LaD***VT: Take it easy at Over Easy’s

by Randal Smathers

Ever since I moved here, I’ve been intrigued by the bright yellow sign along Route 103 in Cuttingsville, pointing toward Over Easy’s breakfast and lunch in the Post Office plaza.

It looked like my kind of place. So when the in-laws were in town a couple of weeks ago and the womenfolk were off doing their whatever it is womenfolk do, leaving me and my father-in-law badly outnumbered by a couple of hyperactive preschoolers, it seemed like a good time to load up the trusty Mommobile and go for an outing. The equally trusty Tacoma (187,000 miles and counting) doesn’t begin to manage car seats, and as authorities generally frown on kids standing and peeking between the front seats like my sister and I used to do, it’s the Mommobile or nothing these days.

It was a most excellent decision, as Over Easy’s turns out to be one of those friendly, easygoing little places that make off-the-beaten-path so worth traveling.

How easygoing? The laminated kids’ menu comes precrumpled, so you don’t have to worry about it so much when your darling child promptly stuffs it into the (mercifully unlit) candleholder.

It’s a surprisingly open, airy room, dominated by a largish lunch counter for the stool crowd. The boys were eager to try them, but the idea of a 4- and a 2-year-old spinning off the stool and onto the floor some hundreds of times while waiting for a meal didn’t appeal to me, so we went with a table and a high chair.

It was sandwiches all ’round for lunch. The kids’ menu sports the standbys (hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc., etc.) and the boys went for a PB&J and a hot dog, both with fries, please. My surprise at seeing the PB&J arrive with a dill pickle for garnish was only surpassed by my unease as I watched the 2-year-old promptly squeeze the pickle juice onto the sandwich, then consume it with gusto, between bites of pickle.

The adult sandwiches were a little more by-the-book. I recommend the Monte Cristo (turkey, ham and cheese between egg-dipped bread, grilled and served with maple syrup for dipping). Service was prompt, friendly and attentive.

The same server worked our table the next Saturday, when we went for a second taste (my wife standing in for her father this time).

We arrived to a full parking lot and had a short wait for a table to be cleared, as the social-hunting crowd was just starting to thin out (the serious hunting crowd having been in the hills at least two hours earlier — at least as it was taught to me when I was a boy).

A good rule of thumb is that the smaller the kitchen, the longer the wait, and as I had spotted what looked like a one-man operation (two skinny people, maybe), I expected we might be in for the long haul. We ordered a cinnamon roll to keep the boys busy when we got our coffees and milks, and it was a good thing. The roll (worth a visit) soon arrived, warm from the oven with icing melting down the sides. The server thoughtfully brought a couple of extra plates and the sugary, sticky goodness kept everybody occupied for most of what felt like 20 minutes before the meal arrived.

The food (breakfast this time) was worth the wait. The boys had bacon, eggs and toast and a pancake (enormous) off the even-more-distressed kids’ breakfast menu. Remembering the egg-dipped Monte Cristo, I went for the french toast — OK, OK, french toast and sausage … and, umm, (this is just between us, right?) eggs — and my wife had the breakfast burrito.

There was certainly plenty of food. The french toast was outstanding: redolent with cloves and cinnamon. The over- easy eggs were over easy, exactly as ordered, but given the name of the place, they better be, right? The burrito disappeared with a gentle murmur of appreciation. The salsa with the burrito was judged a little spicy (don’t let that scare you … I’m the hot-food fan), but it was a good grade with more chunks than sauce, and generally everything made everybody leave very, very happy.

The wait aside, Over Easy did well both visits, and as long as you’re not expecting Mickey D’s fast food during the Saturday-morning crush, the service was fine.

Over Easy’s; Route 103 Cuttingsville, VT 05738; (802) 492-3433; 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily; handicap accessible; cash only; *** 1/2