Betty's serves cheeseburgers, sweet tea and good service

Betty's Cafeteria in Bainbridge has a buffet every lunch and breakfast Monday through Friday and you'll probably never enter the place without most of the tables being filled. There's even quite a few folks you'll see every day, rain or shine.

It may be because of Miss Betty's down-home recipes or because the service is always great, but Betty's Cafeteria in West Bainbridge has been filling tables and glasses of tea for over 20 years.

I had a bacon cheeseburger because there was nothing on the buffet which I particularly cared for, but usually the buffet is the way to go.

You can get the cheeseburger alone but it is definitely better with the freshly cut fries piled high on your plate. There probably isn't anything healty to eat at Betty's, but that's why it's so good.

My burger was just off the skillet and the cheese was still melting off of the burger and toasted bun when it arrived at my table. It was so big and juicy that I thought I was going to have to change clothes before I finished it. But, I did manage to keep the excess on the table and not in my lap and only used about three rolls of napkins to stay clean.

As soon as your beverage has been touched at Betty's you can guarantee someone is going to ask you if you need a refill. That's just the way the service is at Betty's.

Fridays are usually fried catfish days and Shepard's Pie usually makes it on the line once a week as well. If you've never had any of the pie, it's something to write home about. Because you'll be staying for seconds and maybe thirds.

Next time I can give 2,000 calories to breakfast, I'll write about how good it is as well.


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Riverbend Seafood, they might have to go catch it first

If you're looking for a speedy meal, it isn't going to happen at Riverbend Seafood in the K-Mart shopping center. A nice man sitting behind me probably described it best when he asked me, "You think they've got to catch them before they cook them?"

Despite the long wait, over 30 minutes, our food was fresh, hot and delicious, minus the coleslaw which tasted like rotten cabbage and mayonnaise all mixed together. But, fortunately I waited to try it last, or I might not have been able to stomach the rest of it.

Only two people were working the day of my visit, which were a server/cashier and a cook who apparently wasn't very happy about another customer complaining that she didn't receive enough food. Although we couldn't see the argument, I could hear it from our booth - it ended with the cook remaking the order.

With only one cook making food that requires individual battering and dropping in grease (I.E. fish, onion rings, shrimp and such), it only makes sense that our order took 30 minutes. If one were to try to drop it all in at once, it would get stuck together and not cook well. Making good fried food is tedious, especially with one person cooking. The tedious work was well worth it, the onion rings were freshly battered and among the crunchiest, best-tasting I've ever had.

I also had a catfish fillet sandwich which was only $3 and the onion rings were $1. But, of course they get you on the drink which totaled my meal right at $6. Which is still a good price for the food, but you can expect slow service, from the kitchen, not the waitress, who kept my tea filled during my hour-long stay.

There wasn't a drink fountain so don't expect free refills, unless you get sweet tea, and it's certainly sweet. Our waitress was friendly for the most part, even though she had a very obvious problem with the cook. I'd probably go back if I had a lot of time to waste, but I'd definitely take my fishing rod to help catch the fish and speed things up. It might take all day to catch a grouper in that holding pond.


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Boyd's BBQ rubs a good butt

Russell Boyd tried his hand at donuts for a few years, and they were top-notch donuts. But, he really found his Forté when he started Boyd's BBQ. I've visited Boyd's numerous times during the day and night, and never had a meal that wasn't excellent.

You would think that the BBQ sandwich would be the best at a BBQ joint, but my personal favorite isn't the BBQ.

Boyd's BBQ has a sandwich named the "Indiana Breaded Tenderloin" or the "IBT." A deep-fried slice of pork tenderloin between two toasted buns topped with lettuce and tomato is amazing. It's always cooked to order and when you bite into it you can feel the juices over-flowing in your mouth.

Of course, you could always go with a BBQ sandwich. It is cheaper, and it's still delicious. As a side you could have many things including Butt-Rub fries, sweet potato fries or Brunswick stew. All of the choices are good, but if I have a sweet sandwich, I prefer the salty fries. If I have a salty sandwich, I prefer the sweet potato fries. Then, the Brunswick stew goes well with anything.

The sweet tea is made like Mama makes it. It is what Southern sweet tea is supposed to taste like - epecially when our waitress never let my tea get below half-glass even during the lunch rush.

You might smell like grill smoke when you leave, but you'll never be dissatisfied with the taste or service at Boyd's.


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