DJ's Bar and Cafe
by Sarah
My friend Elaine is so predicable. If she calls on Tuesday, that means she wants to eat pan-fried chicken; if she calls on Friday, she wants to eat fried fish. Luckily, southeast Nebraska is bountiful with small town restaurants that cater to both of her cravings. Last Friday, we piled into Elaine's sweet minivan and headed to Staplehurst to get fish at one of her favorite small town haunts-- DJ's Bar and Cafe.
DJ's is your typical small town bar and grill. It's a large room seperated by a bar with lots of tables. They have lots of funny signs on the wall, including my favorite, "If your here to forget... make sure you pay ahead of time." (Five points extra credit to the first one to point out the usage error!) Upon entering, we were greeted by a sign that gave us our meal choices, all centered around their famous fried fish. I ordered the 1/2 order of fish and fries for $4.75, which included two generous pieces of fried fish, fries, a little plastic cup of coleslaw, bread, and a pickle spear. (One could also order the fish and chips [fish and potato chips], or the fish set up [just fish and bread].) The choices for fries are "regular" and "natural." I got the natural, which ended up being very thinly sliced and deep fried potatoes, covered in delicious seasoning. They were basically really good potato chips. I liked them, but I found myself stealing fries off my fellow diners' plates all evening. The coleslaw was good as well; this type of place usually has Nebraska style coleslaw-- a nasty combo of cabbage, vinegar, and caroway seeds; but they had southern style coleslaw, which was creamy and delicious. But the main event was the fish. Oh the fish. It was tender, flaky, and tasty. My only complaints were that the breading wasn't as crisp as I like it and that it came with little packets of Heinz tartar sauce. Oh, and they serve beer in frosty mugs.
On to the pie. According to Elaine, the kick-ass pie is the main reason to visit this two-bit town. By the time we ordered dessert they were out of chocolate chip and only had one slice of apple. After a heated debate, I ended up getting the coveted last slice of apple pie. The waitress advised us to order pie right when we get there and I'll pass that advice on to you. Anyway, the pie was okay. While the filling was great, and the crust was obviously homemade, it (the crust) was kind of white and pasty. I prefer a nice browned and sugary crust, but that's me. The sour cream raisin pie was good too.
So next time you feel like a Friday night fish fry, head out to Staplehurst. If not for the great service, reasonable prices, or mouth-watering fish, then go for the awesome candy rack behind the bar-- it's got Butterfinger Crisps and Heath Bars.
My friend Elaine is so predicable. If she calls on Tuesday, that means she wants to eat pan-fried chicken; if she calls on Friday, she wants to eat fried fish. Luckily, southeast Nebraska is bountiful with small town restaurants that cater to both of her cravings. Last Friday, we piled into Elaine's sweet minivan and headed to Staplehurst to get fish at one of her favorite small town haunts-- DJ's Bar and Cafe.
DJ's is your typical small town bar and grill. It's a large room seperated by a bar with lots of tables. They have lots of funny signs on the wall, including my favorite, "If your here to forget... make sure you pay ahead of time." (Five points extra credit to the first one to point out the usage error!) Upon entering, we were greeted by a sign that gave us our meal choices, all centered around their famous fried fish. I ordered the 1/2 order of fish and fries for $4.75, which included two generous pieces of fried fish, fries, a little plastic cup of coleslaw, bread, and a pickle spear. (One could also order the fish and chips [fish and potato chips], or the fish set up [just fish and bread].) The choices for fries are "regular" and "natural." I got the natural, which ended up being very thinly sliced and deep fried potatoes, covered in delicious seasoning. They were basically really good potato chips. I liked them, but I found myself stealing fries off my fellow diners' plates all evening. The coleslaw was good as well; this type of place usually has Nebraska style coleslaw-- a nasty combo of cabbage, vinegar, and caroway seeds; but they had southern style coleslaw, which was creamy and delicious. But the main event was the fish. Oh the fish. It was tender, flaky, and tasty. My only complaints were that the breading wasn't as crisp as I like it and that it came with little packets of Heinz tartar sauce. Oh, and they serve beer in frosty mugs.
On to the pie. According to Elaine, the kick-ass pie is the main reason to visit this two-bit town. By the time we ordered dessert they were out of chocolate chip and only had one slice of apple. After a heated debate, I ended up getting the coveted last slice of apple pie. The waitress advised us to order pie right when we get there and I'll pass that advice on to you. Anyway, the pie was okay. While the filling was great, and the crust was obviously homemade, it (the crust) was kind of white and pasty. I prefer a nice browned and sugary crust, but that's me. The sour cream raisin pie was good too.
So next time you feel like a Friday night fish fry, head out to Staplehurst. If not for the great service, reasonable prices, or mouth-watering fish, then go for the awesome candy rack behind the bar-- it's got Butterfinger Crisps and Heath Bars.
posted by Anonymous at 5:05 PM
2 Comments:
I almost complained that you didn't provide the address. And then I realized: Mr. Wilson, you're an idiot. Staplehurst is the address! The whole town is only a half block long!
You're review was excellent, just like there food!
(I shouldn't have to say this, but yes, those were intentional. Do I get the extra credit points for indirectly pointing out the usage error?)
I love those small town bar and grills, do you guys have a list of your favorites? I only know of a couple.
Jamie
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