‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ No Stranger to the South

JULIETTE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — It isn’t just the home of a good Southern movie set.

Whistle Stop Cafe owner Elizabeth Bryant said, “When you pull into the community you realize that it can’t be duplicated, it’s a step back in time.”

The cafe is the home of hot-out-of-the-fryer fried green tomatoes.

Debbie Rittinger, visiting from Jacksonville, Florida said, “We made a special trip to come here just to have them.”

Although most out-of-towners stop in Juliette to try fried green tomatoes for the first time, Bryant grew up eating them.

“I’m a deep Southern girl, you know my mom fixed fried green tomatoes my whole life and we thought it was a big delicatessen thing,” Bryant said.

Without giving away all her secrets, she was willing to share most of the family’s recipe for some mouthwatering tomatoes. Keep it simple and stay away from fancy pre-dips.

“We’re going to take our tomatoes and put them in our pre wash, which is actually the cold water, then we’re going to double dip it, pre-wash to flour, pre-wash to flour, the second time from the flour it’s going to go directly into the grease,” Bryant explained.

You’ll need about 4 cups of flour, 2 ounces of seasoning salt, and any other seasonings you prefer.

Bryant added, “Cook them until they’re nice golden brown, but when you pull them out you let them stay elevated above the grease, vertical.”

The tomatoes have a crispy crust, they’re golden in color, and they’re served with sweet tea in a mason jar.

Rittinger said, “The batter is crispy, the tomatoes themselves are thin sliced and the seasoning in the batter is just excellent.”

Heather Garren from Canton, Georgia said, “They are fried perfectly but they’re hot when you first bite into them so give them a minute to cool off.”

Whether it’s for the Oscar nominated movie or the classic dish, customers all say the Whistle Stop Cafe is a must-see.

The Whistle Stop Cafe is located at 443 McCrackin Street  Juliette, GA 31046.