Day Tripper: The Yearling (Cross Creek)

14531 E County Road 325
Cross Creek, FL

2 thumbs up (all for the experience, none for the food)

The Yearling Restaurant in Cross Creek is somewhat of an anomaly in North Central Florida. It is a hugely successful restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It has won Best in the State awards every year since it's been open. It's at least 30 minutes from Gainesville and an equal 30 minutes from Ocala. And, I must stress this, it's IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

How do they do it, you ask? Well, if you start thinking like a good ole' Florida boy, the answer is simple. The food defines Florida Cracker cuisine. The only spices on the kitchen shelf are salt, salt, salt, and salt. You'll find an ample sampling of gator, catfish, softshell crab and shirts proclaiming "Eat Mo' Cooter!" (turtle, which I don't believe is actually on the menu).

If you think like a literature buff, you'll realize it's named after the Marjorie Kinan Rawlings Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Despite rumors that the restaurant was at one point her actual house it's not; however, it is very close nearby.

If you think like a music purist, you'll want to go to check out Willie Green, a legit as all hell blues man who performs some of the most authentic blues you've ever heard.


All told, a meal here is a truly unique Floridian experience. As I am not a Florida Cracker, I can't say I was blown away by the food. I tried the blackened catfish sandwich with collard greens. I've never eaten catfish before, so I guess I kinda set myself up for failure when I realized how slimy and oddly textured it is. Regardless, it was so over salted that I could barely focus on much else. The greens were equally salted beyond belief.


My eating partner opted for the soft shell crab sandwich with okra and tomatoes. Again, I'm not a Florida Goodleboy, so I've never seen a fried soft shell crab before. Needless to say, it was rather unsettling. I half expected the thing to scoot sideways off the bun and back into the deep fryer. I didn't try it, but was told it was good.

We both chose sweet tea (duh) which turned out to be SUPER SWEET tea. There was so much sugar in it that you couldn't taste much else. I couldn't even finish my glass due to the diabetic shock I immediately entered.

Do be warned that there was absolutely nothing vegetarian friendly on the menu.

All in all, The Yearling was a fun adventure. To get there, you even have to cross the River Styx (I shit you not). I'd strongly suggest going when Willie Green is playing and be sure to sit up front where he plays (besides, the back room looked like a creepy redneck Denny's).