I love, love, love southern food. What's not to love about fried chicken, corn pudding and sweet potatoes drowned in brown sugar?

A big part of soul food is "Meat and three." Meat and three, which has roots in Nashville, is essentially a plate that consists of a main meat (fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chop, country ham), and three side dishes (vegetables, potatoes, macaroni and cheese).

Arnold's Country Kitchen is the iconic meat-and-three restaurant. Once we parked in the Arnold's lot, we walked inside restaurant and were met with the large, open dining space. Long communal tables ran the length of the room, with few open seats spaced out in between. We added ourselves to the back of the line and waited as people filed up to the cafeteria-style counter.

The menu changes a little bit by the day. And, fortunately, we were there on a meat loaf day (yum!). You can get a main and just one or two sides, but what fun is that? I wanted the full meat and three experience. So, I got the meat loaf, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, and corn pudding. I probably should've thrown something green in there, but ehhh...

We just so happened to find an empty booth along the wall, so we hunkered down there before we began devouring these plates. My god, I wish this blog had tastebuds, because that meat loaf killed the game. So flavorful. So moist. So hella good. The macaroni and cheese was a delicious baked mac with some nice dark spots along the top. Sweet candied yams bathed in brown sugar were sweet as a dessert, and the corn pudding had more of a spice factor, but it was perfect for this plate of food.

Just, go. Immediately. Go hungry and eat all these things. You're welcome.

Grade: A