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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Yuki is fun to say, and better to eat

Yuki Express has a fun name to say. Especially since there are probably 75 different variations of its pronunciation in Bainbridge. It's really fun to pick on the people who can't say it correct, but that's neither here nor there. Yuki, pronounced "you-key," is delicious - even for a retrofitted waddle house. For those not familiar with Waddle House, it was the illegitimate child of the Huddle and Waffle House and has since grown up and left town in a duck-like fashion.

Though Yuki doesn't have the feel of a Japanese restaurant on the inside, the food is genuine. The sauce that comes with every meal is one of my favorites of any Asian cuisine (And they give you enough to float a boat in). Most of them taste similar, some mayonnaise-based concoction that if you found out how to make, they'd certainly have to kill you. Yuki's taste like thousand island dressing mixed with mayonnaise and sugar - but don't tell them I told you.

I had the Shrimp Soba, which consists of noodles topped with sauteed shrimp, broccoli, onions and zucchini. The meal is piled on the obvious Waddle-House-inherited plate which is oddly split into three sections. But, it's piled on there so high you'll never get to the bottom to notice that anyway. It's served steaming hot and fresh off the grille too. So, you definitely won't be eating it fast.

Our waitress, who obviously not Japanese, doubtfully Waddle House inherited though, was fast, friendly and kept my drink full. But the glasses are so big you probably won't be able to drink more than two. If you do and ask for a to-go cup, you'll receive a small Styrofoam cup suitable for a toddler - all it needed was a sippy top. (I think they might be discouraging to-go drinks)

One of the owners came to see how our food was while the other was busy cooking it for us. Where else do you get that kind of service?

I'm still trying to figure out how I received a stale fortune cookie, or even how one became stale. I think they may have ordered fortune tortillas on accident. But, the food is good, and the service is grand. Don't be afraid to ask for a to-go box for extras, and a to-go shot glass for a swallow of your tasty beverage.


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Zaxby's drips with flavor, service

Welcome to Zaxby's! There, I said it. Because when you go to Zaxby's, you're going to get yelled at when you come in, just be ready. But, it's good to feel welcome, especially from employees who actually seem happy to be at work - a rarity these days. Even when my cashier took my order she seemed overly satisfied to be doing so. It might be because I'm such an attractive person, but let's be honest. Zaxby's trains their employees to be happy or go home.

The Kicking Chicken sandwich I had was bundled up ranch dressing and hot sauce goodness. Then you throw in the freshly buttered Texas toast and the never-frozen or pre-battered chicken fingers, and you've got yourself a sandwich that will make your taste buds beg for more, and your laundry room run low on Shout. The sandwich was so full of flavor it actually drips out onto your plate, lap, people sitting next to you, etc. Actually, it's not overdone, but there is plenty to pour out on your plate. Just give the sandwich a good squeeze before you take your first bite and you should be good to go.

The crispy, crinkle fries were freshly fried and covered in seasoning to make them great even without ketchup. But, since we've mentioned ketchup, the easy-pour spout instead of packets or that press-to-squirt mess, sure made life pleasant. You can tell it's not cheap ketchup either. There's nothing worse than having good fries and cheap ketchup. It'll make you wish you brought your own bottle.

So get yourself a kick in the mouth from Zaxby's and you won't be sorry.


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Sonic: Where even the Ocean Water tastes great

Since a long season of holiday travels was now over, it was nice to return home and eat all the leftover turkey for three weeks — but not really. So, off to find a good meal. The number one combo, add cheese to the burger, add chili and cheese to the fries at Sonic was great. The bun was fresh and so was the garden on top. The condiments were plentiful, but not pouring in my lap. The burger was good overall, but a bit dry. It's probably because the lunch rush was over and it was made at lunch, but it was still tasty even after sitting under a heat lamp for a while. When you can make a burger that's delicious an hour later, you're on to something.

The chili cheese fries were superb. Especially if you eat them second and let the cheese melt all the way to the potatoes. You can eat it with your fingers, but you may mistake a finger for a fry in all the mess, then you'd have an even bigger mess. So, be sure to use a fork, but I would suggest a real one and not the crappy plastic one you'll get with your meal. It'll just break and have you covered in chili that probably isn't going to come out of your shirt before your lunch break is over.

Another great thing about Sonic is that if you wait until 2 for lunch, it's happy hour and all drinks are half price. Only they don't serve alcoholic beverages or everybody would be there. However, they do serve some delicious drink blends including Ocean Water which is my personal preference. It sounds like a bad day at the beach when you get salt water up your nose, but it tastes a lot like Malibu rum and Sprite, just without the stumbling and inability to return to work after lunch. Even the ice is good. It beats your everyday-cubed ice you get most places because its the small barrel-shaped ice cubes that crunch perfectly in your teeth. If you don't know what I am talking about just try a drink for yourself.

As for the service at Sonic, it's usually fast and friendly. Since I ventured for the drive through this time, instead of the drive-up, I thought it might be different. But, the cashier was easy to understand and pleasant to talk to. She even thanked me for my purchase, something that is always nice to hear.

So all-in-all, I'd say it's a great place to grab a quick bite to eat. Just don't forget to grab a flavorful drink to go with it.


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