Stopped off at a smalltown restaurant................

[Murphy]

Living in a rural area, those small hometown style cafes are jewels. Others have already stated the signs to finding them if you just pulled into town for the first time.

Nothing like stopping in a small town dinner like that, having a good meal and being on your way. Usually the waitresses are friendly, tolerant of old men (but mind your manners) and you don't mind leaving a little extra added to the tip.

It's when you're passing back through a year later, walk in the door and get greeted with 'Hello, stranger! Where ya' been so long?". Now that's what I'm talking about.

For those that like a good chuckle and don't mind a little language. There's a video on Youtube (I don't post links here) from the move Hell or High Water with a waitress and 2 Texas Rangers in it. Worth every bit of the less than 2 minutes it takes to watch it. Search for, What Don't You Want? Waitress | Hell or High Water (2016)

Murphy

[Forty Rod Ray]

If any of you good folks pass by Enterprise, Alabama. Annie’s on Main Street should not be missed. About six months ago. My bride and I packed up a moved to Smyrna Tennessee. No Annie’s, but lots of plastic chain stores. Sure miss good family style cooking and atmosphere.
Always met nice folks who sat with us when Annie’s was busy.

Warmest regards,

Forty Rod

[725]

Liverpool, NY has a hot dog stand that has been there for decades. Simply the best dogs and coonies ever.

[Driver man]

Liverpool, NY has a hot dog stand that has been there for decades. Simply the best dogs and coonies ever.

What are coonies?

[Outer Rondacker]

Well this small towns spot is the worst food known to man. They fry eggs to death even. Keeps a mans pocket from shrinking that's for sure.

Whenever I travel I ask the locals where is the best food. They hardly disappoint.

[owejia]

Was stationed at Ft. Campbell, ky. after returning from Nam in fall of 67, was a small place in Hopkinsville, Ky that served the best hamburger I have ever ate. Small place, Horseshoe Bar and Grill, never drank there just stopped in for the burgers, about filled the entire plate up. Maybe it was because had been eating c-rations, hospital and mess hall chow but to this day can still remember how good they were.

[Winger Ed.]

What are coonies?

A Coney Island hot dog.

You'd recognize it as a classic American hot dog with (real) chili, cheese, onions, and mustard on it.

In New York--- at the Coney Island amusement park where the name came from,
it would be served more like a regular hot dog--- but with some sort of gross meat sauce dumped on it.

[owejia]

Had lunch at Boyette's yesterday after a Reelfoot Lake Eagle sighting tour in Tiptonville, Tn. A small town between Reelfoot Lake and the Mississippi River. Had quail on the menu never seen quail on a menu in this part of the country before. Restaurant has been in business for over a 100 yrs. Breaded and deep fried with all the sides was good but not as good as my Mothers wild fried quail with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Will definitely eat there again if in the area. The quail have been gone from this area for probably 6 or 7 years now. Never hear them in the spring calling "Bob White" any more. Sure do miss the hunting from my younger days.

[Rapier]

I was also at Campbell in 67, my favorite place was the grill next to the bus station in Clarksville, TN. The fellow that operated it bought his meat in big paper buckets. Great hand made grilled burgers, with hand cut fries. Bus station is a mis-nomer, it was just where the Grey Dogs stopped.

But nothing in the country was quite like walking into the restaurant in the late 50s in the Claremont Hotel in Claremont, OK. The entire hotel had all of its walls covered in guns, wired to chains hanging from the high ceilings. Only place close, on a smaller scale, was the Hideaway Restaurant south of Burlington, VT in the 60s. The two were good places to eat at the time. The guns are still in Claremont, in a city block sized modern museum. The Hideaway is closed and gone, removed the Stearman tail from the roof.

[Kraschenbirn]

Before I retired (for the second time) I contracted property inspections for an insurance brokerage house. I'm pretty certain that, during that period, I was inside of every 'mom & pop' kitchen in East-Central Illinois...and had eaten in, least, half of them. Easiest way to find the best food? Look for state and county squad cars around lunch time. Or, if you happen to be in the county seat, hang around the courthouse and watch for where the legal beagles congregate...for years, best cheeseburgers in the state were served at the old 'Embassy Bar & Grill' a block down the alley from the Champaign County Courthouse.

Bill

[MaryB]

Used be a place called Cambia Bar and Grill SE of New Ulm, MN that had the best burgers... and an order of fries fed 4 people! A real dive bar, peeling paint, it flooded often form the Minnesota River so had that musty smell... it was our pit stop whenever we worked out that way cutting firewood! 2 beers, a 1/2 pound burger(hand made, not a premade patty!), split a plate of fries and a plate of onion rings... good stuff!

[geezer56]

I had lunch yesterday in the small town of Warrenton, Georgia. The restaurant is right in front of the Court House. It's in an old hardware store building. The floors run every direction except level. Formica tables are worn white, the pattern is worn off. It's cafeteria style, they had fried chicken, baked ham, meat loaf and roast beef to choose from. The creamed corn and fried apples were amazing, as was the chicken. Greens, Southern sweet tea, and cornbread. It was better than any of the high class places I have eaten in, all over the country.

[Milky Duck]

Dang! Not that far from Port Allen and didn't know anything about Bergeron's. I WILL go. Not much on chain joints, and what they sell at BK, McD's, Sonic and such simply does stimulate my taste buds. I'd rather stay hungry and make it back home where I know there's some good grub. GW

well Im going to buck the trend....my wife is celiac..cant handle ANY glueten so our place of choice to eat is Burger Fuel...and the spitfire one in ChristChurch,just on way out from airport is the best one in the country (we have tried most of them) my usual order is a barstard burger with fries and a thickshake,both carameland banana flavouring,so thick my eyes suck into skull trying to get it up straw..Rotorua comes a close 2nd ,Invercargil a distant 3rd..and you can have a beer down there.
when traveling country in stock trucks many a pub meal has been had,along the lines of what you lads are describing..the yare still good places to get a decent meal over here. the village inn here in geraldine has great meals and the ribs are almost too much to fit in.

[fatnhappy]

Liverpool, NY has a hot dog stand that has been there for decades. Simply the best dogs and coonies ever.

And where would that be neighbor?

[Bmi48219]

Don’t know if it’s still there or under the same ownership but…
Years ago there was a family owned restaurant in Mancelona Michigan on the main road through town. Sundays they offered a buffet brunch in addition to a cooked to order menu. All the food was good but the sausage gravy was the best I’ve had, bar none. As was the corned beef hash. I don’t care much for biscuits but a couple ladles of sausage laden gravy over a pile of hash with a side of scramble eggs and rye toast always made my day. The town also had a WW2 Memorial across the street complete with an M-4 Sherman.