Gibson Girls Cafe

Gibson Girls Cafe
3412 Grindstone Parkway (attached to the Ice Chalet Antique store)
Sept. 19th, 2007

Oldboy: 3 1/2 stars
A lot of expectations that didn't materialize. Homey atmosphere, though the booth was a bit cramped, with mostly an older & middle aged crowd. The service was just about the best we've had anywhere, definitely the high point of the whole experience. The prices were fairly average to low/average, my meal, and entree with an appetizer cost around $12. The atmosphere and advertising suggested home-cooking, and the food came out looking definitely homemade. The soups (choice of 4 from the "largest soup bar in Columbia") were tasty, but not the spectacular we were expecting. The chili was more soupy and mostly beans, though the steak soup was a nice, dark thick soup with decent chunks of meat in it. The onion rings were hot, home-made, and just a touch too salty. The roll also was nice and "fresh from the oven" warm, but once again, did not have the outstanding taste we were expecting. My entree, a chicken fried steak, was not made on a production line, but had a touch of heavy handed saltiness to it. The mashed potatoes were real, not from a box, and either they or the gravy suffered from just a touch too much salt as well. The portions were just enough to fill, but nothing left over for a doggy bag. We had a lot of expectations here, the smell and the visual of homemade food had us anticipating more than what we actually received. Other than the great service, a bit of a disappointment.