Where to eat

[Bibbyman]

Mary and I have done some traveling in our time.  We deliberately seek out cafes and restaurants that are independent of any chain.  We've talked about putting a directory and critique together of the one's we've fund but just never done it.  Now some are lost from our memory.

Ponca City, Ok.
Chick and Millie's Blue Moon Cave - 1418 E South Ave.  Great steaks! Landmark!

Vandalia, Ill,
Bunyard's Cafe  Route 185 W Veterans Ave ( old converted gas station on outer road off I70).  Good ol' greasy spoon café. Farmers, truck drivers, and locals.  Lots of good home cookin' low prices.

Bland, Va,
Log Cabin Restaurant - Rt1 Bland Virginia.  Take exit off of Route 52, turn west away from Bland (only about 150 population) and then turn right up hill about 1/2 mile to group of cabins on hill.  Good country food in rustic cabin.

Versailles, Mo,
Lahman's Restarurant -, On Hy 5 just north of 52 intersection.  Ran by Mennonites - great home cooked country food,  buffet and menu - lots of old folks.

Morrison, Mo,
Rivers Edge Restaurant - Actually at Fredericksburg off Route J.  If you approach from east,  be prepared to cross Gasconade River on ferry.  Restaurant in old rock icehouse that overlooks Gasconade River and ferry. Lots of seafood, fish, steaks, etc.  

Mexico, Mo,
Porky's Smokehouse - 1640 E Liberty St. (on old HY 54 on east side of town) - Great BBQ not open on Sundays.

Lees Summit, MO.
Jumpin Catfish - 834 SW Blue Parkway.  (Just off HY 50 east of Kansas City.)  All kinds of good food - specialty is catfish - large portions served "home style".  Interior decorated with lots of stuffed birds and animals.

Indianapolis, IN
Paragon Family Restaurant 118 Girls School RD,  Close to the Wood-Mizer world headquarters.  From Wood-Mizer go east into town a couple of major intersections until you come to Girls School Rd.  Turn right (south) and continue until you get to the intersection of HY 36 Rockville Road.  The restaurant is in a little plaza on the southwest corner.  Tons of good food at a great price.  All the old folks eat there - including Mary, Jeff,  Tom and me.

Aurora, MO.
Bootlegger's Restaurant,  Downtown Aurora, Mo on the main drag at stop sign - old bank building.  Reasonable side trip from Wood-Mizer field service center in Mt. Vernon, MO.  Elegant dinning at reasonable cost.  TIP,  avoid the tea.  But try their root beer they make themselves.


Forum Friends outside Bootlegger's in Aurora, MO.

West of Fort Leonard Wood,Mo
Oasis Restaurant - on I44 and junction of HY 133 at big truck stop.  Only eaten breakfast there but unbelievable quantities of great café food at a reasonable price.  If you're REALLY, REALLY hungry,  order their "Bone in ham" breakfast special.  It'll be a whole slice of ham bettern' a 1/2" thick that will come on a plate by itself.  You'll get enough "home fries" to feed a family and the two biscuits together are about the size of a brick.  The first time I ordered it,  I could not finish it all even though it was way past my breakfast time and I was hungry.  The second time we stopped,  I ordered something of smaller proportions but Mary ordered the bone in ham special.  When it came, she cut the ham stake in half and slid it on top of my plate and then scraped half her spuds on my plate.  Argggg!  

San Diego, CA
The Corvette Diner 3946 5th avenue.  Unique place.  Has old Corvette hanging in center of diner and lots of 50's and 60's memorabilia on walls.  One slice of apple pie al-amode can feed a family of six.  Meatballs about the size of a baseball.  Was a line waiting to get in for lunch.  Always filled in evening as downtown offices close.

Phoenix, AZ
Hungry Hunter - Phoenix - 4455 S Rural Road.  Great steaks western style.  Be hungry!

Clovis, NM
Cook's Restaurant - 4700 Mabry Dr. (on main drive on east side of town) On the cutoff route from Amarillo, TX to Roswell, NM.  Clovis is just over the state line.  Got to get me some "huevos rancheros" for breakfast to get acclimated to the Southwest.


These are the ones that come to mind.  I'll come back an add more as I remember them or come across another.

Got any to add?

[Don P]

Here's a list of some of the finer sources of  "vitamin B" BQ ;D
I grew up with Dillards..and their sauce in the pantry. Dips was good thursday night fare cause the cats in the cradle were playing bluegrass next door that night. My all time favorite is Parkers, we would regularly go there for family occasions. I'm still trying to adapt to the western (NC) style :D.  Never trust a BBQ cook under 300 lbs.
http://www.ibiblio.org/ch-scene/bbq/bbq.html

Bibbyman, next time your as close as Bland let me know.

[whitepe]

FellowForestryForumites

If you are ever in Albuquerque, NM stop at M&J Sanitary
Tortilla Factory. I know the name sounds kinda weird but
do your own independent research and see if I'm wrong.
Also if your in ABQ. try Rudy's  It's a chain,
but there isn't any weak links in this chain.
Their Motto:  I didn't claw my way to the top of the food
chain to eat vegetables.

Check it out at:

http://www.rudys.com

Better yet, check it out in person.
You can get hurt eating at Rudy's


Whitepe

[Corley5]

Levering Cafe, Levering Mi.  Awesome soups and wonderful pie.  West side of US 31 Downtown Levering  
Suzy's, Ellsworth.  It's under a different owner and name now but the food is the same.  Excellent burgers made with on site ground beef.  The dill soup is super.  Mainstreet Ellsworth
The Old Depot, Johannesburg.  Just re-opened after a horrific accident when a car crashed through it on a Sunday morning when it was full of people eating breakfast after church.  A couple people were killed :(.  Tragic :'(.  They have built a brand new building farther off the road 8).  All the menu choices are excellent.  The white chili is my favorite and the strawberry/rhubarb cobbler with ice cream can't be beat.  Awesome breakfast too.
Patty's Place, Wolverine.  Just off the x-way, formerly the Country Lane.  Good food!
Wilson's River Edge, Indian River.  Right next to the entrance to Burt Lake State Park.  Excellent breakfasts, lunches, dinners and has a soup and salad bar.  There coconut cream pie is hard to beat.
I saved my favorite for last
B.J.'s Family Restaurant, Gaylord.  Located on Old 27 on the north edge of town.  Excellent lunch and dinner buffets, breakfast buffet weekends.  Really good breakfasts.  Just had a ham, cheese and mushroom omlette there this morning ;D.

[Corley5]

I forgot one
The Woodwinds, Onaway.  Excellent food all the way around.  Try their pizza lunch buffet on Thursday.  There was a second Woodwinds in Millersburg too.  We ate there a few times a couple years back when we were doing pellet surveys in that area.  As far as I know it's still there.  Same great food.

[whitepe]

Of course there's the Raber Bay Bar in Raber Michigan.
It's just about 8-10 miles from Jeff's families cabin maybe
even closer. Great Walleye baskets and a nice black and white photo of the huge sawmill that used to be on the waterfront there at Raber.  The mill burned down in 1910 and
there's still lots of boards, logs and flitches that float
to the shore every year.I almost always pick up a flitch/board or two and strap onto the top of my car everytime I go there.

Whitepe

[Jeff]

Hey! I was going to say that! We Eat there almost every time we go to the Cabin (other then boat show weekend ;))

Another place not to far away from Raber Bay, maybe 20 miles??? The Pickford Cafe in Pickford MI. Ask for the special grilled chicken breast sandwich. It aint on the menu, so you have to know about it. Huge grilled chicken breast covered with the onions and SHROOMS it was grilled with. Topped off with a slice of Swiss. mmmmm mmmmm.

[Bro. Noble]

It is 30 miles from where we live to the nearest golden arches. Fortunately there are some good places to eat close by.

Plumers Junction-----what it lacks in class, it makes up in atmosphere.  If you want to see Ozark humanity up close, just show up at breakfast time.  Some really good grub served on paper plates.

Souder Store Cafe------way off the highway on a gravel road.  No signs, they got all the coustomers they can handle.  Famous for the HOGSHEAD SPECIAL and live Blugrass music.

Rockbridge----an old town (thats where I vote) turned into a resort.  I can hear them shooting from home and I expect they can hear me shooting too.  It's just over the hill and across the creek from me.  Look up their website:
www.rockbridgemo.com

Noble

[Bibbyman]

Noble,  ain't they a restaurant in your next of the woods called something like The Wagon Wheel? Maybe south of Popular Bluff?

[Bro. Noble]

Bibb,

Poplar Bluff ain't all that close to me.  There is a Wagon Wheel restuarant in Mtn. Grove that 's supposed to be above average.

There is a Lamberts over at Sikeston that's worth going to if you're over there.  I guess it's a chain resturant though since they also have one in Ozark, Mo.  They throw biscuits at you there.

Noble