Monday, August 20, 2007

The Blue Willow

I was in Scottsboro, Alabama this past weekend visiting family members in the area. For lunch, my cousin Beckie took my mother and I to eat at the Blue Willow.
The Blue Willow is actually a house converted into a "tea room" of sorts. The home was built as a Victorian style in 1890 by Mr. J.D. Snodgrass, for his wife Hattie May Brown, and they lived in the home until their deaths.
The Blue Willow Restaurant, as it is today, is a truly eclectic mix of styles and tastes . There are many rooms in which to dine, and on the walls are artwork and antiques for sale. You can literally shop the walls while you eat. But the eating at the Blue Willow was certainly the best part. The menu offered a variety of dishes, including sandwiches, cheeseburgers and specialty salads. My mother, cousin Beckie and I opted for the Blue Willow Sampler.
While waiting for our plates to be prepared, we shopped the wall art and had a fun time as our eyes wandered the room as well as the yard outside the window, which was also full of items for sale. The Blue Willow carries unusual gifts, including hand painted Russian jewelry and nesting eggs, as well as painting and crafts by local artist, antiques and much, much, MUCH more.
The waitress brought our sweet tea as well as a basket full of fresh yeast rolls and the restaurant specialty "world famous" bourbon butter. The rolls were warm and as I spread the bourbon butter it melted instantly. The bourbon butter made the rolls. It was not what I had expected to taste~ a shot of bourbon, I never detected, but instead was sweet and had a distinct and wonderful flavor.
Our meals arrived in a timely manner. The Sampler had generous portions of the Willows fresh homemade chicken salad and was also served with pasta salad, congealed pretzel salad, fresh fruit and two little mini carrot or spice cake muffins. It was alot to eat.
The pasta salad was a tri-colored mix of pasta in a creamy Italian and honey mustard dressing with black olives and smaller vegetables throughout. The chicken salad was fresh, and actually even more than what appears on the plate. The fruit was fresh and contained grapes, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon and kiwi. If you order the sampler, my recommendation would be to save the pretzel salad for last. It will serve as a dessert. It was perfect and delicious, with a crisp pretzel bottom layer and a sweet cream cheese layer followed by cherry jello. It was my favorite of all the sampler.

I want to make mention that the owner told of some pork loins that would be served for the nightly menu. He said it was a specialty and that it would be worth the trip back. Lunch and Supper is served at the Willow. Call for hours.

The Blue Willow is a place you will want to return to for a delicious meal with friends.

The Blue Willow
303 East Willow Street
Scottsboro, AL. 35768
(256) 259-3462

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