RESTAURANT REVIEW - BIG MAN'S CAFE

 We are back, and we thank you for joining us.

This episode is for my Ocala and Central Florida friends. (Unless you want to use up some Delta miles and come visit.) 

Today we depart for the norm and go out to eat. We do not do this often and are very fussy about the type of restaurant we patronize.

Here are my restaurant rules.

It must be local.

I never visit the same place more than once a year. (If possible)

The exception is LAKIS Greek/Italian. We've been going there for over 30 years.

We never go out more than twice a month.

If we are going to spend a lot of money, I want the food to be spectacular and worth the amount of funds spent. In other words, it has to be better than we can make at home. (That's a tall order)

With that in mind, we wanted to give BIG MAN'S CAFE (1011 NE 14TH ST) a try. We have been seeing all the great reviews and wanted to see how accurate they were. 

Penny and I both love SOUL food and our favorite is a 30 minute drive so this place would be perfect (4 miles) IF it lived up to it's hype.

So off we went on another culinary adventure.

It was just after the lunch hour when we arrived. We were greeted at the door with a laugh and a smile. (Good start)

We were given menus as we sat down, by another smiling face.

We both asked for Unsweet Tea, and it arrived promptly.

Penny ordered the Fried Chicken, while I went with the Smothered Pork Chops.

We sat and chatted with the servers while we waited for our lunch to arrive. I have never met a friendlier group of people. 

I commented to Penny that they were happy in what they were doing, and embracing life.

How cool is that ??

Let's get to the food !!

The Pork Chops were very tender with just the right amount of gravy. They were a bit on the thin side, but with two of them I had more than enough. (I brought some home)

The proportions were LARGER than you normally get in a restaurant. You will NOT go home hungry.

The fries and Onion rings were typical of a restaurant, but still VERY good. If you have great entrees, the sides will take care of themselves.

Penny liked the Fried Chicken and brought a lot of it home.

As we ate the Big Man himself came over to the table to ask how we were doing and how we liked our lunch. I wanted him to know how much we appreciated the meal and the atmosphere. 

The great food aside, the atmosphere raises this establishment above the bar. When you get treated the way we were, you want to go back often. Their smiles and attitude brightened our week.

I do not know a ton about Soul Food. All I know is it is GOOD. If you have not tried it, you should embrace the culture and the history. 

Good food, huge portions, and a smile. Great ingredients for a great restaurant.

You know how I said I only went to a restaurant once a year ?? I lied.

This one I will go back to.....again....and again....I have more menu items to try.

God Speed, Mother Nature