Debra Thompson never strayed far from her mother and grandmother in the kitchen.
By keeping a close eye, Thompson said that’s where she learned the basics of the food industry and helped her open own restaurant, Baby Dude’s Bar and Grill, in Columbus earlier this month.
“I have had experience all my life in the food industry,” Thompson said. “For one, I grew up cooking around my grandma and ma. I was the only daughter, so I had no other choice but to watch Ma and Grandma cook.”
You can check out some homemade blue plates at Baby Dude’s at 201 23rd St., the former 4th Quarter Bar and Grill.
“We’re southerners, I live right ’round the corner,” she said. “Raised my kids in Sandfield. We wanted to give back something nice to the community.”
The family-friendly restaurant is closed Mondays, but you can join Thompson and her crew for blue-plate specials at lunchtime or menu items and drinks during its late hours. Check out Baby Dude’s Tuesday through Thursday 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The bar reopens Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m.
Dude’s is handing out those blue plates that makes me miss my mawmaw’s cooking with black eyed pees, lima beans, fried catfish, fried chicken, chicken spaghetti, chicken and dumplings and food that makes your mouth water.
“I don’t have the recipes, I just got them all in my mind,” Thompson said. “When I cook, I get in a zone. That’s how much I love it. It is just in my soul and spirit. It’s been one of my dreams to do this and to leave a legacy for my children.”
We’ve got more bar and restaurant news, with Patio 45 slated to open soon at 3255 Hwy 45.
According to the business’s Facebook page, Patio 45 will be a hookah bar and restaurant, serving up some gumbo and seafood dishes. The outdoor bar will be a place for “adults to unwind.” Representatives from Patio 45 did not return messages to The Dispatch by press time today.
Moving to downtown, a new shop is coming in the spring.
Stay Gold Tattoo, an Alabama tattoo parlor, will open shop at 411 Main St. Matthew Crane, who owns the Stay Gold Tattoo shops in Fultondale and Birmingham, Alabama, said he found his third location by simply searching Facebook for classic cars for sale.
“This building popped up that it was for rent in Columbus,” Crane said. “I kind of fell in love a little with the downtown part of Columbus. I worked the details out and kind of pulled the trigger on things.”
Hoping to open by mid-March, Crane said Stay Gold Tattoo hopes to serve those throughout the Golden Triangle with tattoos and piercings. A shop has been open in Fultondale for five years and Birmingham for three. Additionally, he boasts more than two decades of experience in the tattoo realm.
“We’re excited about coming down there,” Crane said. “We do really quality work and have a high standard.”
In Starkville, another hot restaurant is buying into the veggie-eating fad.
Ruby Tuesday is testing the waters with the $10.99 vegetarian option for a limited time: the Awesome Burger, which is meatless.
Ruby Tuesday isn’t the first shop on the block to pick up on the new dietary trends though. Late last year, Burger King announced the Impossible Whopper, a tasty vegetarian option for those with allergies or preferences.
Back in my parents’ days (the 1970s) you’d be hard pressed to find a vegetarian while walking down the street with only about 1 percent of Americans claiming to veto meat from their diet. Now, according to a Gallop poll, about 5 percent of Americans are classified as vegetarians.
It’s been a craze, to say the least. In fact, 10 years ago I wore a shirt that said, “Hell no. I don’t want no damn turkey bacon.” Now what do I have? Vegetarian bacon, sausage and chicken substitute in my freezer. And guess what? I enjoy it.
But I’m not the only one. Restaurants and chains have worked to change their industry to provide vegetarian options for the more than 8 million non-meat eaters. In the Golden Triangle alone, Burger King, Ruby Tuesday, Mugshots, Taco Bell and Subway just to name a few have all started the shift to food inclusivity.
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