Hickory Ridge Restaurant

Break fast

We've watched this spot up Route 11 North turn from a pit beef joint to a 24 hour diner to this incarnation, Hickory Ridge Restaurant, one of the classier diners in the area. 

It's a touch pricier than most diners too, but step inside and you can see where the difference went, a kind of Mennonite-Cowboy look:

--that extends to the stone fireplace (was it gas or wood? I never took a close look)--

And pretty little touches, like biscuits with apple butter, and ice water served in fruit preserve jars:

And even an aquarium, the seaweed adding a touch of bright green to the lowkey wood-and-stone ambiance:

The breakfasts are traditional, if served in large portions: Chip the Beef is house-made chipped beef gravy over biscuits, two eggs (I like em sunnyside up), home fries:

And--check this out--Get in a Scrap: scrapple* served all year round, with a creamy cheese and potato and onion casserole (for some reason there were no home fries, not that I was complaining), two eggs (sunnyside, how else?), toast and syrup (for the scrapple).

(And what pray tell is scrapple? Why it's a Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy, a mush of cornmeal and pork offal--heart liver lung and other tasty trimmings, sometimes the entire head--ground up and mixed to form a loaf fried on a pan and served with syrup. After you're done dry-retching, try it; personally I love the taste, but diners usually serve this only during wintertime). 

Not all the giant breakfasts are savory, there's their house-made Apple Crisps served over large pancakes, with a side of meat (bacon ham or sausage--in this case ham):

Then The Lumberjack Stack. Deep breath all together now: pancake pancake pancake egg egg homefries bacon home-made sausage gravy. Eat, stagger home, fall into bed and sleep the rest of the day off. Or stand up and loudly declare yourself a lumberjack--but that's okay.

And of course steak and eggs (see top photo): fresh cut grilled sirloin--medium rare of course--a pair of sunnyside eggs, home fries and toast. 

Let it not be said that the place doesn't serve anything light and healthy and refreshing. Presenting the fruit bowl--strawberries blueberries bananas cream. Good with strong black coffee. 

But it's not all breakfasts; their dinners include a full rack of Hickory BBQ Ribs, smoky tender in a sweet sticky sauce:

With a side of crispy slaw and beans. The knife is strictly for show--the meat is tender enough to pull off the bone with your teeth--and the sweet sauce complements the rich pork.

Dessert--but what else other than a housemade Cherry Pie a la Mode--warm, served with a scoop of local creamery Windy Knoll's Vanilla Ice Cream? 

Not a bad place at all. Will probably be back to try the crab cakes, the brisket, the Reuben, the meatloaf, the hamloaf, and the pecan pie.