The Tuck and Table: Pimento Cheese and Fried Saltines

Great food isn’t just found in major metropolitan areas. You tell me you had a delicious dinner in San Francisco or Boston, that’s to be expected but finding great meals in small towns? Now that’s interesting.

An hour west of Asheville, Bryson City, NC is the gateway to the Smokies and has less than 2000 residents.

You know what it does have?

Excellent coffee, decent Italian food and some of the best damn pimento cheese I have ever eaten.

The star of the show: thick, creamy pimento cheese flanked by house pita chips, fresh veggies and life-changing fried saltines.

The Spot: The Tuck and Table

• Location: 80 Everett St, Bryson City, NC 28713

• Vibe: Features a sprawling upper patio overlooking the Tuckasegee River fitted with Adirondack chairs (yes, with cup holders), plus a lower riverfront porch stocked with cornhole, giant Connect Four and plenty of seating to lounge while you wait.

 

The Bite: Pimento Cheese

• Price: $12

• Vegetarian Status: Definitely vegetarian, definitely not vegan.

The Flavor Breakdown

There are people in this world who haven’t had pimento cheese and I feel bad for them. Initially, the dish sounds a little strange - grated cheese and sweet pickled peppers held together by mayo - but once you’ve had good pimento cheese, you never go back.

And this is good pimento cheese.

It’s thick, it’s creamy, it’s salty and it holds up strong to the accoutrements it comes with - carrot sticks, celery stalks, really crunchy pita chips (definitely house-made. These are sturdy unlike the stuff Stacy peddles) and another revelation, seasoned and fried saltines.

If this trip has taught me anything, it is that Southern cooks are skillfully adept at taking a simple concept and innovating until it’s so much better.

How have I lived almost 45 years without frying a damn Saltine? I feel like I’ve missed out.

While I am of the Oliver Putnam school and firmly believe that dips are dinner, my husband and child eat like normal humans and shared a steak with chimichurri, macaroni and cheese and roasted Brussels sprouts.

The meal was served with the softest Parker House rolls and honey butter - yet another example of Southern chefs taking something simple and elevating it.

A full dinner table spread featuring pimento cheese, fried saltines, roasted Brussels sprouts, chimichurri steak, and macaroni and cheese.

Soft, golden Parker House rolls served with sweet honey butter

The Beverages: Josh Cellars Pinot Noir

• Price: $9

You can't beat sipping a $9 glass of Pinot Noir while watching the storm roll over the Tuckasegee River.

I love a good medium-bodied, jammy Pinot. And I love it even more when I’m drinking it while watching a bombastic thunderstorm while safe and dry on a patio overlooking the mountains.

One Mouthy Sandwich Girl Rating:

• Flavor & Freshness:

  • 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪

• Value for Buck:

  • 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪

    • $12 for an appetizer that eats like a meal and $9 for a glass over wine all enjoyed over a priceless view. You can’t beat that.

• Vegetarian Variety:

  • 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪

    • Two strong vegetarian appetizers, two vegetarian entrees and available accomodations and banana pudding for dessert (which I am kicking myself for not getting) is good for most places but fantastic for a small town eatery.

• The Verdict:

  • 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪 🥪

    • You can’t beat the food, the prices or the view. Bryson City, North Carolina is worth making a trip to and when you’re there, swing by the Tuck and Table for a drink, a bite and a round of cornhole by the river. It’s where memories are made.