If you’ve never heard the term “meat and three,” you probably don’t spend a lot of time in the South. For the uninitiated, the label refers to a down-home restaurant that serves what some call “soul food” — a Southern-style meat dish with a choice of three vegetables. Typical choices include fried chicken, country fried steak, turnip greens, mashed potatoes and cornbread. Of course, you need to save room for homemade dessert.

One of the most delightful meat-and-threes is Miller’s Grocery, located about 30 minutes south of Nashville, in the tiny whistle-stop town of Christiana. For 75 years, Miller’s was an actual grocery store. In 1995, the building was restored and converted to a café, but it retained the look of a country store — and its original name, a tribute to longtime owner Stanley Miller. Antiques and collectibles line the walls. The worn wooden floors creak and the mismatched flea-market chairs squeak. Ah, now that’s ambience.

Smiling servers attend tables covered with checkered tablecloths, delivering heaping plates of catfish with hush puppies, fried pork chops, chicken and dressing, meatloaf, fried okra, pinto beans, coleslaw, and yes, even frog legs (a Miller’s specialty). Yet, the desserts may be the stars of the Miller’s menu. The cakes are moist and mouth-watering. Red velvet and caramel are my personal favorites, but Snickers cake is a real crowd-pleaser. And where else besides your family reunion can you get Mississippi Mud Cake? Other Southern classics like pecan pie, apple cobbler and banana pudding are just as irresistible.

For the full Miller’s experience, come in on Friday or Saturday night, when your meal is accompanied by live bluegrass, folk, country and Americana music. But make reservations — the room fills up fast. Same goes for the popular Sunday buffet, when you can sample several of Miller’s most popular dishes.