Prior to this week, the only time I’d eaten chicken and dumplings was way back in my college days, when five guys shared a ramshackle house off-campus. Bob Dixon was the only one who could cook, or was willing to cook, and on a few Sundays he made us a big ol’ pot of the savory stew.

Ravenous for a home-cooked meal, we ate it like wolves. Fond memories of Dix’s chicken-and-dumplings popped into my head not long ago. An FFF was hatched.

More or less the only place you find this traditional comfort food around here is in traditional American restaurants with a Southern twist. Our two contestants were easy to find: Cracker Barrel (aka Cracker Barrel Old Country Store) and PoFolks, a small chain that consists of five locations in Florida.

CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE

There hung the folksy original logo — the blasphemous modern one having been rolled out and quickly rolled back last summer.

We arrived at 6:15 Tuesday, walked through the perfumed store, stopped at reception and were shown to a four-top in the dining room. Chris Stapleton played at comfortable volume on the house sound system.

Our server, Natasha, was a Cracker Barrel vet — and one of her aims was to get her customers the most food possible for the least amount of money. It turned out to be enough grub to feed a family reunion.

She coaxed us toward the 2-for-$19.99 special. Bonnie got the Barrel Cheeseburger to go along with my Chicken ‘n Dumplins (with corn and seasoned rice as sides) and cornbread. Natasha quickly delivered a basket of six biscuits — complimentary, not part of our dinner special. They were warm and yummy, but I held myself to one, not wanting to consume too much dough in advance of doughy dumplings.

Appearance

The white-ish food in a big white bowl was not terribly photogenic, nor was it terribly appetizing. More modern iterations of the dish include vegetables, herbs and spices. This one consisted of a mound of dumplings and chunks of white-meat chicken slathered in gravy. My guess is that this is how Cracker Barrel’s clientele prefers it.

Taste and Texture

The chicken-to-dumplings ratio skewed heavily toward the large morsels of dough. They were firm and essentially flavorless, which I think is how it’s supposed to be. The chicken came in large pieces, which I fork-cut. I didn’t detect much flavor here, either.

That left the gravy, which was the right thickness but could’ve used a smidge of spice or herbs to liven it up.

I’ll leave it like this: Cracker Barrel’s portion of chicken and dumplings did not conjure up sense-memories of Dix’s off-campus feasts. I left thinking that perhaps, several decades later, the dish just wasn’t my thing.

We left with a take-home bag of six biscuits, four squares of tasty cornbread and a hunk of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake, which was included in the special. As I write this, the cake sits in the fridge. It will get eaten.

POFOLKS

I’d driven by this restaurant on 34th Street in St. Pete innumerable times, but never eaten here. When we walked in at 7 on Wednesday, the young hostess greeted us cheerfully and showed us to our table with ironic faux-flourish. Being seated like royalty at an eatery called PoFolks got our visit off to a humorous start.

Our server, Amy, was full of pep and wit. She had a down-home manner that aligned with the brand. I ordered Chicken N’ Dumplins ($11.99) with red-beans-and-rice and cabbage as sides, along with cornbread. Bonnie got a bowl of Navy Bean Soup ($4.99).

As we waited for our meals, bursts of robust laughter emanated from the kitchen and near the reception stand. It didn’t bother us in the least. We were happy to be eating in a restaurant where the staff acted happily.

Appearance

All the food came at once, arrayed on the same plate. What a concept. The bowl of chicken and dumplings was smaller and a bit deeper than the competition’s. The chicken look pulled and shredded, an encouraging sign.

Taste and Texture

This nuthin-fancy version exuded a homey, comfort-food character. We speculated that the gravy might’ve been bolstered with chicken bullion because it had an ideal saltiness. The meal included dark- and white-meat chicken, a major plus for me.

The dumplings were big enough to need cutting with a spoon, and each little lump paired nicely with a piece of bird and slurp of gravy. I ate it to the bottom of the bowl, with a little help from Bonnie. I stole some of her soup, which was scrumptious.

I don’t remember ever having boiled cabbage as a side dish in a restaurant, but a tinge of bacon flavor made it an able accompaniment. The cornbread was so good that Bonnie ordered another piece to cap off the meal. Amy didn’t charge us.

We finished everything and left without a bag.

And the Winner of the Clash Over Chicken and Dumplings Is …

PoFolks.

Easy call.

I’m glad we finally ate at this place that has stood at the corner of 34th Street and 22nd Avenue North since the mid-1990s.