Ask a foodie: Mudcat Coffeehouse offers tasty hope to low carb seekers

You may have noticed my focus on food has shifted a bit since I started writing this column last year: more salads, more color, less fried and sugary things. The truth is I simply can't eat whatever I want anymore. Being recently diagnosed as diabetic, I've been scared straight, and the best way I know how to control this disease is through low-carb eating.

As a foodie and someone who writes about food regularly, this diagnosis frankly stunk. How could I avoid starches and sugars and still give you guys the recommendations you crave? I felt like food adventuring for me was over. Enter the Mudcat Coffeehouse in Oak Ridge.

My husband and I eat there regularly, and I am not exaggerating to tell you it is, hands down, my favorite place to eat. The restaurant sits in an old town building at the four-way in Oak Ridge, with a tin overhang and huge flower baskets. Inside are old hard wood floors, wooden walls and beautiful, thick wooden molding around the windows. It just screams old general store or maybe saloon (though they don't serve alcohol). There is even a pull-chain toilet in the bathroom, with the tank mounted 12 feet above your head. Everything is vintage and cool, and honestly just comfortable.

But the real heart of the place is Rebecca Moore. She is a true food lover, constantly sharing and researching foods and flavors. She can cook amazing food quickly, with joy and pride. When I first stepped past her threshold after being labeled a diabetic, I was absolutely wiped out. Downtrodden, depressed, knowing no longer could I have her fresh fried fish or hand-cut fries or homemade cakes and pies. I couldn't have her hashbrown casserole or hash with crispy potatoes, or even a freshly-made latte with whipped cream. But when I told Becky, she just smiled, completely unfazed, and said, "Don't worry, I got you."

That day, within minutes, she placed in front of me a burger topped with bacon and shaved white cheese, pickles and tomatoes, no bun, laying on a bed of crisp peppery arugula. She had drizzled some sort of sauce over it, just a little (and man, does this woman make amazing sauces), and as I took a bite of my very first breadless burger, I wanted to cry. Not because the burger was bad. Oh no, quite the opposite. I wanted to cry because for the first time, I realized I might be able to do this -- to eat like I had to and still find food to love.

Low-carb hash from Mudcat Coffeehouse in Oak Ridge.Submitted photo

Things got even better from there. Becky thrives on coming up with new stuff that is diabetic- and keto-friendly. She makes a hash I love, full of potatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers and Spam. I like Spam, and I say this with no shame. It's delicious with breakfast. She modified it, took the potatoes out, served it on a bed of greens and bacon, topped it with two fried eggs. It was even better than the original.

Fish Friday was my next hurdle. On Friday, the Mudcat serves fried fish with a selection of sides. I was going to miss it, but Becky made sure I didn't have to. She told me she could make me naked fish (how scandalous!) in which she dropped fish in the fryer without any breading. I couldn't believe it, but the fish cooked up golden brown, crispy, and moist. Now, it's not quite as crispy as fish dipped in cornmeal, but it is just as tasty, and saving me from carbs.

Then, Becky figured out how to make nachos. Freshly fried pork rinds, which are so much better than the bagged ones, topped with house-smoked pulled pork and pimento cheese. She's also topped the pork rinds with chicken, veggies and salsa for a more Mexican flair. Some days, I don't know what I want, and she whips something different up on the fly. I am never disappointed. The plates are always colorful and tasty and help me to feel like I'm not missing out on anything.

Becky is a miracle worker, and I can't thank her enough. Go visit the Mudcat and watch Becky fly around the kitchen, combining flavors and fresh ingredients and plating food to make you happy.