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Maiden Voyage To Harrah’s Tunica Paula Deen Buffet By Jen Cuthbertson Anyone that knows me is aware that I am a different kind of war veteran. Forget the battle of the bulge, I am always at war with the scales, it's beyond battle. My doctor tried to convince me that humans eat to survive, dining is not a sport.
No matter what mode you are in survival or sporting you are going to love Tunica Harrah's new Paula Deen Buffet. The variety and quality of food served is abundant, the atmosphere is fun. Mark it on your list of things to do, soon.When your feet hit the floor of the second floor of Tunica's Harrah's Casino and you see a big house in the middle of the floor you think whoa where is Dorothy and Toto, did I miss the storm? It's a replica of Paula Deen's home complete with a big southern front porch filled with rocking chairs. Across from the front porch is a cashier / ticket counter where you purchase your dining ticket. The fun thing is you can get your ticket ahead of time, go gamble, go shopping then go get in line if there is one. I was waiting on two friends and was told by a host to make myself comfortable on the front porch in a rocking chair or come on in and browse the gift shop.
You have to go thru the Paula Deen gift shop to be seated. This is not an inconvenience. This is fun. There is everything from Ya'll Come tee shirts, to Paula Deen dinnerware, to Paula Deen playing cards. The hosts await you in a hallway just off from the gift shop. Paula and husband Michael's house, aka the Buffet has 11 rooms with 5 food serving stations. If you lack a sense of direction pay attention because it is possible to get lost, getting lost is probably what you want to do so you can look around at every room.You feel the southern charm, the culture of the south has been defined, and presented to you through Paula Deen's eyes and heart. Everyone from the chefs, to the servers are wearing great big smiles and beaming with welcomes, hi, do you need anything, to can I get ya anything? I imagine it just wouldn't be pretty if Paula saw someone not being helpful or polite, after all you are in her house.
Tonight Paula and her family are in the buffet eating. They all walk around greeting people as they eat, asking if everything is okay. Occasionally you hear Paula from another room holler "hey ya'll". Michael and Jamie (Paula's husband and son) are standing next to one of the serving lines and Michael asks me if everything is ok. As I was serving my plate, I turned around and said "ya know what…all of this just gives me the chills, it's awesome". He chuckles and rubs his forearms and says "Yep, I know what you mean". The family has definitely put their heart and soul into this venture.Okay… We are seated in room #9 called the Porch #1. You have to pass thru #4 The Pantry with tons of baskets hanging from the ceiling to get to the Porch #1. It's a screened in porch (smoking section) with comfortable metal chairs and hammered copper topped tables. The placemats are circular white paper dollies, each table has Mississippi's own Gail Pitman hand painted pottery salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce, and syrup. No skimping on the heavy weight flatware, or the ruffled edge colorful dinner plates or bowls. Iced Tea flowed thru the room like the Mississippi River. Servers were ready and anxious to serve cheese biscuits, hocakes, rolls, and more tea as they went table to table. You never had to ask for bread or something to drink. Every employee wore a smile and appeared genuinely happy we were there. Special kudos to Jalisa, if there were awards for making you feel at home she would be the winner.
Tonight my two friends and I have one mission, and that is to see if we can taste everything on the buffet. We worked hard at it, but didn't quite get a touchdown or a homerun. There were just some dishes you had to have another bite.
Here's a run down of our favorites:
The Fried Shrimp - no, it is not that heavy breaded, "factory shrimp" this is down home, homemade lightly dipped in batter and fried. Reminded me of way back when I used to cook.Chicken Pot Pie - I have to quote my buddy here. "This pot pie is so good I wish it came in a big vat, then I could eat my way out of it". She was right. I tasted hers and had to go get my own.
Fried Green Tomatoes - Perfect! Lightly breaded not greasy and very tasty. Love that twang mixed with "fried".Pork Stew - No holding back on the pork. The stew is packed full of shredded pork with carrots and potatoes. A hungry man's dish.BBQ chicken and ribs - Tender, moist, and covered in sauce just the way I like it.Fried Chicken - My pot pie swimming friend said it was the best she had ever eaten. The crust has never been her favorite and tonight she was eating every crumb of crust. She had an empty chicken with shiny bones when she was finished.
Meat Loaf with Cheese - Ya gotta taste it. Covered in a white cheese (wish I could tell you what kind, my guess is like a havata) firm yet moist, seasoned just right.Brunswick Stew - My dining buddy put it like this…. First it's sweet to the tongue then it packs a burst of fire. He had a happy plate where the stew was.Uncle Bubba's Oysters with Garlic Sauce - When people brag on oysters that usually don't eat oysters then you know they are good. They could hardly keep up with the demand. Two thumbs up!
Gravy and Mashed Potatoes - We all expected the regular buffet gravy, you know the kind you see everywhere……NOT at Paula Deens. We are talking homemade. Thick tasty light brown, if I had known it was so good I would have gotten more. I talked to several people after our meal as to what was their favorite. The mashed potatoes and gravy were mentioned by everyone. Don't miss it when you go. It's a must. Come back and tell me about it.Squash Casserole - Nothing goes better with squash than butter and this dish "ain't" lacking for butter. If you weren't a squash fan before you tasted it, you will be afterwards. Lots of seasoning but rightfully done.Greens - Now this is my favorite. I could eat greens and cornbread every day. I am sure there are as many flavors and ways to season greens as there are people who cook them.
For my taste buds, Paula has it perfected.
At this rate I could write all day. Some of the other dishes I will put on my plate again are: Baked Grits, Flour Crusted and Fried JoJo's, Butter Beans, Sweet potatoes, potato salad, asparagus, …..sigh…. as Mae West once said about another subject "So many to try, so little time."Desserts:Don't worry, you can taste many and still not feel guilty. The serving sizes are small so you can test drive several. The cakes and pies can be cut to your preference.Banana Cream Pie - I never knew you could get that much flavor out of a banana. Careful on this one you may be going back for more and more.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake - Moist, good texture, my buddy swears there is a hint of maple syrup in it, I don't know, but I can guarantee there's butter. Fantastic!Bread Pudding - We have all had bread pudding, it's on every buffet. Don't pass this by thinking "oh that's bread pudding, sigh". If you taste it you will be saying "OH MY that's the best bread pudding!" I felt like I had been cheated out of years of eating the really good bread pudding. Paula were have you been? The consistency is moist… oh go try it.Don't take my word for it. You won't regret it.
Other items worth mentioning are the Coconut cake, Blondies, Gooey Butter Cake (chocolate and regular), Pecan Sandies, Chocolate chip cookies, if you are familiar with Paula Deen then you know there is no slacking going on in the dessert area. Oh and there is also hand dipped ice cream.My buddies left to go gamble. I took a few minutes to make notes at the table. While I was writing a gentleman came up to tell me how impressed he was with the buffet. He said he spoke with Michael, Paula's husband, and asked where the wheel barrows were. Michael replied "For your winnings?". He said "No, for my wife, I can't make her quit eating". It's just that kinda place. There is something for everyone, survivors and those who have the sporting spirit. It reminds me of a big potluck dinner with all homemade dishes from a bunch of grandma's kitchens.
For those of you who are just now hearing of Paula Deen, she is on the food network, has cookbooks, a line of cookware and utensils on QVC, she's on the cover of nearly every magazine from Good Housekeeping, to her own magazine, she has a food product line, she is the spokeswoman for Smithfield Foods, she's self made, she's a Mom, a grandmother, a wife, she's an inspiration, and the kind of person we all want for a best friend.
Oh and for you gambler's, she is a self proclaimed "slot %+@#" and has a row of Paula Deen slot machines at Tunica's Harrah's. Yes you do have to line up the sticks of butter.
One little piece of advice before you go. Paula Deen's represents the Southern Culture, where eating is fun. When fresh hocakes or food comes out a dinner bell rings. It is not a quite fine dining dimly lit place. It's a fun place and can be noisy. If you think the dinner bell is going to bother you, ask for a room away from the main area where it is quieter.
I look forward to hearing your comments on your trip to Paula Deen's Buffet.Happy Casinoing,Jen |
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