Catfish House in Monroeville, Alabama

Starving!
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It was after 2 :00, when Don and I drove into Monroeville, Alabama.  We were starved and most places stop serving at 2.

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​Mel's?

I really wanted to eat at Mel's Dairy Dream. Not because I wanted a greasy burger, but because this simple, blue & white, drive-in, sits on the very land where Harper Lee's house once sat.  This is the neighborhood that inspired much of her writing for To Kill a Mockingbird.

Back to David's 
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But we chose David's because it had bathrooms and parking and a place to sit down...and it was open, despite the deserted appearance.

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Interior
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There was a retired couple finishing a late lunch and a local picking up a burger for his wife.  All seemed to know our waitress who had a very amusing Alabama accent.

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The Decor
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The paneled walls were covered with some fine collectables I recognized from the 1970's and before.  I wonder who made that nifty embroidered fox and owl art on the wall? There were some other crafts and a few stuffed birds randomly displayed, not to mention some quilts and plate collections.

There were also many signs posted to announce their newest dessert, Banana Cream Pie!

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​Food
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I can hardly give a report on my grilled cheese and fries because I was so starved I would have loved anything.  But I must say the table itself gets a good rating for having so many bottles and shakers at the ready.  Tabasco and Cajun salt, A-1 Sauce and pickled peppers.  

Sorry to say we did not sample the catfish.

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​Who Did I See?
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This is who I didn't see... Harper Lee.  Actually I didn't expect to  see the 87 year old writer who  shuns attention.  I also heard her health is poor and it's unclear whether she's back living with her sister (who is 100, at least) in Monroeville or is still in NYC.

But I did talk with the waitress who is old enough to have seen To Kill a Mockingbird when it first came out in theatres.  She was from Monroeville and surely had some interesting scoop.  But she sort of yawned when I inquired.  She claimed to not even know that Mel's was the sight of Harper Lee's old house.  She said she'd seen Harper Lee's sister many times, but that didn't seem to thrill her at all.

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Update
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I just finished the book Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee.  Somewhere in the last few pages it happens to mention that Harper Lee frequented a catfish restaurant, called  David's.  Fun to know. Now that would have made for an off the charts, memorable people encounter!

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