By Kay West

I am standing inside the Farmer’s Market. To my right is Swett’s, home of heaped-up mashed potatoes and crispy fried chicken; to my left is The Mad Platter Deli, source of sesame noodles and cumin-spiced cole slaw. I feel like one of those characters in a comic strip, the ones who are faced with a moral dilemma or a momentous decision between good and evil. On one shoulder is a little tiny figure of the devil, whispering in my ear, urging me to give in to temptation. On the other shoulder is my haloed conscience, advising me to resist, to stand firm. To my right, there is creamed corn and dinner rolls. To my left, there is roasted pork tenderloin. What to do, what to do?

Lucky me, I’m a food reviewer. I get to do both.

I dispatched four of our eight-person party to the right, where they took their places in the swift-moving cafeteria line at the Farmer’s Market version of Swett’s, the meat ’n’ three/soul food institution that’s been fattening up Nashvillians since 1954. Along with three others from our group, I headed left and ordered from the board at The Mad Platter Deli, a branch of the acclaimed Mad Platter Restaurant, which makes its home just a few blocks away in Germantown.

Service at The Mad Platter moves a bit more slowly, since all of the sandwiches are made fresh, according to your order. Still, we waited no more than 10 minutes for the nice counter staff to bring our plates to our table. And while we were waiting, I was able to sneak away to sample the fare at Swett’s.

Anyone who has been to a meat ’n’ three will already be familiar with the drill. Like most other restaurants of its genre, Swett’s is actually a meat ’n’ two, unless you’re willing to count the rolls or cornbread as Item No. 3. Among your options in the meat category are beef tips, fried chicken, meat loaf, country-fried steak, pork chops, rotisserie chicken, and—on Sunday only—turkey and dressing. Veggies include the standard pinto beans, creamed corn, macaroni and cheese, creamed potatoes, and squash. Plate lunches are $4.95 (except for the turkey, which is $5.75); you can add another vegetable for $1.19.

The Swett’s eaters in our party were happy as pigs in a poke, and they were generous when it came to allowing me to taste-test. I can tell you that the country-fried steak is not the Texas version I am familar with; Swett’s version is more like the mysteriously named Salsbury steak—a long patty of ground steak, fried and covered with gravy. The meat loaf wasn’t gummed up with excess filler. Instead, it turned out to be meaty and moist underneath its tomato sauce topcoat. I liked the rotisserie chicken, with its nice sprinkling of herbs, more than the fried, which could have used more seasoning. (It perked up after a good dousing of hot sauce.) The buttery creamed corn—yellow and white—was fresh off the cob. The macaroni and cheese had a nice cheddary bite, but the potatoes were so smooth that they raised suspicions that they’d been reconstituted, even though we eventually concluded they were the real thing. I just like my potatoes lumpier.

The turnip greens, which had large chunks of fatback, were lacking when it came to salt or pepper, but the texture was fine. The cornbread was too crumbly for butter-spreading, but it was just right for mixing up with your pinto beans. Thumbs up all around on the desserts, especially the slightly tart peach cobbler.

Meanwhile, the Mad Platter table was digging into mile-high deli sandwiches and side dishes. Several sandwiches are offered on a daily basis, while side salads appear on a rotating schedule. Also available are a soup du jour, a hot dish du jour (maybe crab cakes, pasta, or red beans and rice), and a few special sandwiches. You can, if you prefer, build your own sandwich, choosing from the justifiably much-touted Boar’s Head Brand premium meats and cheeses. Quality shows, but nowhere more than in the corned beef, roast beef, and pork tenderloin that The Mad Platter Deli prepares for itself.

Don’t deprive yourself of the chance to try what the deli claims is Nashville’s best Reuben ($5.99). Thick slices of lean, pink corned beef are piled between slices of of pumpernickel and rye; then Swiss cheese, kraut, and dressing are added, and the sandwich is thrown into a buttered skillet for a minute. Doggone if it’s not the best Reuben I’ve had in Nashville—or anywhere else, for that matter. Close your eyes and don’t think about the fat grams.

Other highlights from the sandwich board are the roasted pork tenderloin on a baguette ($5.49) with provolone and passion-fruit honey mustard; a spiced turkey sandwich with pepper Jack cheese, cilantro sour cream, lettuce, and tomato; and the two-inch-thick roast beef ($5.99). Unfortunately, our roast beef was missing the promised garlic hummus, and it was not quite as pink as I’d prefer. On an earlier visit, I had tried the veggie bliss—fresh mozzarella, sundried tomato tapendade, lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, and pesto—a tasty and healthy treat but a little pricy at $5.49, and the muffaleta, which had a thick layer of briny chopped green olives, along with the signature meats and cheeses. A quarter-section of a muffaleta—ample enough for one—is a bargain at $3.99.

Of the side dishes, I recommend the roasted vegetable and orzo salad, the new potato salad, the linguine sesame noodles, and the cumin cole slaw with crunchy sliced red and green cabbage. The chunky cream of potato soup will be the perfect thing for a cold autumn or winter day, but it seems a little heavy right now.

Tables—inside and out—are at a premium. I suggest assigning one of your party the duty of table scout. That way, somebody can be ready to pounce on the first available seat.

Swett’s provides trays, but the Mad Platter had none. Instead, the counter and kitchen help pitched in to help us carry our order. Be prepared to bus your own table when you’re finished.

If you haven’t already indulged in a slice of pie at Swett’s, you’ll want to stroll over to Island Spice, the booth situated catty-corner to the seafood market. Get a cup of one of their creamy tropical ice creams—we shared the soursop (fruity), the coconut, and the pineapple. The Guiness ice cream—yes, that’s Guiness as in ale—is probably an acquired taste, one that I don’t expect to acquire anytime soon. I can only compare it—and not pleasantly— to a draft beer float. My taste buds were horrified.

Swett’s and The Mad Platter are not the only lunchtime options at the Farmer’s Market. One store was doing a brisk business in gyros. At Cafe Elliston’s Farmer’s Market outpost, a counterful of customers were enjoying the pressed Italian sandwiches known as panninis. Island Spice also serves fried meat patties, an island version of empanadas.

Access to the Farmer’s Market is easy from several streets, and parking is free and ample on weekdays.

Set aside some time while you’re there to stroll the fabulous Bicentennial Mall. It will make you proud to be a Tennessean—no matter what UT did last weekend.

Swett’s is open from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sundays. The Mad Platter Deli (242-3354) is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Personal checks accepted. No credit cards.

Swett’s is open from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sundays. The Mad Platter Deli (242-3354) is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Personal checks accepted. No credit cards.