Goin' to have to be Top O' the River

There’s a confusing quote one of my high school teachers once wrote on the board during class. It said something along the lines of this Aristotle quote, “The more you know, the more you know you don't know.” This is what you don’t know: Top O’ the River has some of the finest catfish and seafood around. That’s a pretty big statement to make, but it’s true, especially when it comes to their farm-raised, grain-fed catfish, hearty portions, and cooked to order food.

The first Top O’ the River opened in Vicksburg, Mississippi. TC Coleman along with his wife Carolyn bought the one located in Mississippi in 1982 and moved it to Anniston, Alabama. They cultivated the brand’s potential:  Today there are four Top O’ the River locations, 3 in Alabama and one in Michie, Tennessee. Two out of four of the locations are located on rivers; the Michie location is not one of them. Tim, the owner, explained, “My uncle (TC Coleman), we were very tight—he’s my mentor. One day we were riding from Pickwick to Iuka and talking about what I wanted to do. And he said ‘why don't you do a Top O’ the River.’ I pulled the truck over. I was like, you gotta be kidding me. That was my dream, to have a Top O’ the River.” 

Tim’s dream to own a Top O’ the River restaurant was one thing. Finding the perfect location was another. Uncle TC told Tim, “‘Go pick me five locations. Me and Bill will come up there. And we'll evaluate.’ So I went to Bolivar, Savannah, Corinth, Selmer--had two places in Corinth--and this spot right here,” in Michie, “and this was the last one that we visited. We pulled in the parking lot and he walked in, he said: “This is it.” He said, “it smells like fish.” Not meaning that it had an odor, but, you know, this restaurant had been three different restaurants, and it never did take off. So we're in the middle of nowhere, we're a destination restaurant, you know, that was what he said. I wanted to see if people would drive to eat.” TC Coleman was right. Michie Top O’ The River expanded since it opened in 2012. Tim renovated the building. He had the Tennessee and Shiloh rooms! But when it became apparent he was lacking seating capacity, he added the Mississippi Room!In total there are 75 people who work at the restaurant, some have been there since it opened! “This place has a lot of love, I promise you.” 

That love is visible in not just the food that comes out, but also on the walls of the restaurant. Framed black and white photographs cover the walls. These pictures came from the McNairy County Historian, Nancy Kennedy, the Top O’ The River patrons, and from Tim and his family. On the walls, you’ll find pictures of the Pickwick Dam being built, of TC Coleman, pictures that harken to days long past, pictures of Tim’s grandpa, maybe even pictures of your own grandpa! Tim accepts image submissions from the public; he’ll make a photocopy of any image you bring him. One day, he hopes to be able to switch pictures out as the season’s change, so everyone can walk around and see all the images in his collection. Right now his walls are pretty full, but it’s a goal he hopes to achieve. When he first opened the restaurant he knew that this was the aesthetic he wanted, “All the pictures that you walk around and see, I can tell you a story probably on 60% of them. Half of them come from McNairy County, 20% of them are my family, and the remainder are a county that touches here. Just a very few are joke pictures.” There are also a few pictures that have celebrities like Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash. Tim’s mother helped him put the frames up, “We put up every picture. I had the ruler, the tape measure--I’m pretty funny about that stuff.”

Tim is pretty serious about his pictures, but he’s even more serious about the food and that’s because it’s some seriously good food. From their catfish fillet to the chicken kabobs, appetizers to dessert all of it is sinfully amazing. Even if you have a food allergy you can eat at this restaurant. “Customers can tell us about whatever kind of allergy they have and” companies that Tim has worked with, “make sure employees are ServSafe Certified. I bet you 15 of mine are certified. I believe in it. I want my staff to know what can happen to somebody. Peanut allergy or whatever, I want you to know what you can do to somebody if you don’t handle their food right when you bring it out to them.” To put it simply, employees know that shrimp or crab should be near the fish station, that the two should never be fried in the same oils. It’s that dedication that makes Top O’ the River a truly excellent restaurant. 

There’s no one food that comes to mind when trying to decide what the best one is. We enjoyed the fried pickle appetizer a lot. It wasn’t greasy, it had just the right amount of batter, and the pickles were just the right size. The cornbread was out of this world. With just a hint of spice, it took me back to those days I got homesick at college and needed to be reminded of good home cooking--the cornbread was just like momma used to make. The small skillet of cornbread comes with two things: a side of slaw, and pickled onions. Those are not the first couple things I’d pair with cornbread, but it went together seamlessly especially with the entrees. The slaw paired well with the cornbread but even better with the fried fish fillet. The pickled onions went well with everything too. They make pairing food an art. When you go you have to try the side of greens. The greens have a touch of spice, but they are so flavorful and good that you don’t even need pepper sauce on them. 

We tried several different entrees and each was amazing. The grilled chicken kabobs were served with a delightfully smokey mustard. The fried and grilled chicken strips were amazing, but my favorite dish was the Broiled Catfish Fillet. Being someone who doesn’t eat tons of fish, this dish completely changed my mind. The fish was very tender and the rub on the fillet was sweet and tangy. I’d never had anything better. 

If you’re interested in visiting the Michie Top O’ the River you can find them at 5831 Highway 57 East. They can be reached at 731-632-3287 and make sure you check out their Facebook page Top O The River in Michie, TN.`