Branson - Day Two, Part Seven, Dobyns Dining Room
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.