I'm not quite sure what I sat down to write about because it was thrown out of the window today when I heard these precious words outside of my car window as I was driving past Ramsey's in Lexington:

"I'll have the chicken salad, please!"

Yes, it's chicken salad time again. Really, you need to excuse to visit one of Ramsey's Diners (not to be confused with Louisville's Ramsi's Cafe on the World, which is also mighty delicious).

the original Ramsey's

Ramsey's started in 1989 near downtown off of Woodland Avenue. Known for the mixed, painted wooden chairs (no two are alike), random tables, and no-fuss attitude, Ramsey's is what many southerners known as a "meat and three" restaurant. You pick your meat, and then three delicious side dishes, many of which are seasonal and Kentucky Proud.

Ramsey's is also known for its hot brown. Originally created at Louisville's Brown Hotel, the hot brown is an open-faced sandwich with bread, turkey, bacon, and Mornay sauce (or cheddar cheese). It's artery-clogging for sure, but people flock for this Kentucky tradition.

I didn't come here to write about the hot browns though. I came to write about the seasonal chicken salad plate.

I am a mayonnaise hater, yet love the creamy chicken salad that Ramsey's only has in the summertime. Here is the description, straight from their menu:

Traditional chicken salad served with sliced fresh locally grown tomatoes, slices of fresh avocado, and fresh eggs. No pecans, no grapes, no pineapple, no water chestnuts- JUST CHICKEN SALAD!

It's one of those things you need to taste to understand. Something about pairing it with fresh avocado slices and sliced hardboiled eggs (something else I'm not fond of). Nom.

Now, when dining at Ramsey's, pay attention to the whiteboards around the restaurant which list the Missy's Pie's that they're selling for the day. Save room for a slice, or at least order one to take home with you. My husband strongly recommends the peanut butter pie, and I opt for the sugar free cherry pie. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, we make sure to pre-order their pumpkin and pecan pies.

I've never had any food at Ramsey's that I didn't like and that wasn't comforting as lots of southern traditional food is. Who wants to be my lunch date?