Heavy Hitters!

so sad that a kanawha valley landmark is going to close. i went there after prom's after baseball games, after late night parties. such a shame.

I heard that the owner had passed away, I didnt know that they were closing it down too. Too bad, its a nice place to eat.

Sorry, but I disagree. In my opinion it was a dump (especially in the last few years) and the food was mediocre. It was dark and cramped and looked like it hadn't had a top to bottom cleaning in a long time. I think their old reputation far exceeded their reason for staying open all these years. Old habits are hard to break around here. Shoney's stayed busy much longer than they should-have 20 years ago, simply because old habits are hard to break. And even after trying to climb back to the top, they're starting to fail again IMHO... and people are finding other places to eat.

I thought the omlets and bacon were great, good burgers and fries

presentation wasnt that good and it was pretty cramped


but I liked the food and it was a good place to go when it was late

Thats the only reason they stayed open all these years... they were the ONLY place open all night in this one horse town.

Breakfast and burgers are hard to hurt by even the mediocre restaurants while anything else takes talent.

It wasn't cramped. I thought it was quaint and cozy. I liked most of the food and everyone was friendly. No one felt rushed to leave if a good conversation transpired at one's table. Sometimes at Shoney's when my girlfriends, whom I hadn't seen in months, and I would stay a little long, they'd begin to get a little rough with the dishes on our table to say you need to leave now. Not at Southern Kitchens. Sometimes the waiter or waitress would join in the conversation if the topic was of interest.

That's cause they were lonely there.

Real Estate Term: "Quaint & Cozy = cramped.

I guess Jerry never sampled the salmon patties, good ol' american s'ghetti, apple dumplins...custard pie....oooooh..so sad...

Salmon patties: canned fish mixed with flour designed for poor people. Ummm... delicious. (couldnt stand them as a kid)

"American" Spaghetti ?

(Thank God I grew up with Italians who still had their accents AND recipes)

Jerry..sorry you don't like Southern Kitchen, but it is/was a great place to fill-up, especially for the locals...hot roast beef samich..fried chicks..dumplings..spinach salad....

Unlike your "21,472 shrimpies special" at Cap'n D's.

We quit eating at Southern Kitchen quite a few years ago. The food for the dinner menu did go downhill. Less like home cooking. More like pre-cooked and held for days to feed the masses.
I would guess that the number of people who ate there has dropped big time over those last ten years.

It's like I've said for years... if I don't eat there... it will go out of business eventually. I don't spend my money in "has-been" restaurants. Nostalgia means nothing to me when it comes to food. I don't care if I ate there for 25 years (as in the case of Shoneys)... once their food and service starts to suck, it's like I didn't know you.

Fact of the matter is that we no longer have what I'd call a really good restaurant in this town that you could afford to eat in, several times a week.

We have all the "Theme" restaurants and the fast food joints and then the high dollar places. I've noticed that even Bob Evans is starting to slip as far as a "home cooking" place.

We have become SO busy (and such gluttons) ... that we no longer care about the quality of food anymore.

Just... "serve it so I don't have to cook at home and I'll eat damned near anything."

What else could explain the nasty food we eat around here? AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVEN REALIZE IT! The so-called SALADS that we're served for instance. The baseball hard plastic tomatoes that we are willing to pay $3 a pound for at Kroger? WHY? In Europe, they demand fresh food and they get it, even in the winter! But here, we pay the price for this crap and then beg for more... as though we don't have a choice. Fact is... people have become complacent to the crap found in the stores and many think that THAT'S all there is available! No... that's what you're willing to buy at top dollar and they know it.

Sorry... but when it comes to eating, I get a little cranky. I know how good inexpensive fresh food is obtained and served, and it's sad that in the so called 'greatest country in the world".. we stoop to eat this slop.

well, you know, we talked about this at the last dinner, there are only a couple of really decent places to eat in the whole valley.

I would rather stay home and eat salmon patties and for the most part I do anymore.
I do not average eating out twice a month. Last night it was salmon patties! Today is homemade chicken and dumplings with pepperoni rolls.
Fish is my favorite dish. I used to love Long John Silver's once in a while. That too is now on the NO NO list. I would rather stay home and eat bologna. And nothing tastes nastier than a fast food burger especially with "plastic tomatoes" and those processed french fries.

Name one restaurant that you would eat in... (and could afford, without a credit card) let's say... 5 days a week.

We have places that you might want to eat once a week or so... like Chinese or Mexican. But take the ethnic foods out of the picture and then what?

( If I WERE going to eat a salmon patty.. I'd rather eat it at home than out)

Hell... good old beans and (good) cornbread is OK by me! Where ya going to get it that doesn't have roaches or undesirables hanging around?