OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - CLASSIC ON NOBLE

Classic On Noble

(Written By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

 I wanted to tell you about a very special restaurant I discovered once upon a time as we were traveling through Anniston, Alabama.   It is called Classic On Noble, and it is located, just as the name implies, on Noble Street in Anniston, Alabama.

You will never find a more cozy and quaint dining experience.  This has become a place to go on special occasions for my family.  

We’ve always been for dinner in the evenings, but I’m told that their brunches are amazing, delicious and well attended.  I’ve had the brunch idea marked on my bucket list for awhile, and I know I will find it worth the drive when I get around to it.  Brunch seems to be the rave with the locals for sure. 

 In the meantime, my dinner experiences there have certainly been excellent. 

David and Cathy Mashburn are the restaurant owners.  It seems they were well established in the catering business when they noticed that the old Levy and Clark Building in Anniston’s historic district was for sale.  

The building was constructed in 1894, and had been boarded up and closed off since 1919.  When they first toured the dusty old building full of cobwebs, Cathy thought it was a hopeless case, but David thought it was “perfect.”  David won the disagreement.  Classic On Noble soon became a key element toward the revitalization of historic downtown Noble Street.  Cathy now openly admits that David had the vision from the start, and it has come together just as he imagined; “perfectly.”   

You enter the restaurant from the main street and step into an elegant fresh flowered entrance way that will either lead you back to many beautiful rooms of white linen covered antique tables graced by a lovely grand piano, or you can turn left and go upstairs via a winding stairwell to The Green Olive Room.  The downstairs interior has hardwood floors and is beautifully decorated in an elegant upbeat yet traditional style that compliments the building.  This is where brunch, lunch and some special receptions are held.  There is a station at the foot of the stairway where your hostess will greet you.  You may sign a guest book that is kept there if you like, and you will soon find yourself led to a pretty table and very comfortably seated and pampered by excellent service.

Classic Catering creates wonderful food art for a wedding reception, or any other special occasion.  

They have catered to small and large crowds for offices, events, and special occassions in homes around the Southeast, regularly delivering excellent services to people in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.   

They are willing to travel to you, or you may rent the space of their restaurant for your event.   

The last time my husband and I came for dinner a wedding party was just leaving their reception from the front door.  People threw rose buds at the bride and groom as they escaped to the outside sidewalk.  Once the wedding crowd cleared, we were able to enter the restaurant ourselves, walking in over a fresh trail of pink, yellow and red rose petals that had been left behind.  I felt like God had planned the time out for us to arrive just when we did.  It added a bit of whimsy to the time we were anticipating, and made for a great beginning to a wonderful dining experience.

Our table was reserved in The Green Olive, the upstairs upscale bar area that is full of unique original art, antique furniture, vintage chandeliers and beautiful woodwork.    There is an amazing antique chess set in one area, and some of the former wedding party I mentioned earlier, were having a mixed drink and playing a game of chess while waiting on their meal.  

Our cozy table by the window was all very quite though, and that is one of the things I like so much about the place, you can actually have a conversation and hear what the other people at your table are saying. 

The Green Olive Room proclaims selections from a well stocked wine cellar.  The atmosphere of the bar area might remind you of the fact that once there was a time in the early history of the building during the Prohibition era, when the Green Olive Room’s floors were covertly being used to sell alcohol.  There was also live dancing and music back in those days.  Often there were raids by the local law enforcement.  However, no such commotion is happening now.   It is quite the opposite, and there is such a peaceful, elegant, “living-room feeling” in the Green Olive Room.   

We chose an excellent wine from the wine list, although you may also order mixed drinks.   We sipped our wine in the comfort of the pleasant surroundings as our waiter took our order from the delicious choices found on the menu.  I was amused that the waiters have to carry the food up to everyone from the other floors of the building.   The building is three stories high, so I guess this means that every time they bring food they must navigate three flights of stairs.   In spite of this fact, our waiter was very accommodating and didn’t mind making extra trips for our requests.    

There are several menu choices available, and we have tried all of them on different trips.  I’ve found them all to be quite delicious.  The Chef here is wonderful, and adds an elegant, yet southern flair to everything.  I love that.  This girl is not ashamed of being Southern.  

The Nobel Salad is famous, and so is The Wedge, but my favorite salad is the Fried Green Tomato Salad.  It is very tasty, and the presentation is very pretty and unique.    

There are many excellent choices for entrée’s.  My favorites were the Shrimp and Grits, The Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and the Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes.

Dessert is never the same and changes each time we go.  I especially remember sharing some fried ice cream once that was” to die for.”  Whatever they are offering for dessert is always excellent and there are always plenty of special choices. 
   

I was not surprised to learn that Classic On Noble has been featured in Southern Living, Historical Restaurants of the South, 100 Places to Eat Before You Die, The Anniston Star, The Birmingham News and many other well known publications.  

Nor was I surprised to learn that many famous and well known personalities have enjoyed their fine food.  The list includes former President Jimmy Carter, US Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Congressman, Mike Rogers, former and present Governors from Alabama and otherwise, Amy Grant, the band called Alabama, among many others.  We added some more people to that impressive list by bringing our daughter and son-in-law with us the last time we went.  They loved the restaurant too.

So what are you waiting for?  It is well worth the drive.  

Go for brunch, or an elegant dinner.  

Call them up for your next special catering occasion.   

Check out their website, it has excellent driving directions from anywhere. 

I'm told this is the perfect restaurant to visit during Christmas holidays, because it is always decorated like a winter wonderland. 

Bon Appétit!