After entering a Cracker Barrel with my Chinese other-half, and being stared at by the 'cracker' customers like we just landed our spaceship in the parking lot, followed by a solo visit to a Cracker Barrel in suburban Atlanta where many of the customers had apparently never seen a real, live Jewish person before, I decided it wasn't worth eating there anymore - and my blood pressure and cholesterol applauded the decision.

Given a choice between two evils, I'd rather eat at Denny's.

Yeah, but Denny's doesn't have a gift shop filled with tasteful souvenirs. :p

lol

I find the complaints about Cracker Barrel in this thread to be confusing. What did you expect? Cracker Barrel is a relatively low priced Southern-style restaurant. The food is not meant to be healthy nor is it going to be anything other than average and greasy. It's comfort food and no more. The appeal is to families traveling along the freeways mainly of the south and the atmosphere hearkens back to colonial days. It is what it is.

Toad in the whole is what it is called in the UK

Somehow, I can't envision a family in their car/van on the freeways of the South with cramps, about an hour after leaving the Cracker Barrel, speeding to get to the nearest rest stop, with mom looking in her purse to see if she has enough tissues to ensure everyone will have some when they get there (in case the rest stop is out of paper), as a sight which "hearkens back to colonial days." :D

Comfort food now, discomfort food after the "Next Exit 45 miles" sign.

I would guess almost all Cracker Barrel diners are fully immune to such discomfort. They may get such symptoms by not eating there.

MisterNice

I got introduced to Cracker Barrel by a colleague when I lived north of ATL. I believe as a breakfast fix it beats Denny's or IHOP and actually is the place where I take friends if they ask for 'authentic' US breakfast. Note: I'm a foreigner ;-)
In a nutshell: for me Cracker Barrel has its very small right of existence.

Agreed. I would say Cracker Barrel defines what is good and bad about American cooking. The Good: Large portions, fast service, greasy, and lots of sugar and salt. The Bad: see the good

^

What quality? ;)

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Sorry. That isn't comfort food in my opinion. I'm a big comfort food fan. I would call Cracker Barrel electroconvulsive therapy food maybe, but not comfort food.

Spot on, on both points.

I probably haven't been to a Cracker Barrel since the late 90s. I remember huge waits at the peak meal times, but, for the life of me, I can't figure out what all the fuss was about.

I think what you in the NYC area and what the South think of as comfort food are not the same. I'm guessing your standards for quality are different as well.

I believe that's "toad in the hole," (no "w").

My dad called them "peek-a-boo eggs."

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One of my all time favorite comfort food places wad Threadgills in Austin. I do insist on quality though. Like at Threadgills.