COMING SOON......
4TH OF JULY
LET US PREPARE YOUR
FOOD ...HOT WINGS, CHICKEN
TENDERS, AMONG MANY
OTHER THINGS. CALL US!
*************
FROM THE CHATTANOOGA TIMES/FREE PRESS 4-17-09
by Anne Braley
I don’t know where to begin talking about Murphy’s Eatz and Sweetz, at the beginning with the eats or the ending with the sweets. Both are more than worthy of note. So let me start with recommendation from Cheri Haynes, a reader who was looking for a place where she could get takeout for 40 people on short notice.
“Murphy’s was up for the job,” she wrote in an e-mail. They brought us excellent chicken tenders (the size of a chicken breast, very light and so juicy), green beans and creamed corn. But what I am writing to you about is the honey bun cake they brought. I frowned when I heard what it was, but after eating it, I was in love.”
The menu
Now, after eating there, I’m in love with the place, too.
The eatz (for two): Chicken tenders with coleslaw, fried green tomatoes and turnip greens; meatloaf with fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes and deviled eggs. Dessert: peanut butter banana pudding and honey bun cake.
Haynes was not exaggerating when she said the chicken tenders were excellent. I’ll go one step further and say they were the best I’ve ever been served in a restaurant.
It was obvious that they were hand-breaded, and I even thought they’d been cut by hand. But owner Murphy Eller told me they come to his restaurant freshly cut, then he breads them in a flavorful batter, just as he does the pork chops and all other fried items, save the shrimp. “Not too many people come here to get shrimp anyway, but a few do,” he said.
Why would you, I thought, when you have some of the best Southern cooking in the city at your fingertips?
The fried green tomatoes were quite good, as were the greens, which came steaming hot. Although the coleslaw was not homemade, it was pretty good. Just by looking at the meatloaf, I could tell it would taste like grandma’s cooking, and it did.
A word of warning: All entrees come with three sides. Wear loose clothing.
Now for the sweetz: If you like banana pudding, this is it. Peanut butter is a natural fit to bananas, so why not in pudding? Though it comes in the form of Nutter Butter cookies. I’m not a huge fan of banana pudding, but this one I could eat till I reached my fill. As for the honey bun cake, Eller should sell whole cakes to go.
Haynes described it best: “It was a yellow cake, with a honey glaze and peppered with crushed pecans.” It’s the kind of cake you could eat with coffee at breakfast and again after dinner.
THE SPACE
You can’t miss the place. There’s a huge sign hanging over the building leading you right into the parking lot. This isn’t a fancy place. It’s what you might expect a meat-and-three to look like. It’s very clean, with booths and tables. And I loved the family pictures lining the walls. It’s a place that makes you feel comfortable and welcome.
THE SERVICE
When I asked to have one of my chicken tenders served Buffalo-style, our server didn’t even blink. “You just tell me what you want, and we’ll bring it to you,” she said. And she did. Just how I ordered it. Service with a sweet-tea smile is what you get at Murphy’s.
THE VERDICT
No fuss, no frills. Just good food. That’s a good mantra for any restaurant to live by. It seems to be working for Murphy’s. It has been open for almost a year, and people keep coming back.
If you go
Where: Murphy’s Eatz and Sweetz, 304 Brown’s Ferry Road.
Phone: 822-3289.
Web site: www.murphyseatz.com.
Price range: $2.50-$6.50 (breakfast)- $3.25-$7.25 (lunch and dinner).
Payment: Cash, checks and major credit cards.
Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, 6 a.m.- 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday,
6 a.m.-noon Saturday.
Alcohol: No.
