JULIETTE, Ga. — Its Friday and you know what time it is - time to check out some of central Georgia's best fried foods!
Today we take you to a place where Fried Green Tomatoes means much more than a dish.
The Whistle Stop Café is home to many in Juliette, but is known worldwide as the place where the 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed.
Starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy, the film centers around a middle-aged housewife who is unhappy with her life, and befriends an elderly lady (Ninny) in a nursing home. They talk together, and she is enthralled by the tales Ninny tells of people she used to know.
The café has become highly recognized since the film came out, and serves up the movie's namesake daily. The tomatoes come fresh out the fryer with crispy batter and a house made sauce.
Lots of folks stop by to see the inside (and snap a few pictures) and eat where Idgie and Ruth lived their story. Almost everyone gets the fried green tomatoes when they do.
General Manager Colby Rose says fried foods are a southern staple, and the tomatoes pull people in.
"Well a lot of us have, of course, a love for the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, but we're just good old southern people too. You know, we like our fried foods. So that's a big part of the passion for us," he said.
When asked what makes their fried green tomatoes different than anywhere else, Rose had one thing to say.
"We put a whole lot of love into our fried green tomatoes. That's gotta be the key difference," he said.
And you can certainly feel that love when you arrive in Juliette. The food isn't the only thing brining folks to eat at the café. The small southern town that sits by the railroad tracks is so alluring.
Locals just walk on over to the café and sit on the porch to talk before coming in for some lunch, and everyone you meet greets you.
"It's also the little town. There's not a lot of places like this left. It's like a time capsule,' Rose said.
So if you're ever in the area, you can take a trip back in time while grabbing some delicious fried cuisine.
And not to worry, if fried green tomatoes aren't for you, they have several other menu options. Rose said some of their most popular include their country fried steak and their southern fried chicken.
You can find the Whistle Stop Café on McCrackin Street in Juliette. They are open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.