Marcy Jo's Mealhouse and Bakery — Restaurant in Spring Hill

Okay! This is rural America where one has to drive some miles to find a place to get a good cup of coffee. And Marcy Jo's is one of those places.

Having lived up on the Iron Range and suffered at times some of the most crude cafes in America, here it is something much warmer and personal. I am a local, meaning that Marcy and Jo are down the road and are neighbors. It is a few miles to the Mealhouse, and another twenty to town. I am usually there early for a bite and some of the local happenings. It is without fail that I am treated like family, and usually a hug is tossed in for good luck.

While many drive hundreds of miles to be enchanted with the place and the celebrity value, which it certainly has, I am simply happy to enjoy friends and community. One time I was sitting talking with Rory and Marcy, and group came in so I offered to move and give them room to sit together. NOPE! They grabbed a couple extra chairs and snuggled in like back home on the farm when harvesting brought everyone together. NICE!

Marcy Jo's holds to a menu of the day, which is odd for the average, fancy, or even fussy eater. Posted on the wall in grease pencil! It is as advertised, simply good home cooking. Again, coming from the cold and tundra of the north one can appreciate the spread piled on one's plate. No demitasse cups, silver spoons, or linen table cloths to clutter the place, there are too many other distractions of memorabilia, and just the aesthetics of an era gone by. The old wood floor has some holes, but neatly covered with old license plates. And when one walks across the Mealhouse there is this sense that things are in a bit of a tilt. Things tend to move around and settle about here and there on the down side of the Cumberland's. It reminds me of the times my uncle would take me to town and sit around the old cast iron stove and talk the talk. A strange mix, sitting with the locals talking about hay, cows, and laying hens, while some are wanting to have Rory and Jo autograph their CD or Tshirt. And from time to time a known celebrity catches everyone's eye. Sorry to say, I am so out of the social circle that seldom can I name one, ... and my apology to the person who asked for my autograph. Not sure who they thought I was, but it will sure give them hours of puzzlement trying to figure it all out.

I know this is getting a bit long, happens when one lives in the woods and only has the trees to talk to. Perhaps, that is another reason for a star on the Mealhouse? When you are there you can talk to the people around you, and they share in!

Frankly, my opinion of Marcy Jo's, and all of it comes down to one simple thing. A place is a place, things are things, but people are special, and in this case my neighbors. Not selling the place, its food, or even its service, but the people you will meet are...

My wife and I have been listening to Joey & Rory's music for a while now. My has been wanting to get to their restaurant but never seem to be anywhere near it. We finally had a delivery within 40 miles so we finally had our chance. Being truck drivers it's very hard to stop at most places because of parking. Well there is a Dollar General within walking distance. The manage was okay with us parking in their lot. So here it is, we get to the restaurant ( Marcy Jo's Mealhouse ) it's an old country building set in a small town. There were customers sitting out on the front porch waiting for a seat. We went inside and were greeted by a very pleasant very polite young lady that made us feel like we were at home. We sat outside on the porch and waited for a table. We were called inside and sat at this very old metal kitchen table. The inside is set up to make you feel at home, it even has a country store upstairs. It was Sunday morning. The morning menu is very simple. We ordered a very goid home cooked breakfast, everything was perfect. Excellent food and service, you cannot ask for anything more. At the check we decided to get a piece of home German chocolate cake and a piece of coca cola cake both were perfect. We were both very pleased that we took the time to stop in, we will most definitely be going back. So if you just happen to find yourself in the neighborhood and you are hungry and you are tired of the same out chain restaurants and fast food by all means stop in at Marcy Jo's Mealhouse. It's like stepping back into time. It's definitely worth the...

I really don't like to give a local place a bad review but I have no choice here. The place looks run down from the outside but looks nice inside. Quaint, license plates line the walls and floor and there is a gift shop upstairs. Friendly staff also but that's where the good parts end. The food is nearly inedible! Home made? Really? I can't say it's not but the flavors and textures sure don't reflect my expectations of home made unless your home is a state prison! I've never been to a prison but I imaging the food isn't noteworthy. I had pancakes that I didn't order. I was half-way through them when I remembered I'd ordered French Toast. Too late, I'd already eaten half so I didn't complain. The pancakes looked right but they had NO flavor and the syrup was supermarket stuff. I had sausage as a side and they were likely Costco or Sam's Club. Then there were the home fried potatoes. OMG, there were horrible. A pile of potato chip thin sliced potatoes, greasy and limp. ALL of the seasoning was dumped on the one potato in the middle on the top. Horribly over seasoned and salty. The rest had no flavor, not even potato flavor! It had something called onions in it too. Nearly unidentifiable burned slivers of terrible tasting stuff. The worst part is that wasn't the worst part. My wife had an omelet. She told me the egg was probably from a carton or powdered. I said it can't be until I tasted it. I thought the taste and texture reminded me of orange foam rubber with less flavor. Sorry folks, I won't even slow down if I'm in the...