Food:
01/14/2008 3:28 pm
The Physical Environment
Small restaurant. Not much in the way of decoration. I can't remember if there were any tables and chairs there, but it was mostly fast-food style booths. My medium-sized belly wanted a little more room.
The Feel
It's clear that providing any kind of atmosphere is not one of their top priorities. It's a plain jane, working man kinda place. There were a couple of fellows sitting over to the side, who had made themselves at home, and looked like they were regulars. That helped to give it a Mom & Pop feel.
But here's the odd part.... the owners appear to be Chinese! With a name like "Country Junction", advertising down home entrees like "Country-Style Steak", "BBQ Pork", "Fried Chicken", "Meat Loaf", "Chicken Livers and Gizzards", you would expect to see some kind of white man or woman, especially a Southerner, at the grill. But the cashier and cook were both Chinese! It was just weird. I thought, "What could you know about Southern-style cooking?"
I don't have anything against people from other countries. But they would feel the same way if they walked into a Chinese restaurant in China and saw me in the back, cooking up some of their native dishes.
I'm guessing the recipes and techniques of cooking Southern-style food was purchased when they bought the restaurant. Hey, more power to them. They are welcome to earn a living the way they want.
The Service
Lady cashier was very friendly and kind. It didn't seem like her English was all that great, but it was good enough to help a first-time visitor like myself. Since it's a buffet (the veggie buffet), service is less of an issue, but the lady's kindness and bright countenance sure did brighten up a plain little restaurant.
The Food
So the way it works, in general, is that you order one of their "Plate" specials (like some of the items mentioned above). They will give you a plastic plate with your Country-Style Steak (what I ordered) on it.... and a cup. You will then head to the vegetable bar where you will find unlimited helpings of any of the following: boiled potato, corn, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, green beans, turnip greens, etc. Cheap plastic cutlery is provided as well. For drinks, they had the normal basic soft-drink variety, and tea... and coffee, I'm sure. I thought the sweet tea was average, to slightly above average.
They are not trying to spice any of the veggies up at all. There are no bacon chunks in the beans, or anything like that. I think it works. Basic fare. They are what they are.
My Country-Style Steak was tough, and very hard to cut with the cheap flatware. The brown gravy over it was decent, and the steak actually had a good taste, once I hacked a piece off. The cashier had indicated it was one of the more popular entree choices. I'm sure the fact that I came late in the lunch time period contributed to the poor quality.
I thought the veggies were plain, but good enough, and I ate enough of them to definitely get full. To make sure it gets said plainly, you can get a new plate and return to the veggie bar multiple times as a part of your meal.
Another man had ordered the fried fish nibbles, and they looked pretty good. They were definitely a large helping. He said that was one if his favorites.
The surprise of the meal was the terrific hush puppies. They had a slight sweet flavor, and were shaped more like onion rings. Delicious.
The Money
Very good for the money. If your thing is quality and innovation, look elsewhere. But if you are into quantity, and average food will do, pay them a visit. No tip is needed, so I got out of there for just less than $6.00. That included a drink.
Overall...
I'd go back. I work fairly closeby. Maybe once a week, since it is such a great value, to sample some of their other entrees to see if I could find something really good. An excellent entree would put this place in a weekly slot, for sure.
(I say Chinese in this article, and that's my best guess. I may be wrong.)
Dined: Monday, January 14, 2008
