Branson - Day Two, Part Seven, Dobyns Dining Room

[bojojoti]

Our dinner didn't start with dessert, but I like the memory of this berry creation so much that I'm starting with it here.  Our waitress told us that the berries hadn't been grown on school grounds as some of their produce is, but the students did pick them at a farm about 15 miles away.  The milk for the whipped cream came from the school's dairy, and the flour for the cookie would have been ground at their mill.  She told us that Dobyns Dining tries to grow much of their food and get as much as possible at nearby farms.




 It certainly makes for fresh, tasty food!  Our salads had a trout garnish.  Bumberjean and I never figured out what the red vegetable was.  It was delicious, but it wasn't tomatoes.  In the background is a local treat:  fried green tomatoes with homemade salsa.  The student grown tomatoes had been dipped in a cornmeal that was produced at the school. 

This post is making me crave cornmeal-crusted fried green tomatoes! 


Our waitress brought us wheat rolls and cranberry biscuits made with flour they grind on the premises.  When I had ordered, I had to make certain my meal didn't contain yeast (I'm allergic), and our waitress was kind enough to check to make certain the biscuits didn't contain any.  She was pleased they didn't, and she brought a basket of them just for me.  I rarely have bread, so I enjoyed them greatly!  (She brought so many, I had them for breakfast for several days after!)  They tasted great plain, but I could have availed myself of the tiny cast iron skillets filled with freshly made butter or the homemade apple butter the students make in great quantities to sell. 


I don't have a good shot of it, but in a little larger cast iron skillet was a wondrous taste sensation:  fresh sliced peaches lightly sauteed in a reduction sauce, swirled with a soft, mild cheese, and liberally sprinkled with crushed peppercorns.  That was so good.  Oh, my yum!
  

Bumberjean and I both ordered the pork mignon.  It was tasty, but the real treat for me was what was beneath it.  Bumberjean took a bite, and her tastebuds were bewildered.  They didn't taste like mashed potatoes.  That's because they were grits!  And not just any grits--these were Gouda grits.  Nothing like classing up a down home staple.  They were really good!
 

We shouldn't have had any room for dessert, but we managed.  Some of us had the berry dessert and others had bread pudding. 

With the proliferation of chain restaurants that nuke frozen food and send out nondescript, unmemorable meals, it was a delight to dine where freshness and quality were apparent.  Dobyns Dining Room was a little off the beaten track, but that was part of its charm, too.  If you are ever near Branson, make reservations to enjoy a delicious meal in an attractive setting.

Comments

[krikketgirl.livejournal.com]

Wow! It looks amazing!!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

It was an excellent meal and a fun evening.

[singersdd.livejournal.com]

'nother place to tell the 'rents about for next month!

That food looks simply divine!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend the dining!

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

*is so hungry stomach is growling*

*drools profusely*

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Me, too. I guess I'll go eat some flax flake cereal. It won't be the same.

[cbtreks.livejournal.com]

It all looks delicious (even the grits, which I don't like, look good!). The presentation is lovely and the food itself looks great.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

These grits were so finely ground--not what I've eaten before. Even they were good!

[brendamom.livejournal.com]

This makes me want to get off square one and start cooking again. Beautiful food shots.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I wish I enjoyed cooking; I certainly enjoy eating! Thank you.

[jennifleur.livejournal.com]

Bacon wrapped pork loin over gouda grits? HOT DAMN! That looks good!!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Good Southern cooking!

[myrna-nora.livejournal.com]

Mmm. This post is making me hungry.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Me, too, and I don't have anything comparable to eat!

[advoir.livejournal.com]

I am bursting with impossible envy. I don't like you any more. :(

(That may change after I've eaten some breakfast...)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha! I'm not liking me much right now. I guess I could eat a fresh peach, but it won't be the same!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The food looks wonderful. I have just looked 'grits' up to find out what it is/they are and discover it is something a bit like polenta. But I loved the line in the Wiki entry under 'Other Uses' which says

It is sometimes said that dry grits can be used to kill ants by causing them to 'explode' as the grits expand inside them;[7][8] however, laboratory tests conducted on fire ants suggest that grits are ineffective.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I've always thought it hilarious that grits are considered a lowly food and polenta is a vaunted part of elegant cuisine. They are basically the same thing!

I'd never heard that about grits and ants! However, grits aren't a Kansas food. In certain Southern states, they are a staple food, often served at breakfast. My mother's family had Southern roots, and we often ate grits, mush, which is just runny grits, and fried mush which is grits set up thick, sliced, and fried.

[lorelei-n.livejournal.com]

Yummers!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

A rare meal, indeed!

[jazzyglo.livejournal.com]

Fresh always tastes best. It all looks delicious!

*droolz*

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

There is no comparison to fresh.

*hands you a virtual napkin*

[deltamiss.livejournal.com]

YUMMY! I have a weakness for fried green tomatoes, grits of any kind and fresh berries. A coworker brought me some blueberries yesterday. Can you say COBBLER? ;)

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Good Southern cooking! I'd never had grits so finely ground. Good, fresh food well prepared is a rarity in restaurants today.

[kiwi-kimi.livejournal.com]

That meal looks *so nice*! Especially the salad and the berry dessert. It looks fresh and tasty, not overwhelming.

This is an off-the-wall thought, but I wondered if the pinky-red "vegetable" in your salad was guava.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I would almost doubt that the pinky-red was guava, as the dining was very Ozark-centered; although, the lemon slices on the water goblets would have been a concession to current American tradition. Other than the lemons, everything else served was local--including the trout.

Guava is not well known in the Midwest. It's an exotic treat!

[silver-nyssa.livejournal.com]

That looks soo good! I need to really start cooking.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I loved it when our son lived at home and provided some excellent meals. On my own, I'd live on cereal, tuna, peanut butter, and fresh fruit!

[silver-nyssa.livejournal.com]

Oh is that ever me. I could eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch for weeks and not be bothered! When I was working that's what I did, I knew what I liked, what got me through the day and I was good with not changing.

[bluiidmommy.livejournal.com]

Num, num!

What was that first dessert?

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I believe it was Panne Cotta with berry sauce. So good!

[jennymae.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness! That food sounds so good! That peach dessert (?...the one with peppercorns...sounds intriguing!

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed those peaches: sweet and hot with the smoothness of the cheese and the bite of the pepper.