Eating Out in Missouri

Branson: Billy Gail's Cafe, 5291 Hwy 265, Phone (417) 338-8883 Touted as the best breakfast in the 417 area code and attracted by the rustic log cabin exterior and crowded parking lot, Denny and I thought we'd come to the right place for breakfast. We were wrong. The scrambled eggs were flat as an omelet and dry, the mini-stack of pancakes was one huge paper thin pancake that hung over the edge of the plate and was as tough and rubbery as an old boot. Denny had a bowl of scrambled eggs mixed with sausage, hashbrowns and cheese which he said was just okay as was his biscuit. We were extremely disappointed, especially having driven a long way from our campground just to eat there. Maybe I am simply a food snob as my friend Vicki called me recently. Whatever—I surely didn't enjoy my breakfast. Cash or personal check only, no credit cards. (4/2011)

Farmhouse Restaurant, 119 W. Main St, Phone (417) 334-9701 Situated in the heart of downtown Branson, you can eat here and then wander the shops to your heart's delight. Denny and I stopped for lunch where we both had the pork tenderloin sandwich with the soup and salad bar. The soup of the day was ham and bean soup, which was tasty although the heating element apparently was turned down too low because the soup was barely warm. The port tenderloin was big enough that I cut off half of the meat and took it home to have a second sandwich. Fresh lettuce with a good variety of greens in the salad bar, but no blue cheese dressing. Try the apple cider dressing instead. We'll probably go back to try them out for breakfast this week. (4/2011)

Hermann: Lyndee's Restaurant, 911 South Market, Phone (573) 486-5923 The waitress asked me to repeat myself five times on my order. Literally. That should have been my first clue as to what to expect. This is a tiny restaurant/lounge on the main street of town. Tired booths, ripped stools at the bar, one cook, one waitress at lunch time/early afternoon. Denny ordered a Reuben which came with German potato salad and an appetizer of breaded mushrooms. I ordered a pork tenderloin sandwich and that's all that I got. Nothing else came with the sandwich, everything was a la carte. Denny's Reuben was pan fried in butter, my pork tenderloin was as tough and tasteless as shoe leather. The first breaded mushroom I ate still had ice crystals inside. The waitress never checked on us until both our glasses of iced tea were totally empty and sat empty for a while. Not recommended. At all. (4/2011)

Owensville: Carty's Chicken Shack, 206 S. 1^st St, Phone (573) 437-4020 Our intent was to eat at J N Ls Deli, but they weren't open for a Sunday brunch buffet as stated on their website so as we were driving through town Denny spotted folks sitting in the Chicken Shack so we decided to try it for breakfast. Here we both had good meals; Denny his usual chicken fried steak (white gravy, not sausage gravy) with fried eggs and hash browns, me a Western omelet. Your toast choice is white or wheat, both of which are sandwich bread loafs, but the bread was actually toasted and not just slapped on the grill for a moment. The total with water and orange juice for Denny was a little over $13.00. Service was a bit slow but it gave us a chance to listen to the locals. (4/2011)

Creek Side Cafe, 2334 Highway ZZ (inside the grounds of Lost Valley Lake Resort) Phone (573) 764-2012. Denny and I shared the fried green bean appetizer (good) and both of us ordered the pulled pork sandwiches with the hand cut french fries. Huge orders, so we took some home. We also tried the caramel apple bread pudding, which was different and fine, but not a good bread pudding. Reasonable. (4/2011)

Ozark: Lambert's Cafe,1800 West State Highway J, Phone (417) 581-7655 We love Lambert's Cafe and now we've visited all three locations. The food is always good, freshly cooked and hot and we love to catch the "throwed rolls" and slather them with butter and sorghum. It's good-bye Atkins, when we eat at Lambert's. Cash or personal checks only. (5/2007)