Delivery
No
Payment
Cash Only
Parking
Parking Lot
Good for Kids
Yes
Attire
Casual
Alcohol
No
Reservations
Yes
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09/09/2010 - No longer great
Warning: Long, detailed review!
I have been going here forever… well, for at least 35 years, or so! It is only about a 10-minute drive from where I grew up. The restaurant is really well-known and well-respected for its down home country cooking, as well as its natural spring water. (The spring water that flows out of the mountain has been rumored to have healing properties since it was found in the late 1800s, and is so cold, clean, and pure!)
This place is located in the Appalachian Mountains of Ashe County, NC, only a few miles from the VA state line, just off Highway #16. It is a bit off the beaten path with a nice “throwback” look and feel. The restaurant area is surrounded by trees, and has a fishing pond out back. There are also quaint little cabins for people who want to stay for a night, or three. There is a large front porch with a line of rockers and some benches to sit on, so one can enjoy the weather, the view, and good conversation. There is also a bandstand where live music is played (weekends, only, I think), and folks even sometimes get up and do some clogging, square dancing, etc.
Reservations are almost a must unless you have a lot of time to kill. (I have heard the office/reservation folks tell “walk-in’s” on several occasions to expect a 2-hour wait!)
They don't take credit cards, but they do accept personal checks, and there is an ATM on premises.
The food is WONDERFUL !
What they call the “Family Style Country Meal” (served at your table, all you can eat) includes:
Fried chicken and country ham;
Green beans (you can see the bits of ham and onion), creamed corn, mashed potatoes, biscuits, gravies (saw-mill / cream, and red-eye), pinto beans, coleslaw, boiled cabbage, greens, cooked apples, and rice w/ pineapple;
Plus drinks and dessert, which includes banana pudding and assorted cobblers with ice cream.
They also offer numerous ‘off the menu’ entrées, and, according to their website:
Plate Entrees are available any time except: Saturday after 4 p.m. and Sunday before 4 p.m.
[Their Family-Style breakfast is just as amazing as their lunch/dinner, too! (Country ham, sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravies (saw mill and red-eye), eggs, cooked apples, pancakes, grits and more]
The following, detailed review is for our most-recent meal there (we do at least annual get-togethers of 15-25 people) on September 5, 2010.
While we were again very pleased with the quality of the food, I rated the restaurant at only 3-stars.
This was done for a couple of very important reasons, because THE FOOD IS DEFINITELY 5-STAR, all the way!
However, there are things that were not as good as in the past, and I will outline the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY regarding our most-recent experience, below…
The GOOD:
1) The food is still amazing!
(I read a review on one site that said that the food was “average, at best.” IMHO, this reviewer is simply someone who either does not like--- or cannot recognize--- good, down-home, southern-/country-style food. This food is still just what it has always been: outstanding, delectable, mouthwatering, off-the-charts good!)
2) And for $16/person, one gets a truly complete meal, with amazing selection, plus drinks and desserts….?! I honestly don’t see how they are able to continue offering such amazing fare at such a low price.
(Again, from another review, somewhere: The reviewer remarked about his wife getting a good plate meal for $8 (I think he said chicken potpie). That is all well and good if that’s the way one wants to go. For me, though, I am ALWAYS going to pay another $8, or so, and get the Family Style!!)
3) Gratuities are always at the customer’s discretion, regardless of size of the group.
4) I know of no other place, anywhere, which retains the quaint, country, down-home atmosphere that Shatley Springs has. Their spring water is still even available AT NO COST! Simply drop by and fill a jug for yourself.
The BAD:
1) I noticed the official Inspection/Compliance Rating for the restaurant was 91, and I think that the one below that (previous year?) was 88.5.
We have a tendency to eat in little hole-in-the-wall places wherever we travel, and especially enjoy seeking-out the lesser-known, unpublished “local’s favorites.” Even so, I don’t ever recall seeing any with a lower score than this, and am unsure what reason(s) exist that Shatley Springs received such low scores….
2) Diners have to ask for many items, now, when ALL used to be included in the Family Style meal, and brought to their table.
Granted, I understand need to save/conserve whenever possible, but a partial list of the items not brought, unless requested, includes the red-eye gravy, the pinto beans, the greens, and the boiled cabbage! (“Country” while missing these items….?!)
Worse, most people will never even know that they are “missing” anything, because in the years we have been going there since they stopped bringing these items that used to always be part of the “Family Style” meal, never ONCE has a waitress told us that other things were available, but had to first be requested in order to be served.
4) The “novelty” of this great location is still present, but the feeling of it being more than simply another restaurant/business, seems to be fading… along with the hospitality.
The former experiences of being pleasantly greeted by the office personnel, the hostess, and the waitresses are becoming less evident, unfortunately.
(Is a smile and a friendly greeting from the two older women in the Office too much to ask ??! Especially considering this is both the first and last stop a customer makes, in order to get seated for dining, and to pay upon leaving)
Perhaps such things are to be expected, considering how much the world has changed over the past 35+ years that I have been frequenting this establishment. But, I have to say, I think that this is just as important an aspect of this place as their food, and IMHO should receive just as much scrutiny from management…. And, that could very well be the problem.
For my part, I definitely miss it, and cannot see how it can but HURT the reputation of this establishment if not addressed so that it is brought back into line with the “country” atmosphere of the past, and with the courtesy implied on their website.
5) Even with reservations, our ‘large’ group still generally expects to wait anywhere from 20-45 minutes to be seated.
6) No soft drinks, and I think they may have started using “instant” mashed potatoes.
The UGLY:
The service has REALLY gone downhill.
Our table of 19 diners got “doubles” of nearly all items, one for each end of the table.
However, this at first included two SOUP BOWLS of cream gravy, which I expect might have served 3 people, each, at most!
(Upon request, we were brought a larger bowl, thankfully)
It also included 2 “platters” of ham, but they totaled only 6-8 SMALL slices on each platter…. Not even enough to initially serve each member who wanted ham!
Further, our 2 waitresses simply DISAPPEARED during the first few minutes after we began dining, and emptying-out bowls/platters of food. (This was mid-afternoon on a Sunday, too, not very early or very late)
After we waited for, like, 10 minutes--- with several empty, or near-empty bowls, and with no ham on the table, at all--- I finally caught the eye of one of our waitresses as she left the kitchen area.
I read her lips as she ROLLED HER EYES and remarked to her partner, “I think they want us.”
When we asked for more ham, she took the platter back to the kitchen, and returned it to us with 2 slices!! (For 19 people, as a first replenishment…?! PLEASE!)
This is something that I have noticed happening more and more frequently over the past few years, and is most evident with regard to the ham and the chicken.
As I stated, above, I understand the need for the establishment to be conservative, but the above is simply unreasonable and INSULTING !
In summary, this is still a place that I would recommend.
It is, most unfortunately, just not quite the recommendation I could’ve offered a few years ago, and is based far more on the quality of the FOOD than on the quality of the service and the overall experience…
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