.....but it's about, once again, CONSISTENCY!!!!
Look, I know that Mom & Pop places are run rather haphazardly....but when you've been in business for a few YEARS, those things should work themselves out.
Eggs over easy shouldn't have uncooked whites on one day, and be rubbery the next.
You shouldn't serve 5 pieces of bacon one day, and 3 the next!!
This experience has REALLY been eye-opening! If it wasn't for the carbs, I'd test everyone's Biscuits & Gravy....which I MISS and absolutely CRAVE!!!
Maybe if I walked an extra mile or two........
Friday, May 19, 2017
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
CONSISTENCY doesn't ALWAYS mean food preparation!
Visit #2 at The Harvest.....
A little disappointing. First of all, the cup of coffee was about 2/3 of the size of yesterday's. Then, although I received 4 pieces of bacon instead of 3, they weren't cooked as good as Tuesdays. And when I went to pay my bill, it was $1.14 MORE than yesterday!
Once again, I ordered NO DIFFERENTLY than I have at any other establishment.
It's "little" things like this that make me NOT want to visit a restaurant again.
CONSISTENCY! (However, the eggs were STILL delicious!!)
A little disappointing. First of all, the cup of coffee was about 2/3 of the size of yesterday's. Then, although I received 4 pieces of bacon instead of 3, they weren't cooked as good as Tuesdays. And when I went to pay my bill, it was $1.14 MORE than yesterday!
Once again, I ordered NO DIFFERENTLY than I have at any other establishment.
It's "little" things like this that make me NOT want to visit a restaurant again.
CONSISTENCY! (However, the eggs were STILL delicious!!)
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Six Down....At LEAST EIGHT To Go!!
OK, folks....here are my preliminary results.
Keep in mind, these are TOTALLY subjective. I KNOW how I like my eggs, my bacon, my coffee, etc...
As stated before, I've ordered the SAME thing at every establishment. The ONLY variation I've instructed about food prep, is how to prepare my eggs. When I ask for a side order of bacon, I want to see how these places "normally" prepare bacon.
The six restaurants I've visited so far:
Mama's
Fat Boyz
Lazy Rooster
Amy's Kitchen
Old Stage Restaurant
The Harvest
My findings:
Overall, service is REALLY good. But, I must add, that when I order ONE piece of whole wheat toast, I ONLY want one, because I WILL NOT eat the other and I don't believe in wasting food. The 2 places that I received 2 slices of toast, there was no notation on the ticket that I only wanted one. Also, one place buttered my toast on the SECOND visit. Granted, I never asked for it to NOT be buttered, but on the morning before, it wasn't.
Atmosphere:
Of the 6, three really stood out as having a pleasant environment: Fat Boyz, Old Stage, and The Harvest. Of the others, decor was minimal, dimly lit, too small, dated, or in need of repair.
Quality/Amount of food:
Granted, I'm TOTALLY being subjective here, but when I go out for a breakfast, I KNOW WHAT I LIKE AND HOW IT IS PREPARED!
With that being said......
It's pretty hard to screw up 2 eggs over-easy....but a few places just didn't get it to my liking. One place had a lot of "crusty edges" to their eggs (that makes me gag)....one place got my eggs over-done on my FIRST visit, but was perfect the second. But, overall, the BEST TASTING EGGS that I've had, have been from The Harvest. I don't know what they cook them in, but their "doneness" was PERFECT - firmly set whites and a silky yolk - and had a "seasoned" flavor. DELICIOUS!!
Bacon? A totally different story. "Most" bacon is adequate. Like I said earlier, I never order my bacon "extra crispy" or "partially done".....I just order it and rate what the kitchen puts out. The BIGGEST disappointment was at Mama's. I'm still questioning if that was even pork bacon. It was flavorless and reminded me of turkey bacon.....BLECH!! Plus, everyone else offered 3 strips of bacon as a side...Mama's - only 2. One establishment had "fair" bacon one day and really good the next.....You guessed it - the same place that eggs were different. That restaurant was The Lazy Rooster. The bacon that BLEW ME AWAY?? Old Stage! Their bacon was flavorful and was cooked PERFECTLY?
Coffee...
Three places offer HUGE cups (12 oz.?) cups of coffee....three only offer 6 oz. I am a ONE CUP coffee drinker, so it was good to have that little bit extra. Unfortunately, you have to PAY for that....
Which bring me to....COST!
Overall, the best bang for your buck, BY FAR, is Amy's Kitchen. My meal was $3.84 before tip! And the food is good enough that you can forgive the surroundings. Both times I was there, there were several folks eating, so she's doing a GOOD business! But I wonder if she couldn't boost her bottom line by charging A LITTLE bit more!
Worst value? Old Stage. The same exact meal I got from Amy's, was $8.07 before tip! Granted, their bacon is EXCELLENT! And, they do have that large cup of coffee....but $1.50 for coffee? $5.99 for 2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, and one piece of toast?
I hope each of you will try out these place and let me know what YOU think!
And now....to 8 more!!
Keep in mind, these are TOTALLY subjective. I KNOW how I like my eggs, my bacon, my coffee, etc...
As stated before, I've ordered the SAME thing at every establishment. The ONLY variation I've instructed about food prep, is how to prepare my eggs. When I ask for a side order of bacon, I want to see how these places "normally" prepare bacon.
The six restaurants I've visited so far:
Mama's
Fat Boyz
Lazy Rooster
Amy's Kitchen
Old Stage Restaurant
The Harvest
My findings:
Overall, service is REALLY good. But, I must add, that when I order ONE piece of whole wheat toast, I ONLY want one, because I WILL NOT eat the other and I don't believe in wasting food. The 2 places that I received 2 slices of toast, there was no notation on the ticket that I only wanted one. Also, one place buttered my toast on the SECOND visit. Granted, I never asked for it to NOT be buttered, but on the morning before, it wasn't.
Atmosphere:
Of the 6, three really stood out as having a pleasant environment: Fat Boyz, Old Stage, and The Harvest. Of the others, decor was minimal, dimly lit, too small, dated, or in need of repair.
Quality/Amount of food:
Granted, I'm TOTALLY being subjective here, but when I go out for a breakfast, I KNOW WHAT I LIKE AND HOW IT IS PREPARED!
With that being said......
It's pretty hard to screw up 2 eggs over-easy....but a few places just didn't get it to my liking. One place had a lot of "crusty edges" to their eggs (that makes me gag)....one place got my eggs over-done on my FIRST visit, but was perfect the second. But, overall, the BEST TASTING EGGS that I've had, have been from The Harvest. I don't know what they cook them in, but their "doneness" was PERFECT - firmly set whites and a silky yolk - and had a "seasoned" flavor. DELICIOUS!!
Bacon? A totally different story. "Most" bacon is adequate. Like I said earlier, I never order my bacon "extra crispy" or "partially done".....I just order it and rate what the kitchen puts out. The BIGGEST disappointment was at Mama's. I'm still questioning if that was even pork bacon. It was flavorless and reminded me of turkey bacon.....BLECH!! Plus, everyone else offered 3 strips of bacon as a side...Mama's - only 2. One establishment had "fair" bacon one day and really good the next.....You guessed it - the same place that eggs were different. That restaurant was The Lazy Rooster. The bacon that BLEW ME AWAY?? Old Stage! Their bacon was flavorful and was cooked PERFECTLY?
Coffee...
Three places offer HUGE cups (12 oz.?) cups of coffee....three only offer 6 oz. I am a ONE CUP coffee drinker, so it was good to have that little bit extra. Unfortunately, you have to PAY for that....
Which bring me to....COST!
Overall, the best bang for your buck, BY FAR, is Amy's Kitchen. My meal was $3.84 before tip! And the food is good enough that you can forgive the surroundings. Both times I was there, there were several folks eating, so she's doing a GOOD business! But I wonder if she couldn't boost her bottom line by charging A LITTLE bit more!
Worst value? Old Stage. The same exact meal I got from Amy's, was $8.07 before tip! Granted, their bacon is EXCELLENT! And, they do have that large cup of coffee....but $1.50 for coffee? $5.99 for 2 eggs, 3 strips of bacon, and one piece of toast?
I hope each of you will try out these place and let me know what YOU think!
And now....to 8 more!!
Monday, May 8, 2017
A "Slight" Rule Change
Folks, I'm not giving away WHAT I order every time I have breakfast while out on this "tour", but it's the same EXACT thing. That way, I can compare quality, portion, and cost. But this morning's breakfast had my head spinning!!! As a result, I WILL NOT be going back to that establishment.
While the food WAS good - probably the best bacon I've eaten - I'm not sure it was worth OVER $8!!! WITHOUT TIP!!! The LOWEST priced place I've been is well under $4!!
So, tomorrow....I'm off to The Homestead!
While the food WAS good - probably the best bacon I've eaten - I'm not sure it was worth OVER $8!!! WITHOUT TIP!!! The LOWEST priced place I've been is well under $4!!
So, tomorrow....I'm off to The Homestead!
Friday, May 5, 2017
HERE WE GO!!
Thought I would BLOG about my experiences sampling what Greene County, TN has to offer when it comes to HOMEMADE breakfasts. I WILL NOT be trying out any restaurant/establishment that is part of a chain.....this is merely for all the "Mom & Pop" places.
Here is the basic criteria:
1) I visit every place twice, to check consistency
2) I order the SAME thing at EVERY place I visit
3) I am rating my experiences based on:
A) Restaurant appearance/ambiance
B) Attentiveness of wait staff
C)Quality/amount of food
D) Cost
If there's anything that you'd like me to include, PLEASE let me know, as I have taken extensive notes about each place I've visited.
Here is the basic criteria:
1) I visit every place twice, to check consistency
2) I order the SAME thing at EVERY place I visit
3) I am rating my experiences based on:
A) Restaurant appearance/ambiance
B) Attentiveness of wait staff
C)Quality/amount of food
D) Cost
If there's anything that you'd like me to include, PLEASE let me know, as I have taken extensive notes about each place I've visited.
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