Elmer & Fannie D's Deli Li'l Country Store in Bristol, Virginia

If you are in the Knoxville area, it is only a few hours drive to have a fun lunch at Elmer and Fannie D's Li'l Country Store and Deli. I ended up there somewhat by chance, and it was so great that I had to tell you about it. However, Darryll, the owner, seemed a little uncomfortable that I would tell too many people; he doesn't even advertise.

He is afraid of being overrun with customers. It could happen! Word of mouth has spread all over the area about this little secret. My daughter had heard by word of mouth from some other medical professionals who had discovered it.

Metal building on the left

The Li'l Country Store and Deli is located at 15503 Lee Highway in Bristol, Virginia, about half-way to Abingdon, Virginia, in a building that is not too eye-catching on the outside. If you aren't looking for it, you might miss it. There is a fishing equipment shop in the same little center. The front just looks like a little country store, complete with some comfortable wooden chairs.

Brilliantly clean

The first thing you notice when you go in the front door is that the place is spotlessly, perfectly, and amazingly clean. It is brilliantly crystal clean. I have never been in a place of any kind, residential or commercial, that was this clean. It was almost blinding it was so clean!

Tables are charming and retro, but no rusty chair legs here. A speck of dust could not find a place to fall. You would have to see for yourself. There are Lucite containers filled with condiments, forks, etc..The sun shining in on the Lucite didn't divulge as much as a smudge or a speck.

Fun and cheerful

The decor is really cheerful and fun. There are signs and other accoutrements that you expect in a country store, but most of these signs were legitimate, such as the 40 flavors of milk shakes! There is a part of the store where there are very unique country gifts and food items sold. It is not the normal "Cracker Barrell" assortment; they have very unusual and high-quality items.

Time to order: OH, MY!

The menu is overwhelming. You can truly get almost anything. The owner said that they started out with cornbread and beans, but expanded to offer almost anything. There are ten different types of salads that you can order by number. Of course there are many other types of burgers, sandwiches, and just about anything you can desire.

Gourmet Chicken Salad

We opted for the gourmet chicken salad on a croissant. You could choose regular or gourmet chicken salad, and we chose gourmet with included grapes and pineapple. It was served on a large, perfect croissant. This was no quick-bake croissant out of a can from the frozen food department. It was wonderful, and the chicken salad was so good you wanted to get every last little bit with a fork. It was $4.49, and if you want it on plain bread, it is only $3.99.

Soup and Salad

You can order potato soup every day, and they have soup of the day available, too. My daughter had potato soup and a side salad, which was very appetizing. The lettuce was shredded, which is my favorite. The soup was in a small Styrofoam cup, but the salad was a huge plate full, and she could hardly eat it. It was a small side salad, costing only $2.99, and it was very big,

Darryll does Deli right

Most deli salads are just scooped out of a plastic container bought at a store or wholesale from a supplier. Ask Darryll about his macaroni salad or his Cole slaw! He will tell you in detail how they are made and how many hours something has to set to marry the flavors. He brought us little sample cups of his macaroni salad, and it was so good.

He told us about going to a family reunion and tasting his aunt's macaroni salad. He decided that was what he wanted in his store. It is made from little tiny macaroni shaped like a bead which he says is hard to find,. I think it is called anellini. He uses it because the dressing gets inside the hole better and covers the whole pasta.

He doesn't use a traditional mayonnaise dressing on the macaroni salad, but a mixture of buttermilk, cream, and other secrets. I guarantee you that you will love it. My daughter loved it, and she doesn't really like macaroni salad. He has an equally complicated approach to Cole Slaw, another deli staple, and he will gladly share that with you, too. He was already out of slaw on Saturday at around 1:00 p.m. when we were there. It must be awesome.

Resveratrol in Muscadine Grape Juice

I have long been hearing about the cancer-fighting properties of Resveratrol that is found in red wine and Muscadine grapes. My husband and I are non-drinkers, so I was so pleased to see that Elmer and Fannie D's Deli and Country Store carried grape juice made from these Muscadine grapes; it has to be Muscadine. The owner actually poured me some to taste, and it was delicious. He was unaware of the tests that had been done proving its cancer-fighting properties, but he was carrying it because it was good! It comes from Arkansas.

Worth a visit

This little deli is becoming very popular through word of mouth; people who live and work in this area are regulars, and the owner is pleased. My party of three thoroughly enjoyed our visit. If you stop by and find it very crowded, whatever you do, don't tell Darryll and the ladies that I sent you. Just tell him that you heard by word of mouth...