After almost a six-mile hike at Kolb Farm, we had worked up quite an appetite.  As we were almost in Marietta, I remembered reading, in the eater.com article about Alton Brown’s favorite spots that he was fond of the “super funky soul food” at Manna House.  We were less than ten minutes away from downtown Marietta, so we headed through the square to the intersection with Fairground Street.  A left turn and it appeared in less than a block on the left, sharing a building with a package store. 

We were greeted as we walked in and told to sit where we liked, so we took one of the four or five booths that lined the right wall of the skinny restaurant.  There were a few high top tables in between, a counter to the left with bar seating and, on the back wall, a window, with a drawn curtain, into the kitchen.  The young lady from behind the counter brought us the menus (half a sheet of printed 8.5 x 11 paper with today’s options printed on it), then shortly returned with two cans of Diet Coke and two styrofoam cups of ice. 

I was hoping for fried chicken, but it wasn’t on today’s menu, but today’s “bean of the day” was baby lima beans (the undisputed king of beans).  We placed our order and fifteen minutes later, this is what our table looked like.  Jo had the fried tilapia (which was cooked to order), slaw and fries (which had been cooked before we ordered, based on the way they tasted).  Coupling those fries with the Hunt’s ketchup on the table, I was glad that I wasn’t trying to eat those. 

The two foil pieces on the common side plate in the middle, contained corn bread – squares of sweet, yellow corn bread.  They reminded me of the only corn bread I’ve ever truly loved in my life – the sweet corn bread that comes from a mix and they served in my elementary school.  It’s nothing resembling Southern cornbread, but, man, it sure is good. 

I ordered fried pork chops (since they didn’t have fried chicken), baby lima beans and macaroni and cheese.

The batter on the fried chicken reminded me of Shake-n-Bake, and the chops were fairly dry, but they were still good.  The lima beans were far from vegetarian – I’d guess they were not only cooked with pork fat, but may have been boiled in a pot made of bacon.  And the macaroni and cheese was the standout on the plate.  Overall, a spot that I’ll try again, although it was on the high side, price-wise, for a meat and three.