Fish Camp Field Trip in Centerville

The Wood family field trip to visit family graves was a more cheery jaunt than you'd expect, given the nature of the errand.

That was due in part to our stop at Papa KayJoe's barbecue in Centerville and also to an outstanding meal at Fish Camp, also in the greater Centerville area.

Fish Camp is situated near Defeated Creek, and photos on its walls demonstrate just how near. The May 2010 floodwaters rose almost to the porch roof. They rebuilt right away and reopened.

The menu centers around Tennessee River catfish; says so right there on the cover. It's freshly caught and freshly fried, and available in about six different permutations. The largest option is all-you-can-eat ($11.49), and the smallest is the catfish sandwich ($4.29), a thick slab of fresh cat fillet fried crisp outside but still tender inside and tasting of clean water, fresh fish and cornmeal.

You'd think that would be enough, but Fish Camp also offers pit barbecue, and it's dreamy. Cooked just long enough to be tender with a little fight left in the meat (which I prefer), it's chopped fine for neat eating. The sauce is superb, too, homemade and vinegary, but also well-balanced with other ingredients and subtly flavored enough to enhance rather than overpower the meat. A small sandwich is just $2.99.

Fish Camp goes the extra mile, too, with the sides: homemade potato chips, hush puppies from scratch, cooked to a deep brown crackle outside.

Owners Troy and Kim Bates have a place to rightfully be proud of. In fact, Centerville — who knew it? — has at least three terrific places to eat. Throw in a trip to the Pink Cadillac drive-in movies, and I'd call that an ideal warm weather outing, practically in Nashville's back yard.