Last year Earl and wandered into Zeke’s, a tavern/restaurant in Dowagiac, a town about twenty or so miles further down the road. We had been exploring backroads and wanted something to drink. Zeke’s, which has two hundred beers on tap and in bottles, fit the bill; and we spent an enjoyable hour at the bar.
“You should come on Sunday,” our bartendress said at one point. We have a breakfast buffet.” Earl’s ears picked up, as breakfast is his favorite meal anytime of the day.
Last Sunday we finally returned to Zeke’s in anticipation of a wonderful meal. It was also part scouting expedition, because we are having houseguests in a couple weeks and thought this might be a place to take them.
We entered the restaurant and noticed it was not particularly crowded. Not a big deal; we were relatively early. The server showed us to a booth and placed two menus on the table. I told Earl I was going to check out the buffet before sitting down. He ordered coffee for us as I moved away.
I expected fresh fruit and pastries, quiches and casseroles, eggs and the standard breakfast meats, as well as maybe some thinly sliced roast beef, to greet my eyes as well as my nostrils. I was already mentally savoring an onion bagel and cream cheese. But where was the buffet? Was it in a different room? Had we heard the bartendress correctly?
Then I found it. The sum total of selections was on one steam table over in the corner. I sidled up to it and surveyed quartered wedges of French toast, some sort of eggs in a container, and bacon. I’m sure there was more to it, but I beat a hasty retreat to my coffee and reported my findings to Earl. He went and looked too, returning with a wry smile. “I think I’ll order off the menu,” he said.
Over our dry eggs and burnt bacon, we figured it out. Zeke’s is known for its 200 brands of beer; but you can’t sell beer on Sunday until the afternoon. So I’m guessing the buffet is a means of making Sunday morning more profitable until the bar opens. If I were Zeke, however, I’d just open later in the day, and stick to what I do best And what he does best definitely isn’t a breakfast buffet.
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