THE LUNCH BLOG
No lunch today. Why? TOO MUCH BREAKFAST! And it was rather late in the morning (9:30 am).
So how bout I regale you with breakfast?
Today's Order: Sunrise Sampler
From: Cracker Barrel
Ok, ok, I know, Cracker Barrel. But hey, they've got good breakfast, and I LIKE breakfast foods. Of course, the atmosphere is what it is- faux 50's "homey", the threat of imminent death by falling farm implement (which are merely strung from the ceiling) constantly ..... um..... imminent, the rural American "Country Store" full of nostalgia, the smell of cleaning chemicals, total fakery, and cheap Chinese made "gifts", not to mention the scores of monumental middle age women named "Flo" who wish you a "howdy" upon entering.
You get the picture.
I'll say this for CB though....they always have a REAL fire (made of burning wood) going cheerily in the hearth, which believe me on a cold rainy Kentucky day like this is very welcome.
Today, we've discovered that (though it's nine am) they don't have hostesses until later in the day. No lie. so we stand there while the couple in front of us (also waiting) and ourselves watch scores of employees busily moving merchandies around or standing in the kitchen vestibule talking about their grandchildren. I know, being a mere 35 years old, you say they are too young for grandchildren, but hey this is Kentucky people.
Finally we're noticed and pitied and are led to a table. And then our experience is excellent.
Good service, unobtrusive, responsive, plenty of everything, hot coffee and plenty of it, and tasty hot breakfast. For me, biscuits (a little too floury for me, but still decent) with apple butter, butter, and gravy, eggs over medium (mmm...delightful runny yolks), hashbrown casserole (toasty shredded potato, cheese, and onion all baked together), grits with lots of butter and salt, fried apples (their weakest link- cooked in some commisary, combined with a cinnamony goo, and jarred, which is then opened and reheated....kinda blech...), and the meat sampler, which is a sausage patty, a piece of country ham, and a rasher of bacon.
The meat is good. smoky and done right. Eggs, browns, grits, coffee, all good. The weird crusty brown thing which the waitress assures me is "a cinnamon biscuit (which they thankfully only trot out at Holiday time) I don't touch, but everyhting else was tasty. And geez, with drinks and two meals of that size cost us only $17!
Granted, i can only eat that much about once a week, but hell, it was two meals in one for both of us!
So, overall, I give it an 8 of 10 stars, very good.
Oh, and we got doggie goodness as we were leaving! a very sweet boy dog, who was tootling around the neighbourhood (having escaped from his electrci fence) gave us very happy yet dignified good mornings. He promptly ran when we offered to put him in the car with us, as though to say "you are very nice people, but I know quite where I am thank you", and proceede to toss and eat the days old squirrel he'd found. Oh, delight!
Overall, a wonderful start to a decent day.
At 3:15, I'm going to look at the perfectly awesome 125 year old, 4600 sq foot solid brick home being sold down the street for a mere 95k. Not as if I can buy it, but damn, it's close. I sense a lottery ticket in the offing with my name on it.
No lunch today. Why? TOO MUCH BREAKFAST! And it was rather late in the morning (9:30 am).
So how bout I regale you with breakfast?
Today's Order: Sunrise Sampler
From: Cracker Barrel
Ok, ok, I know, Cracker Barrel. But hey, they've got good breakfast, and I LIKE breakfast foods. Of course, the atmosphere is what it is- faux 50's "homey", the threat of imminent death by falling farm implement (which are merely strung from the ceiling) constantly ..... um..... imminent, the rural American "Country Store" full of nostalgia, the smell of cleaning chemicals, total fakery, and cheap Chinese made "gifts", not to mention the scores of monumental middle age women named "Flo" who wish you a "howdy" upon entering.
You get the picture.
I'll say this for CB though....they always have a REAL fire (made of burning wood) going cheerily in the hearth, which believe me on a cold rainy Kentucky day like this is very welcome.
Today, we've discovered that (though it's nine am) they don't have hostesses until later in the day. No lie. so we stand there while the couple in front of us (also waiting) and ourselves watch scores of employees busily moving merchandies around or standing in the kitchen vestibule talking about their grandchildren. I know, being a mere 35 years old, you say they are too young for grandchildren, but hey this is Kentucky people.
Finally we're noticed and pitied and are led to a table. And then our experience is excellent.
Good service, unobtrusive, responsive, plenty of everything, hot coffee and plenty of it, and tasty hot breakfast. For me, biscuits (a little too floury for me, but still decent) with apple butter, butter, and gravy, eggs over medium (mmm...delightful runny yolks), hashbrown casserole (toasty shredded potato, cheese, and onion all baked together), grits with lots of butter and salt, fried apples (their weakest link- cooked in some commisary, combined with a cinnamony goo, and jarred, which is then opened and reheated....kinda blech...), and the meat sampler, which is a sausage patty, a piece of country ham, and a rasher of bacon.
The meat is good. smoky and done right. Eggs, browns, grits, coffee, all good. The weird crusty brown thing which the waitress assures me is "a cinnamon biscuit (which they thankfully only trot out at Holiday time) I don't touch, but everyhting else was tasty. And geez, with drinks and two meals of that size cost us only $17!
Granted, i can only eat that much about once a week, but hell, it was two meals in one for both of us!
So, overall, I give it an 8 of 10 stars, very good.
Oh, and we got doggie goodness as we were leaving! a very sweet boy dog, who was tootling around the neighbourhood (having escaped from his electrci fence) gave us very happy yet dignified good mornings. He promptly ran when we offered to put him in the car with us, as though to say "you are very nice people, but I know quite where I am thank you", and proceede to toss and eat the days old squirrel he'd found. Oh, delight!
Overall, a wonderful start to a decent day.
At 3:15, I'm going to look at the perfectly awesome 125 year old, 4600 sq foot solid brick home being sold down the street for a mere 95k. Not as if I can buy it, but damn, it's close. I sense a lottery ticket in the offing with my name on it.
This entry both A) reminded me of my grandparents (they love(d) them some Cracker Barrel) and B) made me fucking hungry as all hell.