Sometimes you just luck out. My wife and I were hungry and scouting for lunch in Point Place, a neighborhood we are not very familiar with, when we spotted a small, unpretentious restaurant that exuded local flavor.
We got that right.
The restaurant, Grace’s Kitchen, on Summit St., has been in the Merryman family for three generations—the same Merrymans who own the well-known Webber’s Waterfront Restaurant.
Open for breakfast and lunch, Grace’s homey atmosphere welcomes guests with flower boxes in the windows, a curved dining area with dark wood tables and hardwood floors, daily specials written on a colorful chalk board, and inverted coffee cups waiting for you at every
place setting.
17 sandwich choices
Proprietor Caroline Meehan, part of the Merryman family, said the restaurant’s motto is simple (yet profound): “Home-cooked from scratch,” she said with
a smile.
The lunch menu features 17 items under “sandwiches,” including burgers, reubens, a fish sandwich and a BLT; three salads, and three soup-salad-and-sandwich combos.
I didn’t get too adventurous in choosing a bacon cheeseburger ($4.79) and making it a platter—with French fries and creamy cole slaw for an extra $2.99. (The deluxe version, with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, adds another 79 cents.) My wife ordered a small chef salad with grilled chicken ($6.99).
The friendly waitperson didn’t ask how I wanted my burger cooked, but she must have read my mind because it was done exactly how I like it: medium-well. The toasted bun was decked out with onion and pickles, the slice of American cheese melted just enough for the edges to drip off the bun. The star of this burger, however, was the bacon—three long strips cooked to a perfect crunch.
The fries, heaped in a generous portion, were thinly cut and not too oily, fried to a light level of crispness. The coleslaw was as creamy as the menu claimed, and mildly tart without causing the reflexive wince I often get from this side order.
The chef’s salad was a masterful blend of fresh lettuce, crunchy croutons, a sprinkling of cheese, with a splash of dressing that enhanced without overwhelming. The mix of grilled chicken was tender and plentiful.
When it came time for dessert, the waitperson smiled and said just one word: “Pancakes?”
We had been thinking cheesecake, or homemade, hand-made pie a la mode. But one look at the pancake menu changed our minds.
Grace’s pancakes make ordinary breakfast menus look scrawny. There are 16 variations served in double-stack portions, which the menu accurately describes as “creative, unusual, and simply delicious.” Among the listings: “Strawberry Stuffed,” “Go Bananas,” “Pumpkin Pie,” “Mixed Berry Granola,” “Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie,” and “Cinnamon Roll Cakes.”
Experiments in batter
Meehan started her pancake adventures by experimenting with cinnamon rolls, and her creativity kept rising like the batter. She comes in at 4am, plays with combinations of ingredients, and adds the varieties she deems successful.
Decisions, decisions.
We picked “Funky Monkey,” with brown sugar baked bananas, butterscotch chips, and homemade streusel, topped with whipped cream ($8.99). The pancakes were thick, fluffy and delightfully spongy, the ingredients melding in a burst of flavors that tantalized the taste buds.
After indulging in one of Grace’s pancake creations, breakfast for dessert makes perfect sense. My wife and I live on the opposite side of town from Point Place, but we plan to make regular trips to our newly discovered pancake heaven.
Grace’s Kitchen, 5241 N. Summit St., is open Tuesday to Sunday, 7:30am to 2pm.
419-729-4370.
