Locally Grown: A Sloppy Joe for Grown-Ups
If you’re anything like me, you grew up seeing the “Manwich” sloppy joe commercials. They looked so damn good on tv but somehow just didn’t quite translate to the table. At least, not in my house. (Sorry Mom!)
“Next – why sweetener in the #2 position? Chefs know that adding a spoon of sugar to round out the flavor of the slightly acidic tomatoes is fine, but come on folks, we were first expecting to see some more veggies.”- Fooducate
A quick Google search pulled up another blogger’s post on the history of the Manwich. John-Bryan Hopkins at Foodimentary states: ” Manwich is also commonly used as an alternate name for a Sloppy Joe, an American dish of ground beef, onions, sweetened tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun. Commercially made sauces are also available. Textured vegetable protein may be used as a vegetarian substitute for the meat. The Original Sloppy Joe Sandwich was invented by a cook named Joe at a cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, as a variation of the popular “loose meat” sandwich.”
The Manwich canned sauce is problematic for me, however, because I immediately have to question the ingredients. Another set of bloggers at Fooducate uncovered some issues: ” Tomato Puree as a first ingredient is to be expected. But why is it composed mostly of water? The reason is that tomato paste is highly concentrated (they take the water out when manufacturing paste). Next – why sweetener in the #2 position? Chefs know that adding a spoon of sugar to round out the flavor of the slightly acidic tomatoes is fine, but come on folks, we were first expecting to see some more veggies. Ingredient #3 is vinegar, not something you would add to a homemade tomato sauce. and then at #4, another sweetener. Seems like a lot of liquids for the first 4 ingredients. That’s where the gums come in later on in the list (guar gum, xantham gum, carob bean gum – all natural). They all serve as thickeners, so you’ll feel like you’re getting less water, more tomato.”
So, I don’t exactly have the best reaction to the idea of eating a Sloppy Joe- childhood trauma set aside. BUT when I saw that Saralyn Collins was serving it at her newly revamped Grow restaurant, I had to give it a try. And it’s incredible. You can get either to grass-fed beef kind, or the locally sourced pork. I’ve had both. Personally, I’m more of a beef person but the pork is quite good as well- I even tried it with the hot sauce and it was amazing.
Today for my side I got the mashed sweet potatoes, and they’re perfect. So many places add too much sugar and junk but these were just pure goodness.
And I forgot to mention the appetizer! If you’re lucky and get there early enough you’ll get a complimentary basket of salsa (black eyed peas, corn, black beans, etc).
Dessert…. omg. So I know this post is mainly about the sloppy joes but jesus LAWD. Apple AND Peach cobbler. Amazing locally grown Southern Styled amazingness. Like, I was so full from just half of the sloppy joe and sweet potatoes but I had to get this. I ate until I was crying but it was so worth it.
Saralyn, the owner and chef, told me that the sloppy joes made it to the menu because they were her daughters favorite. In fact, as I was typing this, she said ” Dylan was so excited one day because she went to a friends house for dinner and they had sloppy joes but they were Manwich and she didn’t like it!” Can’t blame you there at all, Dylan!
So, if you would like to get back to your childhood and have a healthy, happy, locally grown meal at lunch and you’re in the Macon area be sure to go check out Grow. For those of you passing through town, Grow is just off of Interstate I-16. Get on Spring street heading in to Macon and take a right at Riverside. Grow is just past that turn.
Grow Restaurant
Riverside Dr
478-743-4663
Affordability: 5 out of 5 stars
Tastiness: 5 out of 5 stars
Love to all y’all,
Molly
