MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Restaurants

MARY MAC’S TEA ROOM

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

What’s Mary Mac’s Tea Room?  It’s a historic restaurant in Atlanta that serves traditional Southern food.  It opened in 1945, and the original owner was Mary McKenzie.  The current owner is John Ferrell, who bought the restaurant in 1994.  Was there an age restriction?  Definitely not.  And the restaurant leans heavy on families with kids.  What time did we go?  Around 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday.

How was the maître d’?  A mess.  Where to begin…?  All parking in Atlanta is a challenge, and the parking at Mary Mac’s is no exception—their parking lot is about the size of a postage stamp.  When I went into restaurant, I gave my name to the hostess for two people, and she gave me a pager.  The pager went off in few seconds, which was an error, and the hostess asked me if the other party was here.  I told her, “No,” and she asked me to let her know when they got there.  A few minutes later, I told her to seat me and that the other party would just find me when they got there.  She muttered something inaudible in response. The other party got there, and we sat there for a few more minutes.  I went and told the hostess that the other party was here.  “Ok, we can activate the reservation now.”  What do you mean, we can activate it now?  I was about to let her have, but decided that it wasn’t worth it.  However, this was no way to start off an experience.

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When Mary Mac’s opened in 1945, it was one of 16 tea rooms around Atlanta, Georgia.  More than 70 years later, it stands alone in carrying on the tradition of bringing great Southern cooking to everyone from blue collar workers to celebrities.  In Mary Mac’s Tea Room, author and owner John Ferrell brings together over 100 classic recipes from this venerable institution of Southern comfort food.

What was the décor like?  Both self-referential and evocative of a historic building.  What was the seating like?  There were a few seats at a bar.  Other than this, all of the seating was at tables.  What was the atmosphere like?  Mobbed at this time of the day.  Depending on what room you get—and there are many rooms—you may be seated with mostly adults, or you be mixed up with a bunch of families with kids.  This, my dears, is the luck of the draw.

What was the crowd like?  It seemed to consist of more locals than tourists.  However, there are definitely tourists here.  How was the cruising?  Despite the name “Tea Room,” no “tea” action was found.  When’s happy hour?  They don’t have this.  What libations were ordered?  None.

What was ordered?  The all-you-can-eat Southern Special, which was $26.50 a person and was served family style.  You choose three entrées, three side dishes, and one dessert.  For the entrée, we ordered fried chicken, meatloaf, and chicken and dumplings.  For the sides, we ordered fried green tomatoes, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens.  We ordered bread pudding for the dessert.  Was the food served timely?  Yes.

How was the food?  The play was the thing for Hamlet, but the food was the thing here—it’s really what everyone’s coming for.  Before the entrée was brought out, they give you complementary Pot Likker with Cracklin’ Cornbread.  The broth and the cornbread in it were both excellent.  Regarding the entrée, each dish was better than the next.  The tomato sauce on top of the meatloaf was great, and ditto the meatloaf itself, with minimal stuffing, and replenish with onions and green peppers.  The macaroni and cheese was uncharacteristically light and fluffy—who knows how they’re getting it like this.  The chicken dumplings were delightful and contained a surprising hint of nutmeg.  The fried chicken is what you’d expect—wonderful.  The bread pudding was the best I ever had (and I’m not really a fan of this dish).  The only complaint was about the fried green tomatoes.  They were greasy and plain.  As far as the price goes, I never saw so much food for that price.  The menu says that they don’t give takeout containers for the Southern Special, but that’s probably to prohibit ordering seconds—they give you a container if you ask.  And as far as the server knows (I asked), no one has ever finished all of the food in the first order.

How was the server?  Unassuming, but excellent.  What stands out about the restaurant?  Undoubtedly, the food.  What could be improved?  Get rid of miss thing at the reception, and allow reservations.

What was surprising?  The number of celebrities and politicians that have been there recently.  Once we got the server, Marion (at 22 year’s tenure, she’s “a baby” there; one server has worked there for over 50 years, and several other are at 30 and 40 years in), talking, she didn’t want to stop.  Marion told us that the following people had been there recently: Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Hart (He asked for health food; “What’s he asking for that for here?”), Cedric the Entertainer, Tyler Perry, Jimmy Carter (several times), Bill Clinton (he sat with the public), Joe Biden (the secret service was everywhere, both inside and out), Alan Jackson, Justin Bieber (insulated by his security guards), and Richard Gere.

Mary Mac’s Tea Room is located at 224 Ponce de Leon Ave., in Atlanta, Georgia.  They’re open daily, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.