Going to Franny's is like visiting friends who can cook

Sitting on a hill at the entrance of the ever-growing town of Gray is a very friendly place called Franny's Kitchen. The people are so nice and quick-to-please it's almost like eating in a friend's kitchen.

If you have friends who cook it up real good.

My dad, who has eaten a lake's worth of catfish in his life, leaned back in his car seat after we'd had an all-you-care-to-eat special and said, "That's four-star catfish." Two other catfish connoisseurs, my wife and my mother, agreed. This was a Thursday night, one of the two nights (Friday is the other) that Franny's has its specials. I had the all-you-care-to-eat shrimp special and had to make myself stop caring to eat before I busted.

The catfish special is $8.99. The shrimp, fried or boiled, is $11.49.

Franny's serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. My wife and I went at lunch on our first visit. They serve the old one-meat-and-two-veggies pick 'em you see around (for $5.29). Ah, their fried chicken. Oh, it was good. And the cabbage. I cook a mean cabbage myself, so I appreciate a fellow leafy artist.

And the side salad my wife got as one of her vegetables was a real salad. Not that bunch of iceberg lettuce with one chunk of tomato sham that so many restaurant give you. This had a bunch of 'maters and cucumbers.

It's a tummy-friendly experience at Franny's.

And so very people friendly. We had lunch and dinner the Wednesday and Thursday before the recent Auburn-Georgia game. Because my wife is an Auburn grad who loves football more than any woman I've ever known, we showed up wearing Auburn garb. Franny's --- as you would be wise to discover --- is decorated with posters of UGA football, including some neat autographed stuff.

But they treated us sweetly, nonetheless --- even engaging us in some fun trash-talk. Like I said, it was like eating in a friend's kitchen. If you have the specials, you don't have to go up to the counter and ask for more or signal in some way; they make sure you get the next round hot as soon as you want.

This kind of attentive, warm-hearted service made eating there a real pleasure.

Franny's Kitchen

511 Settlement Point, Gray

Three stars

Phone: (478) 986-2783

Hours: Monday- Friday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

Health: 98

Kids menu: No

Wheel chair accessible: Yes

Vegetarian: Yes

Dress: Casual

Reservation: No

Price: $2.99- $11.49

Payment: Cash, credit, debit

To contact writer Randy Waters, call 744-4240.