• Editor’s Note: Our columnist is not a trained or paid professional, nor does he get complimentary meals from the restaurants visited. He and his party arrive unannounced and do not reveal that they will be doing a review. Comments or questions may be sent to Sam Geati, greengeezer9@comcast.net
Here’s another restaurant that was recommended by a reader. Recently, we drove to nearby Hampshire for a lunch in a typical small town diner. It’s the place the “locals” come for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Rose Garden in “downtown” Hampshire is a breakfast favorite of many of my readers. I soon found out why!
As soon as you see the menu, you know it’s going to be different. Although we’re only a few miles from the restaurant Mecca called Randall Road, at the same time, the Rose Garden is so far away. This place will certainly appeal to the frugal, the bargain hunters, and those who like simpler dining. No coupons needed here – no wine either. The menu offers a variety of choices for every meal; it is shocking from a price standpoint. None of our meals exceeded $7.95! Even the soft drinks were reasonably priced.
Service was excellent. We were seated immediately and our drink orders were taken when the menus were distributed. Fresh but not warm rolls were placed on the table. Once we had placed orders, those who chose soup as a side had a cup in front of them immediately. Both the creamy broccoli and the vegetable were good. However, by comparison to my favorite broccoli cheddar soup at Panera, this came in a distant second.
By the way, most menu items came with two sides. Our lunches were on the table just 12 minutes after ordering them. Our drinks were refreshed by our attentive waitress as needed. Here’s the run down on our meals:
Neighbors Denise and Rich Lessner each ordered traditional diner fare. Denise had the hot, open-face turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Her meal could have been hotter and with less gravy, but other than that, it was good. Rich chose the breaded pork tenderloin open-face sandwich; his complaint was the same as Denise’s.
My wife Judy decided on the hot beef wrap with grilled onions and green peppers. She loved it but couldn’t finish it, so half came home for later.
My granddaughter Sophia, who was spending the weekend with us, ordered the walnut chicken salad, which included wedges of tomato and apple. She said it had a very different flavor from chicken salad she’d had previously, so Judy and I took a taste. It had a smoky, but good flavor.
My choice was the Rose Garden burger, which included grilled onions, mushrooms, green peppers, topped with melted mozzarella. It was very tasty and came with crinkled fries and a cup of soup.
We were all a bit stuffed from the large portions and sides, so we passed on dessert. However, on the way out, I spotted the pie case and was sorry I didn’t save room for a slice of one of the delectable looking fruit and cream pies.
