Elwood and Sandy Fearrington enjoy a late breakfast at Country Junction on Weaver Street. The retired couple drives to Carrboro from their home near Jordan Lake for this “little treat,” Sandy said.
Staff photo by Leah Szarek

by Leah Szarek
Carrboro Commons Writer

The Moulin Rouge print on the wall says French bistro. The porthole windows suggest a fresh catch. The Korean husband and wife duo behind the counter imply a more exotic cuisine. But the squat building on Weaver Street bears the surprisingly appropriate name of Country Junction.

The menu is all Southern country-fried classics, and this unassuming spot in the heart of Carrboro really is a bustling crossroads, a place where people from all walks of life come together over the $2.99 Breakfast Plate.

“Try their Chuck Wagon, it’s delicious,” said CW route bus driver Joyce Wilson.

This tip conjures up images of a flour dusted Southern grandmother dishing out old family recipes, including Wilson’s favorite, which is a sandwich of breaded beef with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato.

Co-owner Kim Lee, looking out from under a bold sweep of electric blue eyeshadow, could not be a more unlikely purveyor of buttery grits and Chuck Wagons.

Kim said she and her husband, who is known simply as Lee to his American friends, opened their Southern eatery with the help of her sister 17 years ago, shortly after emigrating from Korea and settling in Durham.

Kim Lee, a Korean immigrant who co-owns the southern eatery Country Junction, convinces regular customer Sandy Fearrington to take a slice of pineapple cake to go.
Staff photo by Leah Szarek

NO STRANGERS HERE

The prime location along the CW route encourages heavy foot traffic, and the generous parking lot is packed with pickup trucks.
“We do no advertising at all; not even in the newspaper,” Kim said in an accent that falls a little to the east of Southern drawl. “We have all regulars, about 80 people, and they all tell friends.”

She said the restaurant sees a steady stream of customers for both breakfast and lunch, which are served from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“We do not have many strangers here,” she said with a proud smile.

Chatham County resident Glenn Hackney said he has been stopping in frequently since the Lees opened up shop.

“I’m doing a country burger to go today, but usually, I like to get some vegetables from the buffet,” he said as he waited for Lee to finish grilling his order. “The greens and the potatoes are good.”

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Elwood and Sandy Fearrington said they enjoy coming in from their home near Jordan Lake for a midmorning breakfast.

“We like it because they serve breakfast late,” Elwood said. “We’re retired, and we get up late.”

The former UNC-Chapel Hill printing services employee and his wife, a retired secretary from Greensboro, said they recommend Country Junction to everybody.

“The price is right,” Sandy said as she and Elwood seasoned their breakfast plates with a healthy dash of salt and pepper. “We don’t get out too much, Elwood is on oxygen. This is our little treat.”

Rodney Johnson, a Chapel Hill car detailer and bagel baker who supplies breakfast to hungry UNC-CH students at the campus’s Alpine Bagel, said he and his wife, Jennifer, have been visiting Country Junction for their own breakfasts for almost a decade.

“We like it ‘cause it’s reasonable,” he said.

Country Junction regular Glenn Hackney waits by the vegetable buffet for co-owner Lee to finish grilling his burger.
Staff photo by Leah Szarek

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

Knowing that they’ll receive a good dose of Southern hospitality from Kim at the register and Lee on the grill keeps the regulars coming back. The Fearringtons agree that the Lees are a big part of their “little treat.”

“They are very friendly, nice people,” Sandy said, jokingly demanding four packets of strawberry jelly from Kim.

DON’T EXPECT ORGANIC

With much of the food emerging from a well-stocked freezer and served on plastic foam plates, Country Junction is a far cry from the eco-conscious Weaver Street Market just up the street.

But the disposable plates make it easy for customer Jennifer Johnson to share some leftovers with her dog, who waited patiently for his bite of country-fried steak in the truck outside.

And Kim discourages waste by making sure you are a big eater before she sells you the breakfast plate.

LINKS
Country Junction http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=country+junction&near=Carrboro,+NC&fb=1&view=text&latlng=35911181,-79075780,1344210291547683457

Alpine Bagel http://www.alpinebagels.com/
Weaver Street Market http://www.weaverstreetmarket.com/