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Waving Back at Reeds Spring

417 Magazine spent an afternoon tasting the flavors of Reeds Spring’s restaurant scene (and befriending a waitress and exciting some local kids).

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Not long ago, a reader told us we should do a story about all the great places to grab a meal in Reeds Spring. In Reeds Spring? Really? I had been to (and loved, loved, loved) Papouli’s, but what else was in that little town? With an open mind and an empty belly, I hit the road with Art Director Cassie Darst and Photographer Kevin O’Riley to see what kinds of tastiness we could unearth in Reeds Spring. What we found were ecstatic children, hilarious waitresses, helpful police chiefs, mountains of chicken salad and the biggest darn ice cream cone we’d ever seen.

Tea Room Antics

When we got to Main Street in Reeds Spring, we knew we were near our first stop: Mary Jane’s Tea Room (17 Spring St., 417-272-0004). We just had to go half a mile or so to the town’s main drag and then turn onto Spring Street to Mary Jane’s. But we missed Spring Street and just kept right on driving (whoops). Before we could turn around and head the right direction, we passed a house with two little boys in the yard, dancing (vigorously) and waving at the passersby in the weird orange car (us). We found Spring Street then, but we drove right on past Mary Jane’s and found ourselves on a narrow road lined on one side with multi-colored corrugated metal fences. Not Mary Jane’s. We turned around again and finally got there.

When we first walked into Mary Jane’s (a crafty woman’s dream-come-true, with hand-painted pictures everywhere… mostly of cats), we were the only diners in the surprisingly big restaurant. But several more filtered in shortly after. A petite, adorable, perky, hilarious, and completely delightful woman named Sharon Joseph told us to sit wherever we wanted, and then she started to explain the tiny sandwich-board menu. Each dish came with soup: chilled strawberry soup or warm potato and bacon soup. Cassie got the turkey and bacon sandwich, served on a croissant and made with thick slices of real turkey… like from a turkey! In other words, these weren’t cold cuts. Adding bacon to bacon (what’s better?), she also had the potato and bacon soup, which was rich and delicious.

I ordered the chicken salad. A reader—different from the person who suggested we check out Reeds Spring—had written to tell me it was her favorite chicken salad in the region, so I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed. This was precisely the kind of chicken salad I love. The chicken was shredded thin, but the accoutrements were the best part: pecans, grapes, apples and tons of crunchy celery. I had it with the strawberry soup, which was light and refreshing but could easily have been dessert. It looked like too much to eat, but I cleaned my plate. (Sidenote: I also took a trip to the little girls’ room. It was labeled “litter box room” and was a full bathroom with a tub and shower… just in case?)

And Kevin… Well, when Kevin ordered, we realized that Sharon had taken quite a shine to him. “What’ll it be, Curly?” She asked. Curly! Kevin earned a nickname! He ordered the crab salad—which is also made with apples and grapes—with strawberry soup. And Sharon paid him a lot of attention. She was interested in his camera. “Oh, you’re a professional photographer, huh?” And they had a nice chat about the greatness of Canon and how to store film. And she razzed him and razzed him and, in time, they became best friends.

We realized too late that this was a cash-and-check-only kind of place, and we needed to go get some paper money. Cassie and I left Kevin at the restaurant as collateral (I don’t think Sharon minded), and headed out to find an ATM. We drove past the waving, dancing children (still waving, still dancing) four more times and stopped at the police station for directions before we actually found the ATM. Note to self: Bring cash to Reeds Spring, and pay attention while driving.

By the time we got back to the restaurant, all we needed before heading out was a picture of Sharon the Super Server and Jan Tungseth, who had prepared all of our food. The two were giddy and hilarious, bantering back and forth while Kevin got his camera ready. My favorite excerpt from their conversation:

Sharon: “I’m wearing a sports bra!”

Jan: “I’m not wearing a bra!”

Sharon: “What about knickers?”

As we packed up to leave, Sharon told Kevin that he was cute as a button and, “If I were 40 years younger, I’d cover you like a blanket.”

We love Sharon.

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