Truelove’s Pizza and Grits
I have lived my entire life south of the Mason-Dixon line, which has infused a certain sensibility in me. While it’s true that I was raised by Midwesterners (read: Yankees), and that thanks to marrying a gospel singer I have traveled all over the dang world, I am DEFINITELY what you’d call ‘Southern-identified.’ I have a deep affinity and understanding of the land, the accents, the food and the, well, quirkiness of the South. I love to experience all kinds of different countries and cultures, but I never truly feel at home anyplace else.
That’s part of the reason why moving out to “the country” holds such appeal to me. I’m definitely a city girl, and I don’t ever want to get too far from a well-stocked supermarket or a good Thai restaurant, but the idea of living in a place with a little acreage and a town square sounds like heaven to me. Maybe this is my mid-life crisis! (OK, I realize that to qualify as ‘mid-life’ that means I plan on living to be 110, but work with me here.)
At any rate, in my opinion the quirky factor does go up in direct proportion to how far out of town you live. For example– big cities definitely have weird people in them, but it’s a different kind of weird from the small town version. Or maybe it’s just our attitude about them. Here’s a quote from one of my favorite TV characters of all time that sums it up beautifully:
“I’m saying, this is the South! And we’re proud of our crazy people. We don’t hide them up in the attic, we bring ‘em right down to the living room and show ‘em off.
See, Phyllis, no one in the South ever asks if you have crazy people in your family– they just ask what side they’re on.”
— Julia Sugarbaker, “Designing Women”
Which brings me to the title of this post. (Please note: I am certainly not inferring that any crazy people are involved in the aforementioned business endeavor. Do not contact your attorney.)
I first told you guys about this restaurant back in the fall, when I was house-hunting in Columbia and drove past the sign. It wasn’t open yet, but I was already intrigued. I’m not a big fan of grits, didn’t grow up eating them, but on my forays into low country cuisine I did discover some particularly wonderful versions of shrimp and grits that I loved. And hey, who doesn’t like homemade pizza?
Anyway, a couple of days ago my friend and realtor Lynnie (without her chicken purse this time, sadly) were in Columbia looking around (haven’t fallen in love with another house, thank God, but did find an interesting prospect…) and we decided this was the day to check out Truelove’s Pizza and Grits. IT WAS A REVELATION. Seriously. The pizza crust was exactly the way I like it, kinda thin and crispy but not cracker-y. And the grits were unbelievable– creamy, chock full of cheese with bits of tomato floating around and a perfectly proportioned amount of red pepper flakes that added just a hint of heat without being overpowering. It has only been two days and I am already craving them again! The prices were great, and the people running the place could not have been nicer even after I spilled half a glass of sweet tea all over the beverage station. Oops.
So… if you ever find yourself within driving distance of Columbia, TN, I’m telling you, GO. Even if it wasn’t as delicious as it is, it would still be worth the trip just to say you’ve eaten there!
Here’s a little local news piece on it– sorry about the stupid 15 second commercial, I couldn’t figure out a way to cut that part out–
(Hungry yet?)
