By Evan CardenSA Editor

Joann and Frank Lee If you’re ever in Carlton around lunchtime on Thursday or just want to take a ride down that way, you won’t regret stopping in at The Country Store for a good, wholesome meal.

Lunch on Thursday at The Country Store is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in Clarke County. The food is delicious, fresh cooked and served buffet style. There’s usually plenty to go around.

People who live and work in the area have been privy to the Thursday meal for some time, and many of those who aren’t from the area make special trips back on Thursdays just to eat.

Joann and Frank Lee are the owners of The Country Store and, coincidently, are the cooks who make the Thursday dinners happen. Frank handles most of the meats while Joann puts her skills into the other foods on the menu.

A number of regulars fill their plates with good home cooking at The Country Store in Carlton every Thursday. The entree usually consists of three different meats with several vegetables and hot biscuits on the side. The meal is topped off with homemade dessert and all of it is washed down with iced tea. The meal usually consists of three different meats. This past Thursday, roast beef, country fried pork chops and fried chicken were on the menu. The side dishes included corn on the cob, rice and gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans with new potatoes and biscuits. A fresh bunt cake rounded it out.

For those who remember Sunday dinner at grandma’s house or the old-time homecoming dinners at the little country churches, partaking of the food and fellowship at The Country Store on Thursdays is certainly reminiscent of those days.

The Lees bought the store in 1990 and remodeled it to include the large kitchen and eating area. Frank, who is a Korean War veteran and has a degree in accounting from the University of Alabama said he sees Carlton as “the last frontier.”

The son of William Thomas Lee, an Assembly of God preacher, he earned two battle stars as a member of the 35th Infantry and took part in the Heartbreak Ridge battle.

“When we bought this store in 1990, it was covered with vines. We had to totally remodel it and built the newest part in 1991,” said Lee.

The dining area is constructed of tongue and groove pine cut from Clarke County timber. There’s a deck on the back of the building for those who wish to dine alfresco. Sometimes that’s the only place to find a seat when the dining room is full.

The store itself is like stepping back into the past. There’s a U.S. Post Office contract station located inside the store. “We don’t have a full-fledged Post Office here, but you can mail letters and get mail,” said Frank.

As for their Thursday culinary excursions, the couple said they enjoy offering a good meal once a week. “Sometimes the crowds are big and sometimes it’s like today, just a few people stopping by to get a bite to eat,” said Frank.

At $7 a plate, you sure can’t beat the price.

(SA photos by Evan Carden)