I usually don’t do a blog post about a restaurant, unless it is particularly remarkable. Lambert’s Cafe fits that criterion.
We went there for lunch, and it was quite the experience. Their claim to fame is “throwed rolls” — they have a guy roaming around, throwing freshly baked rolls to patrons. Which sounds like a bad idea, but is actually rather fun. (And this from a guy who doesn’t do “fun”.)
They also have people circulating with bowls of “pass arounds”, side dishes that they ladle onto a paper towel as soon as you sit down and your plate throughout the meal, including Southern staples like fried okra, black-eyed peas, fried potatoes and onions (my favorite), and several more.
There was a line to get a table, which usually makes us bail, but we opted to wait; it wasn’t a long delay:
A sign indicates they don’t do doggie bags, which appears to be out-of-date, as we were offered a box for our leftovers:
Pretty much as soon as we sat down, they provided some fried okra; our first time tasting it (not bad, less great once cooled down):
Menu:
We were also tossed some rolls, as advertised. They were super tasty, nice and soft:
We ordered sodas, which arrived in huge mugs (hard to tell the scale, but these were substantially larger than normal, even by American standards; the menu says they are 34 oz, which is about three cans of soda):
Jenn ordered chicken and dumplings and a couple of sides (included):
I ordered meatloaf and sides:
As mentioned, throughout the meal staff would come by offering additional sides; we tried several of them. It is possible to just order an empty plate and make a meal of the “pass arounds”, which would be plenty of food.
Throwing rolls:
When we were done (stuffed!), they provided a doggie bag and box, and even to-go cups for the leftover sodas, which we hadn’t encountered before; nice that they’re not wasting all that:
Quite a unique experience. And taking typical American over-consumption to the next level. Highly recommended, if you’re not on a diet!
