunt Libby's, because ... well, their mac 'n' cheese was identical. The Italian flat beans had a lovely flavor, but were just a hair overcooked. However, the catfish was satisfyingly crispy and very tasty with a slightly spicy cornmeal breading. First and goal!

I could feel these endorphin-producing vittles causing a horizontal growth spurt, but, knowing I would have to pay the price of my injudiciousness, I continued to eat. My feelings thus exorcised, I paid the rock-bottom price at the counter and left experiencing the euphoria only soul food can conjure. Thus heartened, I felt ready to face the specters of my $200 ticket, my spouse, my child, and my irascible cat. Touchdown.

4 Kudzu