Boyette’s is
known as one of upper western Tennessee’s most popular restaurants. It has been featured on the TV show,
Tennessee Crossroads and the restaurant was highly recommended by my hunting
and fishing brother-in-law who quite often travels to that area of the state to
fish. It is located directly across the
street from Reelfoot Lake State Park in Tiptonville, Tennessee.
We arrived at the restaurant at
around one thirty on a Thursday afternoon in mid May, a time we thought the
crowds would not be heavy, even though the establishment accepts reservations... And sure enough, there was a long line for
those paying their luncheon bills at the cashier; there were only two of us in line
to be seated. We were seated in a front
corner booth behind the cashier area which provided us a view of the entire restaurant
looking to the rear.
Service was quick as our waitress
brought us our menu and took our drink orders. The menu offered us a choice of All
You Can Eat, Plates, or Dinners, as well as Steaks and a Kids Menu. Since it
was the middle of the day we chose to stick with the Plates or Dinners
menu. The Plates and Dinners menu came
with the same sides and the only difference seemed to be that the dinner prices
ran about a couple of dollars more than the Plate prices.
Since this was lake country and the restaurant
was noted for its “farm-raised catfish”, I elected to order the 3 Piece Catfish
Steak Plate at $10.99. My wife chose the
Chicken Plate with Thigh and Leg priced at $8.59. We had a choice of green beans or white beans
and we both chose white beans as one of our sides.
After about ten or fifteen minutes
our food was delivered and what a feast it was.
My fish plate included four pieces instead of three. (Three was the most
you could order without going for the All You can Eat menu). Crowding out my catfish on the plate was a tall
order of French fries and a order of onion rings. My wife’s chicken came with five pieces, two
thighs, two legs and a wing whose size filled the plate. Her fries and onion rings came on a separate
plate. In addition, we were served family style a large bowl of white beans and
a large bowl of cole slaw. On the side
was a bread basket featuring hot biscuits and hush puppies.
Now I am not a great fan of fish and
I would not have ordered catfish except that was the dish the establishment was
noted for. It had been some years since
I had tasted catfish and this one was delicious. Of course, I had to be on constant alert for
the dratted “bones” that comes in real catfish like this. This makes the dining experience somewhat unnerving.
My wife and I swapped out a piece of chicken for a piece of catfish and I found
her friend chicken to be moist and delicious, somewhat like the kind my mother
used to make. The slaw and white beans
were also very good and there were so much of them! Now I must tell you of the highlight of the
meal—the hushpuppies and the onion rings. These homemade hushpuppies were
absolutely delicious, almost sweet to the taste. Of everything that was served,
those puppies made the meal. Secondly,
the onion rings were undoubtedly the best onion rings I have ever tasted. Here
again, I assume these rings were home made in the restaurant’s kitchen. Their crispness and taste were again out of
this world.
As mentioned, Boyette’s has an All
You Can Eat Menu offering on its menu.
But I cannot see how anyone would want to elect that option. The plates that we ordered contained so much
food that both of us were literally stuffed.
There were plenty of leftovers and we asked for a take home box for the
chicken fries and onion rings. It made a
tasty meal in the motel that night.
Bottom line, I highly recommend Boyette’s
if you are in the West Tennessee area.
It is truly a fantastic dining experience.
Photos of this dining experience can be found later in the blog.
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