Is Paula Deen’s restaurant really that trashy?

Food Republic’s Joshua Stein recently took a trip to Savannah to visit Paul Deen’s iconic restaurant, The Lady and Sons, and reported in full in A Voice From Within the Paula Deen Wilderness. His report has created a bit of a storm on the internet, given its portrayal of a massive, volume-driven operation that seeks to drive people into the gift shop rather than feed them well. Among other things, he was refused to be seated (despite a relatively empty restaurant) until he had gone to the gift shop and was strongly encouraged to use the buffet and not order from the menu.

The buffet was, as would be expected, heavy on fat-laden foods, which is what Deen’s fans expect, and not too expensive. As Stein writes, “The buffet and a beer cost only $24. Of course the food isn’t where Mrs. Deen’s interest lies, either practically or financially. For that, one must look at a message written at the bottom of the check. “Y’all Make Sure to Visit the Paula Deen Store!” it read, for there isn’t a part of this woman that wasn’t for sale.

The internet has picked the review up. The Braiser’s  reaction to the review is typical:

“You know all those times Food Network features Paula Deen’s Savannah, Georgia restaurant on TV? Whether it be a special occasion on Paula’s show, or on a Triple D segment, The Lady and Sons always strikes us as a warm, cozy, country lodge diner. The kind us Yankees might stumble into on a road trip through Rhode Island or some nonsense. Yes, it’s almost exclusively filled with morbidly obese patrons, but it’s also got like, kitschy Cracker Barrel charm, right?

Wrong. How very wrong we were to ever, ever think that.”

If any of our members have ever gone to the restaurant, we’d love to know your impressions – is this an accurate representation of your experience?