We had a QYK event in Winter Haven today. We don't get out to Polk County often so I should have fired up the GPS. Instead as I tried to make my way back to I-4, I went the wrong way, but now I realize... it was fate.
I realized I was going the wrong way when I passed a sign that almost brought a tear to my eye: Guthrie's Fried Chicken. Surely this couldn't be the same Guthrie's I loved when I lived in Tallahasse almost 20 years ago? I didn't go to Florida State University, but I certainly developed a love for a Seminole favorite: "The Gut Box."
The Guthrie's Box will fill you up for under $10 and there's nothing better after a night of drankin'. It's a 3AM legend in Tally. It's chicken fingers, crinkle-cut french fries, sweet cole slaw, salty buttery Texas toast and some Guthrie's sauce to dip it all in. And the only drink I'd get to with it is sweet tea. The sweet tea and Texas toast combo can't be beat.
So back to my moment today in Winter Haven. As soon as I realized this was THE Guthrie's I did a u-turn and as soon as I walked in, that smell brought those late nights in Tally back. Now I'm told Tampa had a Guthrie's years ago. But hey next time you are doing the drive to or from Orlando, detour for a Gut Box.
Guthrie's even came up in my conversation with Jake Owen earlier this year at the ACMs. Jake's a FSU alum and a Guthrie's fan. (As much as I love Guthrie's, I was partial to a place called Chubby's Chicken Fingers.)
Here are a few pics to convince you. Here's the address to pop into your GPS: 600 Cypress Gardens Blvd, Winter Haven, FL 33880.
