Some train buddies of mine said this was a good place to eat when "in the area" because of their interior decorations. However, we are rarely "in the area" and as it was we were three minutes away from it and still in the middle of farm country. Perhaps it is a hidden gem, perhaps it is just a nice place for a bite, but it is in the middle of nowhere as far as I can tell. My GPS helped me find it.
My wife and I came on a cold Saturday for lunch. They weren't busy when we arrived but that changed within an hour. Their menu isn't large but it had just about every form of sandwich and "hot plate special" you could think of. Their website isn't very helpful in knowing what they have, so hopefully my wife will put some of the pictures of the menu up. The prices were very reasonable.
I ordered a cheeseburger club and my wife had a cheeseburger plate. We started off with breaded, fried mushrooms... one of my weaknesses. They arrived hot out of the oil but without any serving plates. This was corrected upon being asked. The side marinara sauce wasn't very good and if that is also used for their pasta and Parm. dishes I will need to remember this.
My cheeseburger club was cut into quarters and came with a mountain (literally) of fries. Other sides were available upon request. Because the sandwich was cut up into small pieces, it practically fell part despite toothpicks which attempted to secure it. A fork and knife got me through, though in the future I would recommend asking that it not be cut up. My wife's cheeseburger was similar to mine. Though neither was delivered cooked as requested, they weren't dried out either. It tasted like a greasy, frozen patty and toppings (iceberg lettuce, tomato) were nothing spectacular. The fries were good frozen fries. In all, it was a decent burger and one I would have enjoyed as a child. I have since grown up and had "really good" burgers elsewhere, but at the prices CP's is charging I certainly won't complain.
Dessert was a slice of pistachio cream pie, something I have never heard of before. Lots of whipped cream adorned the top, but the graham cracker crust kept falling apart so scooping up an intact forkful was difficult. Again, it was good but not great.
The interior is filled with gas station, automobile, craftsman, and antique signs, rulers, plaques, models, etc. But it also features a train running around on the ceiling, trains in display cases on the walls, a side room with a train-inspired motif, and other such interesting knickknacks. It was the trains that brought me here and they made me smile. The owner combined two hobbies of his... food and trains. I respect that.
For a family restaurant (and perhaps the only one in the area) this place does an good job of offering standard American family fare at fair prices. The food and friendly service are probably only worth 3 stars in my opinion, but the fact that there are trains running around on the ceiling led to me bestowing them with a fourth star. Indeed, if I am "in the area" again (and manage to find it with my GPS) I will be back. read more