David's — Restaurant in Fort Bragg

DAVID'S RESTAURANT, MENDECINO: My family and I (5 of us) were constantly looking for places to eat on our vacation--since we were staying in the Mendecino area for this week, we decided to check out DAVID'S RESTAURANT. I saw they had biscuits and gravy and the waiter indicated how great it was with not only sausage, but bacon, as well, and that the chef had worked on their coveted recipe for years to perfect it. To go with the biscuits and gravy she suggested the corned beef hash , another popular item. Since it is one of my favorite foods it took little more to convince me than to merely suggest it. When our meal came, we all dove in, we all had voracious appetites that (mid) morning, and scarfed down our breakfasts. I moaned with every bite I took, I loved it so much. My family begged me to stop making the noises, because they were afraid I would draw the attention of nearby tables. I didn't care. I just had to enjoy my food. It was the--flat out--best corned beef hash, eggs, and biscuits and gravy I HAVE EVER EATEN! BAR NONE! ANY WHERE, ANY TIME! I wish I lived next door to this place, I would eat this every day. (We were only in town one more day, and I guess you know where we ate!--yes, right here.) The menu prices are affordable for a working family, not being a trendy restaurant, or bistro, just good 'ole American food. (I have included the menu, below) The restaurant itself is light and airy, decor, well appointed with darling original paintings; the tables are wood, adding to the hominess of the place, and I'd say the noise level is about average, sort of what you might expect. They open every day at 11:00 a.m. and close at 2:00 p.m. They take reservations, and you can call for take out, but they don't do delivery. They are available for groups, and are a kid friendly environment. They do have a private parking lot for customers, too, for your convenience; bike parking is also permitted. Here are the things that there is NO to: No, take out, No tv, No alcohol, No outdoor seating, No catering, and while they do take credit cards, there is No Apple pay or Android pay. Here is something really good, attire is casual, just as is their decor. No stiff upper lip here or worrying about anything snooty. Finally, the restrooms are...

Whenever I'm traveling I always like to find local spots off the beaten path to explore as they're usually a little more down to earth you get a better bang for your buck. According to Yelp and Google reviews this seemed like the place to get breakfast on our way out of town for the weekend. It's a local's spot, and we only had breakfast items so that may not be where they shine.

The wait wasn't too bad; we were seated in about 20 minutes on a community table in the corner. There was some wonderful art on the walls from local artists and the vibe seemed nice and friendly. The waitress was sweet and got us coffee in about 10 minutes and then another took another 20 minutes before she took our order. They were obviously busy and we were trying to be as understanding as possible so we just relaxed and talked about our plans for the rest of the day. I ordered the biscuits and gravy and my wife ordered pork chop and eggs.

This was where the experience started to go downhill. Our food didn't come out for another 40 minutes. The pork chop was overcooked and bland and the eggs that my wife had ordered over hard were so runny that the whites where mostly liquid underneath. The hash browns seemed like they were frozen which is fine but they were lukewarm; just barely done and a bit too thick so they were mushy in the middle.

I had been looking forward to the biscuits and gravy all morning and instead of biscuits overrunning with gravy like some of the other pictures on here I got biscuits with barely enough gravy to cover the top. The bread was sweet as was the gravy and the sausage patty, almost as if they used sugar rather than salt to flavor everything. The most redeeming part of my meal was the bacon that I ordered on the side.

I came in with high hopes and really wanted to like this place. As I mentioned earlier, perhaps their lunch is where it's at. Maybe it was an off day in the kitchen. Either way, I doubt that I'll be returning here and my recommendation is to find another...

This was a week of firsts for me. Usually we stick with our normal routines, going places we know, just being voting, but this year, we wanted to explore. The Chinese place that says it's a buffet is only a buffet after 5, so we decided to try something else new. I headed to the south side of town, thinking there had to be a restaurant there; even if it sucked it would be an experience.

Imagine my surprise when I looked just a little out of my way and found a restaurant I'd never tried before. "Restaurant and delicatessen" I thought. "Better have a decent Reuben then!" I concluded. So we sat down, got served some carrots and celery with ranch and perused the menu. A bit heavy on the options, but I have a feeling that the cooks know them all very well. Obviously, I got the Reuben. I'd usually order without sauce, but I was feeling brave, and wanted to give it all a chance as-is. After all, can't judge a sandwich when you have them do it differently. My mom ordered a patty melt, rare.

After what seemed like too little time for such a busy hour, chatting briefly with the owner, and watching the wait staff bust their butts, we got our food. As you can see from my pictures, the garlic fries looked great and the Reuben was immaculate, with just the right amount of grilling on the marble rye. As good as it looks, nothing compares to how it tastes...

Folks, I thought I'd had a Reuben before. I've tried many and liked them. After this one, however, all previous experiences are garbage. This was incredible, and absolutely mind-boggling in how good it was. Now, I didn't try it, but mom's patty melt was actually rare. Not just a little sliver of pink in the very center, but pink all the way through, no red, and just perfectly browned in the outside.

Will I go back? You try to stop me and you're gonna lose an appendage. Best place to eat in Fort Bragg by...