Mt. Airy, North Carolina
Right next to Floyd's City Barber Shop
If you are ever in Mt. Airy, North Carolina you must stop at the Snappy Lunch. There is a Pork Chop Sandwich there that is calling your name.
Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor mentioned this place on his "The Andy Griffith Show" and since then it has become a shrine to Mayberry fans from all over the nation. And a shrine in the shrine sense. It has Mayberry stuff all over all the walls.
Sadly Charles Dowell will no longer be the one serving up your Pork Chop Sandwich, but they are just as tasty nonetheless. I try and have one every time I am in Mt. Airy, which is always for "Mayberry Days" during the last weekend in September. "Do you want cole slaw with that?" is a familiar question from the waitress. My wife always answers "yes" and they toss a scoop right on the sandwich. It's a southern thing.
So if you're ever in Mt. Airy, and you are there past the 2:00 pm closing time it'll be closed, but get a hotel room and stay over. You are not truly American until you have had a Snappy Lunch Pork Chop Sandwich.
But breakfast ain't all that. So....
Overall Grade: B
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant
The Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant
1851 44th Street SW
Wyoming, Michigan 49519
Out on the south side of Grand Rapids on the outskirts of Wyoming, a most unlikely spot for good Chinese food, there is a little strip mall just west of 44th St. and Burlingame. Usually the strip mall is fairly empty, but there is always a flurry of activity down at the end. It's where all the cars are. It's the Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant. Yes, I agree. This is the worst name anyone ever dreamed up for a Chinese Restaurant.
But that's where the bad taste ends.
Usually upon entering, one is greeted by a beautiful Asian woman named simply "Moon". She is a delightful and sparkling woman and in no time at all, even with her broken english, will charm you and make you feel welcome.
Moon as often as not will take your order and then begin serving you the best Chinese food in town. If you've ever had to choke down the garbage pulled out of a drain trap and slapped on a plate at PF Chang's, you are in for a culinary treat.
We've tried several dishes at the GLCR and we have never stumbled on a clunker. My wife will travel around the menu more than I do, and she enjoys everything she tries. I usually cannot resist the Almond Boneless Chicken - it's just so darned good. The full meals come complete with the best egg roll in the city, rangoons, and soup. (The Won-Ton is my favorite).
When we go out for Chinese food this place is always worth the extra drive for us. And not just because it becomes the instant favorite of everyone we take there.
So here goes with the good and bad:
The Good:
Delicious food. Seating is always available. They offer a lunch buffet. The best eggroll in town. Reasonable Prices. Plenty of parking.
The Bad:
The name (they bought the place from someone else and it was already named. And with signs costing what they do......). Not incredible atmosphere.
This place gets a strong recommendation from me. And besides the delicious food (good sized portions too), Moon knows us and our families. Everybody loves Moon. We call the place "Moon's". They are talking about opening another restaurant and we are trying to convince them to call it "China Moon." I hope they do.
Grade: A-
1851 44th Street SW
Wyoming, Michigan 49519
Out on the south side of Grand Rapids on the outskirts of Wyoming, a most unlikely spot for good Chinese food, there is a little strip mall just west of 44th St. and Burlingame. Usually the strip mall is fairly empty, but there is always a flurry of activity down at the end. It's where all the cars are. It's the Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant. Yes, I agree. This is the worst name anyone ever dreamed up for a Chinese Restaurant.
But that's where the bad taste ends.
Usually upon entering, one is greeted by a beautiful Asian woman named simply "Moon". She is a delightful and sparkling woman and in no time at all, even with her broken english, will charm you and make you feel welcome.
Moon as often as not will take your order and then begin serving you the best Chinese food in town. If you've ever had to choke down the garbage pulled out of a drain trap and slapped on a plate at PF Chang's, you are in for a culinary treat.
We've tried several dishes at the GLCR and we have never stumbled on a clunker. My wife will travel around the menu more than I do, and she enjoys everything she tries. I usually cannot resist the Almond Boneless Chicken - it's just so darned good. The full meals come complete with the best egg roll in the city, rangoons, and soup. (The Won-Ton is my favorite).
When we go out for Chinese food this place is always worth the extra drive for us. And not just because it becomes the instant favorite of everyone we take there.
So here goes with the good and bad:
The Good:
Delicious food. Seating is always available. They offer a lunch buffet. The best eggroll in town. Reasonable Prices. Plenty of parking.
The Bad:
The name (they bought the place from someone else and it was already named. And with signs costing what they do......). Not incredible atmosphere.
This place gets a strong recommendation from me. And besides the delicious food (good sized portions too), Moon knows us and our families. Everybody loves Moon. We call the place "Moon's". They are talking about opening another restaurant and we are trying to convince them to call it "China Moon." I hope they do.
Grade: A-
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Margo's Family Restaurant
Margo's Family Restaurant
215 S. Lafayette St. Greenville, MI 48838
I have said for years that Margo's has the best breakfast of anywhere in Montcalm County. This little unassuming restaurant is charming and is almost hard to find nestled in between a tattoo parlor and the Amber Waves tavern in downtown Greenville.
Breakfast at Margo's features home-made toast - and it is home-made. It is baked there in the restaurant everyday. They also don't used punch press sausage. They buy it like you'd buy hamburger at the store, and then they hand patty it. No two sausage patties look the same. And it's a lot more tasty than that which can be had at other places.
If you are careful to look around it is easy to discern that this was once a drugstore. In fact their counter was obviously once a soda fountain. There is still a metal ceiling and the interior is very unique. It all adds to the charm.
I used to eat at Margo's and then go get my haircut. My barber would always say "You've been to Margo's haven't you?" The place has it's own smell. Well, maybe not as much since smoking has been banned.
The Good:
Margo's features the best breakfast around. I recommend the "Country Omelet." It is an omelet stuffed with onions, ham, hash browns - and it's topped with sausage gravy. I have them hold the onions - which come in chunks the size of quarters. My wife substitutes the ham for sausage, and the place is happy to oblige. Another plus is that Margo's went smoke-free long before mandated by law.
The Bad:
The lunch and dinners are so-so. Their hours reflect that they are definitely a breakfast and lunch place, but recently they are offering evening hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Open til 8 pm. ALERT: The coffee is awful. Sewer water. Margo, please have a breakfast with coffee here sometime. The coffee reeks and to top it off you can add powdered creamer and sweetener in PINK packets (the only time pink represents "Let's try and get cancer!") Powdered creamer? Really? And how much is really saved by not having Equal readily available? (You can get it but you have to beg for it). Also, the lunch and dinners aren't so much. I tried the beef barley soup once and two bites was more than enough. And Margo sure loves sizzle steaks. I bet you can't stop in and some form of sizzle steak isn't on the specials menu.
So here's the deal. If you're out for breakfast, this is the place. Lunch? No. Dinner? No. Coffee? What, are you nuts?
Grade: C+
215 S. Lafayette St. Greenville, MI 48838
I have said for years that Margo's has the best breakfast of anywhere in Montcalm County. This little unassuming restaurant is charming and is almost hard to find nestled in between a tattoo parlor and the Amber Waves tavern in downtown Greenville.
Breakfast at Margo's features home-made toast - and it is home-made. It is baked there in the restaurant everyday. They also don't used punch press sausage. They buy it like you'd buy hamburger at the store, and then they hand patty it. No two sausage patties look the same. And it's a lot more tasty than that which can be had at other places.
If you are careful to look around it is easy to discern that this was once a drugstore. In fact their counter was obviously once a soda fountain. There is still a metal ceiling and the interior is very unique. It all adds to the charm.
I used to eat at Margo's and then go get my haircut. My barber would always say "You've been to Margo's haven't you?" The place has it's own smell. Well, maybe not as much since smoking has been banned.
The Good:
Margo's features the best breakfast around. I recommend the "Country Omelet." It is an omelet stuffed with onions, ham, hash browns - and it's topped with sausage gravy. I have them hold the onions - which come in chunks the size of quarters. My wife substitutes the ham for sausage, and the place is happy to oblige. Another plus is that Margo's went smoke-free long before mandated by law.
The Bad:
The lunch and dinners are so-so. Their hours reflect that they are definitely a breakfast and lunch place, but recently they are offering evening hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Open til 8 pm. ALERT: The coffee is awful. Sewer water. Margo, please have a breakfast with coffee here sometime. The coffee reeks and to top it off you can add powdered creamer and sweetener in PINK packets (the only time pink represents "Let's try and get cancer!") Powdered creamer? Really? And how much is really saved by not having Equal readily available? (You can get it but you have to beg for it). Also, the lunch and dinners aren't so much. I tried the beef barley soup once and two bites was more than enough. And Margo sure loves sizzle steaks. I bet you can't stop in and some form of sizzle steak isn't on the specials menu.
So here's the deal. If you're out for breakfast, this is the place. Lunch? No. Dinner? No. Coffee? What, are you nuts?
Grade: C+
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Fat Boy Burgers
2450 Plainfield Ave. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49505
I believe this place used to be called Fatboy's and it seems as though it may have closed and was taken over by a new enthusiast of the Fatboy's old years gone by. But thankfully they still have the same huge Fat Boy face on the sign hanging over the front door. That sign has undoubtedly hung there since the early 50s. Maybe longer. It is part of the charm of the place.
Since I had not been there in years and years, I decided to just go with the premium product, a Fatboy. This is a 1/3 pound patty with cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and green olives. Bascially, Mr. Fabulous re-incarnated. And why not? Somebody had to take up the slack. It was very good and featured a beef patty that wasn't pre-formed in a press. It looks hand done, like you would do at home. I liked that. The other ingredients were fresh.
Fat Boy Burger offers table, booth, or counter seating, and has a large and varied menu up on the wall. They offer breakfast and lunch meals, however 4 days of the week they are open until 8 p.m. The breakfast menu is full range including pancakes etc. and the lunch menu sports burgers and hot dogs, but also a variety of sandwiches such as grilled ham and cheese, tuna melts, and reubens. They also have daily specials and the day I was there they were either chili mac, or a pulled pork sandwich.
The GOOD: A clean, old fashioned atmosphere, and good food. The place was busy, but I was there during noon hour. There is plenty of easy in and out parking behind the building. One orders at the counter and the orders are taken according to your name, although I honestly don't remember giving them mine, but I must have because that's how they knew my order was mine. Another big plus was the smiling and enthused staff. Amy was very nice, and everyone there seemed happy.
They also take checks.
The BAD: They don't accept credit cards or debit cards. It's cash or check. Checks are quickly going the way of typewriters, Super 8 movie cameras, and VCRs. But Fat Boy Burgers do have an ATM in the building, so they are at least that tech savvy. But remember if you show up without any cash, as I nearly did, your meal's gonna cost an extra two or three dollars if you have to get cash.
OVERALL: Pleasant experience and good food! Something for everyone's taste. And when I left, Amy said goodbye to me by name. That was huge.
Grade: B+
I believe this place used to be called Fatboy's and it seems as though it may have closed and was taken over by a new enthusiast of the Fatboy's old years gone by. But thankfully they still have the same huge Fat Boy face on the sign hanging over the front door. That sign has undoubtedly hung there since the early 50s. Maybe longer. It is part of the charm of the place.
Since I had not been there in years and years, I decided to just go with the premium product, a Fatboy. This is a 1/3 pound patty with cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and green olives. Bascially, Mr. Fabulous re-incarnated. And why not? Somebody had to take up the slack. It was very good and featured a beef patty that wasn't pre-formed in a press. It looks hand done, like you would do at home. I liked that. The other ingredients were fresh.
Fat Boy Burger offers table, booth, or counter seating, and has a large and varied menu up on the wall. They offer breakfast and lunch meals, however 4 days of the week they are open until 8 p.m. The breakfast menu is full range including pancakes etc. and the lunch menu sports burgers and hot dogs, but also a variety of sandwiches such as grilled ham and cheese, tuna melts, and reubens. They also have daily specials and the day I was there they were either chili mac, or a pulled pork sandwich.
The GOOD: A clean, old fashioned atmosphere, and good food. The place was busy, but I was there during noon hour. There is plenty of easy in and out parking behind the building. One orders at the counter and the orders are taken according to your name, although I honestly don't remember giving them mine, but I must have because that's how they knew my order was mine. Another big plus was the smiling and enthused staff. Amy was very nice, and everyone there seemed happy.
They also take checks.
The BAD: They don't accept credit cards or debit cards. It's cash or check. Checks are quickly going the way of typewriters, Super 8 movie cameras, and VCRs. But Fat Boy Burgers do have an ATM in the building, so they are at least that tech savvy. But remember if you show up without any cash, as I nearly did, your meal's gonna cost an extra two or three dollars if you have to get cash.
OVERALL: Pleasant experience and good food! Something for everyone's taste. And when I left, Amy said goodbye to me by name. That was huge.
Grade: B+
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