Editorial
Front Page - Friday, February 25, 2011
River City Roundabout
Purple Power
Erica Tuggle
The Purple Daisy Picnic Café is a unmistakable, unique and delicious eatery in St. Elmo that features dine-in or take out barbeque selections and more. The loaded baked potatoes provide a hearty meal and the barbeque is great with or without the sweet Carolina barbecue sauce.
- Erica Tuggle
It’s hard to miss the Purple Daisy Picnic Café. Just look for the purple building on the main stretch of St. Elmo right in front of the Incline Railway. There will be a picture of a purple donkey in a sun-hat and shades with a flower in his teeth. You can’t miss it.
What you also shouldn’t miss is their amazing décor and delicious dishes. The Purple Daisy has been decorated by one of the owners with many items that we remember from our Southern childhood.
After the death of her grandfather, owner Lisa took items from his garage to put in the café. These include two swings from an old swing set, a teeter-totter, a collage of earthenware pottery pieces, an old stove and other items.
There are tables throughout the restaurant, each with different types of picnic chairs, cushioned chairs, and plastic chairs. The bar seating is overhung by a ledge that has been shingled to look like a room and above this are windows filled with old-fashioned bandannas. These little details scattered throughout the café make the dining experience pleasing to the eye as well.
Everyone will appreciate that, no matter what they order, the food will come out fast. The Purple Daisy staff are tuned-in to their customers, bring out their food quickly, top off the drinks frequently and ask to make sure you’re enjoying the meal. There’s good variety at the Purple Daisy, although with the smell of barbecue all around you, it’s hard to pass up their specialty. Slow smoked and charcoal grilled, the meat for their dishes is fantastic, whether it’s the pork or chicken.
The smoked chicken deli sandwich was a hefty portion of thin sliced chicken with a choice of cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce and mustard and mayo. The Swiss cheese went great with the sourdough bread combination, but if the customer prefers wheat or white, those are also available.
Most dishes come with a side of natural potato chips, but I substituted my chips for the hash brown casserole I’d heard so much about. Topped with paprika, these shredded potatoes and cheese are a must try for whichever dish they accompany.
There is also the stuffed potato entrée filled with your choice of butter, sour cream, cheese, chives, bacon bits, jalapenos and pork or chicken. Several patrons got this filled spud while I visited the Purple Daisy, and so I’m guessing it’s a regular’s favorite dish.
The Rainbow Sandwich was another dish that I’ve heard good things about. It consists of a three-layered sandwich with homemade chicken salad, pimento cheese and cucumber spread on a crustless white and wheat bread. I am an avid lover of chicken salad, but critiquing food is not about always trying what you love. It’s about stepping out of the box and trying new dishes. I’m certainly glad I did, because the smoked chicken sandwich was delicious.
The Purple Daisy picnic style menu also offers quesadillas, homemade chili, salads, chicken wings and hot dogs. Their BBQ plates offer a good variety of their food, and if you can’t decide, the BBQ plate combo will give you pork or chicken barbecue with Texas toast and two sides. These sides can be the potato salad, hot slaw, hash brown casserole, beans, corn or the Zapps chips.
What would a picnic be without dessert? Purple Daisy keeps their dessert menu simple with two tasty offerings: homemade banana pudding (voted Chattanooga’s best in 2009) or Alabama Dirt, a “wonderful pudding with Oreo crumbs.” Even choosing between these two is difficult.
Another thing that makes the Purple Daisy unique and shows that its owners are clever and enterprising folks is the Family Picnic items and the catering menu.
Picking up one of the Family Picnics to take to nearby Coolidge Park or up to Rock City is a great idea. They offer them in picnic-for-four or picnic-for-six varieties, or you can buy their pork or chicken by the pound. Sides of slaw, baked beans and buns come with the meal, or hash browns or potato salad for an extra charge. The catering menu offers these types of selections for larger groups and has baby back ribs on request.
Although any day Monday through Saturday is a good day to go to the Purple Daisy, Thursdays and Fridays at Purple Daisy, they make charcoal grilled hamburgers.
The prices of Purple Daisy are very reasonable, with the highest single item being the huge portions on the BBQ Plate Combo at $8.95. The atmosphere is relaxed and should be great for a lunch or early dinner. Just look for the purple donkey in shades with the daisy. You can’t miss it.
For more information on The Purple Daisy, visit www.thepurpledaisy.com. Email Erica Tuggle at reporter@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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