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Friday, Aug. 22, 2008

Dining out: Café 49 is that great little roadside diner

This column offers a sampling of dining experiences in the area. It is not intended as a review of the restaurant other than to provide the reader with one diner's experience.

Café 49

Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Location: 4516 Charlotte Hwy., Lake Wylie

Phone: (803) 631-5350

Ambiance: Sit-down, family-friendly restaurant

Every historic highway, like American icon Route 66, deserves a good diner to dish out hometown hospitality. When I lived in Columbia, Mo., The 63 Diner — with a 1950s theme, poodle skirts and all — was a scenic drive worth taking every weekend for a “homemade,” filling meal.

York County isn’t without its share of great diners, including one on “Route 49,” or Lake Wylie’s “main street” S.C. 49 where Café 49 has been offering those similar comfort foods, like an open-faced hot roast beef sandwich (one of my personal favorites), served with Southern charm (and minus the ’50s flair) for just less than a year. Even if the parking lot is full, I’ve been quickly seated and served.

The decor is homey with cherry wood panels and butter yellow walls accented by electric blue and dotted by mirrors and artwork with a 17-table dining area. The window sills are lined with items you’d find in most homes, like flowers, lamps, books and pictures. There’s even a large screen television in the back of the room.

There’s also a full-service bar with two televisions, and an outdoor patio with six tables (and the only smoking area). There’s a list of wines and daily drink specials, including sangria. I enjoyed a 22-ouncer of this divine juice for $7.50.

Manager Lamar Shaw told me the restaurant is gearing up for more outdoor dining as summer cools down by adding six more tables and a ceiling of netting for shade and ambiance. That’ll be a great place for sipping sangria.

But I go to Café 49 simply for the food and generous portions. I especially like the chicken and dumplings — no one makes them better. Although it’s not a regular menu item, it’s often listed as one of several specials of the day. The three-page menu list runs the gamut of soups and salads, and appetizers to seafood features like trout and scallops and Italian specials of parmagiana and lasagna, as well as hot and cold sandwiches.

There’s also a healthy list of more than 34 vegetables that can even be ordered not just as side dishes or with an entree but as a three-veggie plate for $5.20 or four veggies for $7.35.

Entrees and café specialties ($8.35 to $22.10) include filet and steaks, chicken liver, veal and chicken breast filet, as well as a “special burger,” grilled Reuben, gyro, tuna melt and a Sly Scottie — sliced turkey on a muffin with broccoli, cranberry sauce and Swiss cheese topped with hollandaise.

For those trying to go light, there’s a “Get Healthy Section” with diet plates including a scoop of egg, chicken or tuna salad with sliced tomato and egg, or a cold platter or “lighter side” sandwiches (all $5.20 to $9.40).

There’s even a “Little People’s Corner” for children priced $3.05 to $5.75.

And with its two-page menu, Café 49 knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The menu includes just about every breakfast you’d wanna eat from eggs, grits, home fries, toast, egg beaters, bacon, combos, cereal, French toast, pancakes, omelets ... livermush, the list goes on.

With such an offering, every diner won’t only find something they like, but will walk away from the table full and happily satisfied.