Fried Apples with French Toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Fried Apples with French Toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

The fried apples with French toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta (Grovetown), Georgia tie together foods from both ends of Tennessee, where the company’s headquarters are located outside Nashville. 

Apples come from eastern Tennessee in abundance thanks to Johnny Appleseed (1774 – 1845) and his associates, who had apples planted from Massachusetts to Indiana. Apples keep well over winter after a fall harvest and offer a fiber boost and a good amount of Vitamin C. For these reasons, apples are a great partner for French toast. 

French toast comes from western Tennessee, which lies on the Mississippi River upstream from New Orleans. In New Orleans, French toast is called “pain perdu” or “lost bread.” The French say the bread is ‘’lost,” because it is dunked till soaking in a mixture of egg, milk, and vanilla before frying it. 

At Cracker Barrel, they fry apple wedges in butter, sugar, and cinnamon. For the final presentation of the French toast, Cracker Barrel cuts the French toast into fourths and stands them in a pyramid surrounded by standing apple wedges for a real diner 3-D effect with a cup of warm syrup on the side for dipping or pouring. 

The fried apples and French toast were all good and eggy sweet. I loved it and had a side of salty bacon to go with it. 

I was full and happy as I wandered through the store and really loved seeing Johnny Cash and Prince records for sale. I could not help but thinking of an Alan Jackson lyric “Well, they’re not as backward as they used to be.” 

That lyric is true of the customers and staff, too. Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia serves people, who like American food and the restaurant has a store with products that reflect the United States. 

For a no-surprises, delicious breakfast, I like Cracker Barrel when I am visiting the southern United States.  

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Pecan Pancakes at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Pecan Pancakes at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

Pecan pancakes at Cracker Barrel are a seasonal treat. Pecans grow in the southern United States including Georgia where I was visiting in January 2025. 

When I saw pecan pancakes listed on the menu at Cracker Barrel in Augusta (Grovetown), I immediately ordered them. Pecans are harvested September through November, so I knew the January pecan pancakes would be made with fresh, flavorful pecans. 

About a cup of chopped pecans goes into pancake batter made with flour, eggs, butter, maybe some pecan oil, and buttermilk for a slight tang in the final golden product. At Cracker Barrel, the fluffy pecan pancakes arrive at your table with two warmed bottles of Cracker Barrel’s house brand maple syrup, so you can control the amount of calories on your pancakes. 

The pecan pancakes I ordered came with bacon, sunny side up eggs, and hash browns as sides. Everything was perfectly prepared. I just gobbled everything up and ate for the day. I also liked the strong coffee with cream. 

Another thing I like about Cracker Barrel is the store, which I go through after eating. I found a neat book published by Harvard Common Press entitled: Old Time Wisdom and Lore: 1000s of Traditional Skills for Simple Living by Jerry Mack Johnson. 

Among the book’s chapters, I found some useful skills that convinced me to buy it including: 

-predicting weather based on cloud type, wind direction, and barometer readings 

-gardening tips by season -tips for tapping maple trees for sap to make syrup 

-recipes for grilled venison with sauce to basic corn bread to maple syrup pie 

-patterns for sewing quilts 

-making handmade soaps 

-fishing secrets and scaling tips 

-making down-home toys -moon gazing notes 

This book is just full of activities to do with children and teens that are not too expensive. I recommend it for this reason. 

I was happy with this Cracker Barrel outing for the chance to eat pecans that are high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein and for finding a great book to read during my stay in Augusta, Georgia. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Mushroom - Cheese Pizza and Greek Salad from Marco's Pizza in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Mushroom – Cheese Pizza and Greek Salad from Marco’s Pizza in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

One of my travel rituals when I go to the East Coast of the US from California is to order a large mushroom – cheese pizza and a large Greek salad from a local pizzeria to perk up after several airline flights.

In Augusta (Georgia), the pizzeria my husband Laurent and I order from is Marco’s Pizza, a local Georgia chain. They use high quality ingredients and deliver late at night, which pleases a hungry traveler like me. 

While waiting on the pizza delivery, I open the room window for fresh air, put away clothes, wash my hands and face, and brush my teeth. 

When pizza delivery arrives, I start dinner with the Greek salad. I am a Californian from Salinas, who can tuck into a family-size salad and easily eat the whole thing. 

At Marco’s, they make their Greek salad with a combination of crunchy, chopped Romaine lettuce and baby greens. On top of the lettuce, they place about 1/3 cup chopped yellow banana peppers, 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/3 cup chopped red onion, 1/3 cup sliced black olives, and 2/3 cup of diced, salty feta cheese. 

I add tangy, Greek lemon-oregano vinaigrette on top of the vegetables and feta cheese and toss everything together. This tart and tonic salad chases away any germs I may have encountered on the plane it seems and gives me the strength to finish organizing the room and take a shower. 

Once I am all squeaky clean, I leisurely eat two or three slices of mushroom-cheese pizza. At Marco’s, they use a mozzarella cheese that melts yet is firm and salty, which I like. The tomato sauce is savory and tastes great with the meaty mushrooms that probably come from the forest around Augusta. 

Marco’s uses protein-rich semolina flour in their pizza crust, which I also like for the rough finish on the crust edges. 

With tip, delivery of our large artisanal pizza and large Greek salad was $36. We ordered Marco’s several times during our stay in August, especially on NBA game nights when we watched the New York Knicks play teams from around the country. (I love games decided by 2 or 3 points.) 

Marco’s Pizza was a delicious, enjoyable, and convenient part of our stay in Augusta, Georgia. If you like pizza, it is definitely worth a try. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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