Saturday, April 06, 2013

US Hwy 20: Hampton Station Cafe

Rolling down the road toward lunch time, I saw a sign that was quite literally in the middle of nowhere: "Good Food - Four Miles Ahead!" That sounded both perfect and too good to be true.

A few minutes later I rolled up to the only building for miles around, the Hampton Station Cafe. I wasn't put off by the looks of the place, because I've found there's usually an inverse relationship between ambiance and food quality. The worst looking places often have the best food. Even the boarded up "Artistic Taxidermy" shed in the parking lot didn't phase me. Maybe the inverse relationship holds true in that business as well.



I soon found myself as the only customer in the joint, and inquired about my usual lunch: A cup of soup and a BLT on rye toast. A delightful woman settled me in at the counter and assured me I'd be happy with her homemade clam chowder.

She must have seen an expression cross my face as I internally doubted the middle of the desert being the place to find good chowder, because she quickly informed me that she used to cook at Mo's -- a famous chowder house in Newport -- "Back when Mo's was good!"

Indeed, the chowder was really excellent. Probably the best I've had in years. So good, in fact, that I asked her for another serving to take with me!

The BLT was also excellent: A load of thick bacon, crisp lettuce and ripe red tomato. Yummy!

It turns out that the woman is the owner, named Shelley, and she asked me to "Like" her on Facebook. I said I'd do better than that and feature her on my website. We took a photo together to seal the deal!

If you're ever rolling this way, eat at Hampton Station Cafe!

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