DINING OUT
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Lunch specials served 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Entree and two sides, $6.99-$12.99; sides, $2.99; desserts, $2.99; kids menu, $4.99.
1535 Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road, Stone Mountain. 770-879-1113, collardgreencafe.com.
Savannah-born James Paige has been running some version of his Collard Green Cafe somewhare around metro Atlanta since 1998, with restaurants scattered from Toco Hills to Shallowford Road. Now, the peripatetic chef and caterer has resurfaced at a Shell station near Stone Mountain. As usual, Paige is serving up his soulful, Southern-style food with the motto, “You won’t find a can opener in our kitchen.”
The look: Located in the Smoke Rise community, off Highway 78 East at the Hugh Howell exit and Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road, the cafe is tucked into a corner of the convenience store space. Paige occupies a small kitchen, with a steam table, and counter with a few bars stools.
The scene: Pulling up to the gas station one recent afternoon, there was an off-set smoker out front, wafting the unmistakable aroma of barbecue through the air. Inside, Paige was behind the steam table, dressed in chef's garb, and dishing meat-and-two combos into Styrofoam containers for a steady stream of hungry customers.
The food: From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday-Saturday, you'll find at least a half-dozen lunch specials ($6.99-$7.99), served with two sides, a hunk of corn bread, and a drink. Among the regular offerings, slabs of "Mama's Meatloaf" topped with brown gravy, fried, baked or barbecue chicken, smoked pork ribs, slow-cooked oxtails, and neck bones or pig's feet. Sides ($2.99), which change daily, range from signature collard greens topped with onions and custardy baked mac-n-cheese to black-eyed peas and steamed summer squash.
The drinks: There's a short list of drinks ($1.50), including iced tea and pink lemonade. But you can grab bottled water, soft drinks or beer to-go from the cases in the convenience store. And the Smoke Rise Bottle Shop is next door.
The extras: The kids menu ($4.99) includes a choice of entree, one side and a drink. For dessert ($2.99), look for peach cobbler, banana pudding and homemade cake.
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