Home Plate Diner has been a popular dining spot in Bryant since its original owner, Drew Bunten, opened the doors in 2008. Since then, it has changed hands twice, with Richard Beech running it for many years, and now there is a pair of brand new owners. Nick Gann and Melissa Weeks have been neighbors to the diner for about eight years, as the owners of The Gann Agency. It’s been a long time coming with their desire to purchase the restaurant and they finally got the opportunity when Beech decided to retire.
After several weeks of training in the business, opening day came at lunch on Friday, September 29, 2017. Gann & Weeks couldn’t have gotten luckier, as Bunten let them know he’d be happy to volunteer to show them the ropes and get the diner up and running the right way.
Regular readers of MySaline are likely aware that I love to shop local and I love dining out. Having heard the news about this new ownership, I was excited support local business by stuffing my face. My parents were also happy to participate in lunch – for the sake of informing the public, of course. The first thing I needed to do is say hello to the the co-owner Nick and other friends sprinkled around the restaurant.
l. to r., Nick Gann, co-owner of The Gann Agency and Home Plate Diner; Shelli Poole of MySaline.com.
l. to r., Doug Robinson of Baxley Penfield Moudy; Shelli Poole of MySaline.com.
l. to r., Shelli Poole of MySaline.com, Toby Hirscheider of Carson Physical Therapy.
Next was getting that food ordered. Wendy was our official server, but we also talked to Kim and a few others. The staff was very friendly and attentive. My parents and I decided we’d each order different things, so we could try a good mix.
Let’s start it off with Mom’s dinner. Catfish, peas & cornbread and the unicorn of side dishes… fried macaroni & cheese. While Mom said the cornbread was a little sweet to her taste, I prefer it sweet, and after discussion this with Wendy, it turns out that it’s probably 50/50 opinion on whether you like it one way or the other. The diner is considering giving customers a choice of two kinds.
This is exactly why they are asking for feedback, and gave us comment cards at the end of the meal. Mom said the fish and tartar sauce were great, and I sampled the cornbread and mac & cheese myself so that I can state with authority that they are Gramma-worthy items. I suggested the diner open their drive-thru at midnight with only mac & cheese for sale, and they’ll outsell Taco Bell. That good.
Now let’s talk about my plate. Chicken fried steak is a staple southern diner dish, so it just made sense to me to order it. I also love me some fried okra and tater salad. I got the light version, and this is still a lot of food. The roll comes with the lunch special, so I ended up with the surprise of this thick, pound cake of a bread offering. It really might have weighed a pound and was so soft and delicious. The steak was fried perfectly, the gravy was creamy and hot. I like pepper on my gravy, but that’s another individual preference and it’s easy enough to add it at the table. The okra was crispy and a delight as well.
Did you think I was done eating? No, I had to get dessert if I was going to be thorough for my readers. Wendy listed off about seven or so desserts, and I went with the Strawberry Ice Box Pie. It was firm but not too solid, somewhere around the consistency of frozen yogurt. It had a little sweet twang in it and that’s what I like about strawberry. Solid work!
On to Dad’s plate – he got the light version of the pork chop lunch, with green beans and… I’m checking with him to see what that was under the gravy that he ordered.
I would tell you what he told me, but I think you should just read his commented card below, since he took special effort to fill it out.
Congrats to Nick, Melissa & staff on this new beginning with Home Plate Diner. I know with these tasty recipes and more, plus a breakfast menu, a meeting room and a great location at 2615 North Prickett Rd in Bryant, you’ve got years of success ahead of you.
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