I took a trip to a hidden gem on the western edge of Madison County for my latest meal.
This place is only open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday-Sunday so it might be tricky for some to get there, but trust me, it’s worth the trip.
It is popular, so be aware there could be a wait. The restaurant is hidden in the back corner of a strip of businesses. Though it’s a little hidden, there is plenty of parking in the enormous paved lot in front of it and the sign is very visible once in the lot.
Enter through a small vestibule into the open dining room. Once inside you’ll get that homey diner feel. There’s blue carpet with two-tone blue and tan walls decorated with food art, tan square tables are situated throughout the dining room with tan-padded metal chairs and there are tan booths along the walls. A small stage area housing a couple of tables in the front corner of this place stands out. A blue railing helps accentuate the stage, too.
In the very front of the restaurant is a diner counter with a window peeking into the kitchen. A few chairs sit there to add more character to the whole experience.
The food is the star though and once you get your mitts on a menu, you won’t be disappointed. I went with a group on my recent visit for breakfast and there were plenty of great eats going around.
I ordered the southwest skillet with sunny side up eggs, which was accompanied with four slices of wheat toast. I also went with milk for my drink and got a cinnamon roll to put an exclamation point on my experience.
Starting with the awesome skillet, it featured onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, sausage, cheddar and jack cheese, salsa, sour cream, breakfast potatoes and the two sunny side up eggs. I tacked on a little hot sauce for good measure and dug in.
The array of flavor bursts surprised my pallet with every bite. Once I popped the yolk on the eggs it melded with the sour cream to make it oh-so-creamy. There was a pretty heavy kick from the jalapenos and the addition of the hot sauce, but it wasn’t overwhelming. Practically every bite offered a strong presence from the salsa and ground sausage also. It was super filling to boot.
The skillet almost made me unable to enjoy the cinnamon roll, but I powered through. This sucker was huge and so doughy and sweet. It was bigger than I expected and swimming in a cocoon of rich vanilla icing. It was a great compliment to the hearty ingredients of the skillet.
Some of the other orders from our crew included two sunny side up eggs with sausage, hash browns and wheat toast and the dixie. The dixie offered country gravy, buttermilk biscuits, sausage patties and breakfast potatoes and eggs the way you want them. My friend ordered his over easy.
We were all super satisfied with our selections and of course extremely full. Like I said, it’s well worth the visit.
There are plenty of other great options, like the slinger on the breakfast menu. It includes two eggs, a beef burger and breakfast potatoes over Texas toast with chili, cheese and diced sweet onions to top it off. Choose from a slew of skillets, omelets and wraps too, or get some pecan waffles or blueberry, chocolate chip or banana nut pancakes.
The lunch menu comes at you with classic sandwiches, melts, chicken choices, burgers galore, salads and soups. A buffalo chicken salad and a black bean chipotle burger intrigue me as healthier options, while the bacon three-cheese melt and the chili cheese burger look like monsters. Try the BLT with eight slices of double smoked bacon, too.
This place is just great to take the family or a small gathering of friends for an affordable, satisfying meal.
Any idea of the name of this restaurant? Check the puzzle solutions in the July edition of Advantage to see if you are right.
Overall - four and a half stars
Cleanliness - four stars
Service - four and a half stars
Food - four and a half stars
Price - $