Review June 2014
Thelma's Country Cooking
Salisbury, NC
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I was quite surprised to see quite a few cars parked outside this eatery that is located in a dying mall. That was my first indication that something really special was going on inside. I found the reception staff quite friendly and was taken back a bit by the spacious and fancy interior. I was expecting more of a down home style atmosphere as opposed to their contemporary restaurant chain style. And the place was huge, sort of what you would expect dining at a chain store. They have a ranch-style inside complete with booths and a warehouse-style ceiling. The dining area was very neat and clean and their sanitation code was 93 [A Grade]. The house was just about filled to capacity except the banquet/bar area located to the side of their establishment. The men’s room was clean except for some paper towels lying about at several places on the floor. My take out order was up in about 23 minutes which was considerably longer than the usual 10 minutes; however, it was Friday night and very busy so I took that into account. There was a small issue with the fact that I had to remind my server twice about extra tartar sauce – my favorite fried fish condiment over hot sauce.

I ordered the Flounder Plate (My favorite fish) with collard greens, macaroni (mac) and cheese, and cornbread. My total came to $8.53 (With tax) which I consider quite reasonable for dinner. The flounder was flaky and perfectly golden in color on the outside, and tender and tasty on the inside. I was given two good size pieces with my meal. The collard greens were a good texture, not too mushy or stiff, however, semi-bland in taste with no noticeable seasoning. The mac and cheese was okay in taste, however, a bit too creamy and not cheesy enough. The cornbread was also okay, however, not as rich and buttery as your typical homemade variety. Finally, the tartar sauce was good but not quite homemade/original tasting as I expected.

All in all it was an okay first experience for me at Thelma’s. I do plan to return there for their signature Dipped Chicken and Blackened Chicken Salad. I will of course update you guys on that experience.

Update: I had the additional pleasure of sampling some of Thelma’s catered cuisine which consisted of ham, string beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, and banana pudding for desert. It was simply delicious and the service was spot on except for one server who just did not want to give up the piece of meat that I asked for several times. If was if she was saving it for someone else.

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