Monday, December 22, 2014
Lunch
Overall Score: 8.4
Today I
entered downtown Sheffield, AL, to try out a local meat-and-three, the Box Car Café.
I told Siri to give me directions, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that
it was only one block away from the local post office. This being said, I had
never noticed the restaurant before. This is probably for several reasons, including
the fact that the restaurant itself has no parking. I won’t hold this against
them though because even large restaurants are lacking in this area when they
are situated downtown. Unlike these larger establishments, say City Hardware in
Florence, I was able to get a street side parking spot without any frustration
what so ever. I was even on the same block, so no street crossing required. I
was a little weary at first by my surroundings because, quite frankly, it
looked pretty shady around where I parked my car. Like, random household
objects laying on the curb, shady. Regardless, I just locked my doors and went
on in.
Much to
my surprise, the place was packed. The dining room is about the same size as my
bedroom and holds about ten tables. The tables can seat anywhere from four to
six people each. If comfort at the table is an issue, other than two larger
middle tables, they should each be two-seaters. Since all other tables were
full, I seated myself at the table closest to the door, facing the door. I immediately
realized that I could hear every conversation going on around me. Since I was
dining alone, this was a more enjoyable experience than not. However, I’m not
sure if everyone around me (which is the entire dining area) was happy that I
knew how their day was going.
Since
the restaurant is pretty old, my immediate instinct was that the place was
dirty. Outside of the restaurant has a pretty dirty feel, and it carries into
the place. My instinct was not completely correct in this instance. Granted,
the floor was pretty gross. However, I arrived at the restaurant at twenty
minutes after noon. When it comes to the demographics of this place, I was
certainly in the back half of the lunch crowd. Plus, it would be impossible to
try to sweep while all of the tables are still full. If they did, there would
be people tripping everywhere. Otherwise, the table was spotless and all dishes
I got appeared to be cleaner than you’d probably get them from my own kitchen.
I saw no signs of bugs or mold or anything to make a health inspector sad.
A dry
erase board on the wall houses the daily plate lunch options. I could tell by
my survey of the other tables that they offer other options such as a burger
and fries, but I was not offered a menu. I ordered meatloaf, macaroni and
cheese, kraut and weenies, creamed potatoes with gravy, Mexican cornbread, and
Oreo cake. Plus, sweet tea to drink. The waitress was great. As I ordered, she recommended
which sides she thought I would enjoy. Also, my tea came very quickly (there
was one waitress for the entire dining area, somewhere between 25 and 30 people
were in there eating). At first drink, I was totally in love. The sweet tea was
right up there between McDonald’s and my mama’s. I drank two full glasses. In
hindsight, this wasn't such a good idea. While the taste is AMAZING, the sugar
content really is too high. When I left the restaurant, my entire mouth was
coated in sugar from the tea. Also, I could feel my body trying to process the
massive amounts of sugar. Next time, I’ll drink one glass of super amazing tea,
then switch to water.
My food
(minus desert) came out on a gold rimmed white platter. In any other situation,
we’d refer to it as “the china” around here. I liked the fact that I was served
using a plate and fork that could have easily come from any kitchen within 5
miles of the place. It definitely went along with the rest of the atmosphere. The
meatloaf was a solid 7/10. I am always unhappy when my meatloaf comes to me
with baked on ketchup as a topping. I personally feel that a good meatloaf
doesn’t require caramelized condiment to make it edible, but hey, I’m sure
someone, somewhere, actually likes what looked like baked on blood. Dried jello
looking ketchup aside, the actual meatloaf part of the meatloaf was
exceptional. The texture was nice with larger chunks of bell peppers and
onions. The seasoning was just right, and I didn’t feel it needed anything more
than a light dash of salt. I couldn’t tell from taste whether they used oats,
bread crumbs, or crackers for bread base to the loaf. This fact almost gained
the loaf a point back from the ketchup massacre, but not quite.
The
first side I tried was the kraut and weenies. I personally love the idea behind
this dish. I would argue that most people who snarl their nose at it only do so
because of the connotation it brings. What connotation is that? It is “How can
I feed my family of four for less than two dollars?” For me, that’s serious
points on the plus side for old favorite. The hot dogs in Boxcar’s side were
not cooked enough for my liking. They also probably only cut the hotdog four
times before throwing it into the kraut. The kraut tasted like it had only been
warmed instead of really given some time to release flavor. I’d give the side a
5/10 because it is essentially as neutral of a kraut and weenie as you can get
since it was pretty such just warmed kraut and warmed weenies.
Over many attempts to make kraut
and weenies a more likeable dish, I have found the perfect operation to avoid
reviewer criticism. First, heat enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of your
skillet until it is popping hot. While that warms, cut your hotdogs French-style
(like greenbeans). When the grease starts popping, throw in the sliced hotdogs.
You want to let them start to brown. Once they have, add in a can of drained
kraut that you’ve patted dry with a few paper towels. Stir the mix around a
bit. If it’s too dry, add about a tablespoon of water at a time until you have
the consistency you’re used to. By
cooking the side my way, you’ll get a wider flavor profile. Try it some time,
and let me know what you think.
My second side was macaroni and
cheese. I end up ordering macaroni pretty much whenever or wherever it’s
offered to me. I’m not a picky macaroni eater. The dish would have to be worse
than what we had in my high school cafeteria for me to turn it down. There was
no chance I would be turning this macaroni down. I didn't ask to be sure, but
it has the taste of baked macaroni and cheese. I could tell they used a medium
to sharp cheddar as well as a yellow American in the sauce. I am also pretty
sure they use regular milk instead of evaporated milk, but for a baked
macaroni, such a decision can be forgiven. The pasta was cooked perfectly. I
will give it a 9.5/10. The only points off is because it wasn't quite as warm
as I would have liked for it to have been when it was served to me.
My third, and most amazing, side
was the creamed potatoes. I probably should attack a picture of my extremely satisfied
face to this review based solely on the amazingness of the potatoes. First of
all, they were REAL potatoes. This sounds like a given, but it is actually a
75/25 split (not in favor of the real ones) on whether you’re getting flakes or
fresh on plate lunches in my area. Also, huge props for having the perfect texture.
When I was a small child, I would refer to “real” mashed potatoes as “potatoes
with lumps”. The lumps are proof that you aren't a victim of reconstitution.
Also, the lumps help to make a texture that puts some soul into the food on a
plate. Speaking of soul, the gravy on top of my potatoes made me want to sing.
Again, I feel the need to point out that it was REAL gravy. I would bet my week’s
paycheck on the fact that there wasn't any envelope of mystery mix involved.
The tones of slow roasted meat brought out the already perfectly balanced taste
of the potatoes. The gravy also had small pieces of roast in it which was a
nice surprise to my taste buds. It was so good I was tempted to ask them when
they next day they would have roast would be so I could have an entire plate
full. It might be off the scale, but I’m giving the potatoes and gravy an
11/10. It was really that good.
The Mexican cornbread I had with my
meal was a larger portion than expected with a plate lunch. It appears that
they make the cornbread from scratch, adding jalapeños and corn to their regular
cornbread recipe. Personally, I felt they left the jalapeños much too large in
the mix. This caused some bites to have way too much heat that wasn't balanced by
anything else on my plate. For the second half of the serving, I picked the jalapeños
out, and the bread was perfect for me with only the flavor from the juice. I
give the cornbread an 8.5/10. For desert, the waitress brought me a piece of
Oreo cake. I liked that my desert was included with my meal. I also liked that
she didn't bring me everything at once. It was nice not staring at my desert
while I ate the rest of my meal. Anyway, the cake was delicious, as I expected
it to be. Oreo cake is a pretty regular treat at church functions and family
get together around here. I figure someone would have told them already if
there was a complaint to be made. I give the cake a 10/10 for being the correct
temperature, having perfect taste, and being served after my meal like a real
desert!
All in all I was very happy with my
lunch choice for the day. My meal only cost me $7 so I made sure to leave the singular
waitress a nice tip. I will have to eat there one more time before I would call
it a place to visit regularly, but I have no doubt it will eventually make the
list.
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