BLUE PLATE CAFE | On this sunny Friday, we were celebrating The Hipster’s birthday (which is coming up on Monday!) so we let her decide where we would go. We piled into our cars and drove the ten-minute route to Blue Plate. Centrally-located on Governor’s Drive, the restaurant was easy to find. The parking lot was a bit cramped and some of us had to park across a side street in an empty lot.
Walking inside the cafe we caught our first glimpse of the mid-century theme of the restaurant. The long, restaurant-wide bar, uniformly lined with black leather-topped stools, was a unique aspect of the space.
The Hipster
Today the 4030’s headed to the Blue Plate Cafe, a fine establishment that has two locations in Huntsville, Alabama. We all managed to fit in at one table with our large group. Our wait wasn’t too long, despite the restaurant having to add more chairs to a table, to accommodate us. The environment is clean, chill, and yet cozy.
WHAT SHE ATE:
Grilled Chicken Salad with Hash Brown Casserole - $8.59
I ordered a grilled salad with no tomatoes and a side of hash brown casserole. The menu said it’d come with croutons, but I did not receive any (I am sure if I reminded them that they forgot to put them on, they would have gotten me some right away). That was not my first reaction to ask for them, however, because it came with saltine crackers. The salad unfortunately had a puddle of water accumulating at the bottom of the bowl, which I didn’t realize for awhile. I did not end up finishing it because of that. Also, the cucumbers were starting to brown. The hash brown casserole was pretty good, but I was not overly impressed by it. I really enjoyed the environment and my time there, even though I did not have such a great experience with what I ordered. I will for sure be going back for something different another time.
The Boss
Blue Plate was certainly bustling today! Even though it was packed and we had a large party, the ten of us were still seated quickly, within just a couple of minutes of arriving. Our waitress was kind, but seemed a little overwhelmed at the size of our group. Everything seemed clean and everyone in the restaurant seemed happy to be there! I loved the historical photographs and paintings throughout the restaurant – they really made the restaurant feel like it had been there a long, long time.
WHAT SHE ATE:
Blue Plate Special - Chicken and Dumplings, Mashed Potatoes, Hash Brown Casserole, and Broccoli Casserole
All of the food I tasted at Blue Plate today reminded me of dishes I had eaten while I was growing up. Having had both a mother and grandmother who were fantastic cooks, I can’t say this food quite tasted as good as theirs, but it was close! Definitely would recommend for someone wanting to quickly get a good taste of home cooking.
The Apprentice
As per usual, our pick for lunch was jam-packed and the parking lot was crowded (keep in mind we did go at 11:30 AM). That said, we were lucky enough to be seated within 5 minutes of arriving due to a large party just leaving. The table we were seated at was actually large enough to comfortably sit 10 people and their various pots n pans. Our food came quickly and our waiter was acceptable. The experience was not bad but also nothing spectacular. It was satisfyingly average.
WHAT HE ATE:
I got the grilled chicken salad, without cucumbers and celery, because who in their right mind would do that to themselves. There’s really not much to say about the salad itself; it was watery, didn’t have much flavor, and had so much water it was more of a soup than a salad. The dressing did not help. The dressing on a salad should tie everything together and complete it. However, the honey mustard dressing I chose came in a packet in likeness to a ketchup packet. Because of this, the dressing felt lukewarm and did not mix well with the salad at all. This is not to say you shouldn’t eat here, because all of my coworkers non-salad meals looked amazing, but you should definitely not get any kind of a salad here. This particular salad gets a 1/5
The Engineer
What a cozy place! Right when we walked in, I felt like it was a restaurant from the 50’s! The place was packed, but they still accommodated our ten person group. We were seated comfortably and had our orders taken quickly. The food came out pretty quick, and our drinks stayed filled the whole visit. The waiters and waitresses were very pleasant and made the experience great overall. I would recommend this to smaller groups than what we brought, even though we found seats. It is a little louder of a restaurant since it is more of a relaxed environment, and so, smaller groups would allow everyone to hear everyone else without being loud. The building was clean and well-kept for the most part. I would say this was a great experience and would recommend to any age and to small groups.
WHAT HE ATE:
I ordered the “The Big Cheese” today from the Blue Plate Cafe. When I first saw it, I was a bit underwhelmed by the look, as it looked like there was almost no cheese on the sandwich since there was so much crust, but when I got down into it, it was quite pleasing. I am very happy to say that it turned out to be so good, and would definitely recommend it to someone going there. It was a double-decker grilled cheese with bacon through the whole thing. The fries that came along with the grilled cheese were steak fries, so they are the thick ones that are super good and filling! The spices on the fries were great and evenly spaced. I went in starving and thinking that I should order extra food, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn’t even finish the food! It was so filling and tasty, and taking a glance around the table, I could tell that everyone else enjoyed their meals as well. I would say that the look of the food wasn’t that amazing, but the taste really was wonderful!
The Detective
I’ve only been to Blue Plate once before and it was awhile back. The Hipster chose this place because her birthday is coming up! We had a great time encouraging her and just spending time with community. Lunch is a pretty busy time for t Blue Plate so large groups should try to get there early or wait for the rush to die down! They made room for the ten of us pretty quickly since we were willing to sit close to each other. This is the kind of place that I would expect there to be regulars who come and sit with their coffee and read the newspaper. A nice family place!
WHAT SHE ATE:
Blue Plate Special - Southern Fried Chicken Fingers, Hash Brown Casserole, Corn, and Peach Cobbler
I ordered off their Friday special menu; Southern fried chicken strips, whole kernel corn, hash brown casserole, and peach cobbler (their dessert of the day). Everything was well-cooked and delicious! Their hash brown casserole wasn’t at Walton’s level but it was good! I was slightly disappointed in their peach cobbler. (My family makes excellent cobbler so I’m a little picky.)
Mr. Clearwater
Blue Plate Cafe is always a great spot to wet your whistle with a piping hot coffee. Three creams of course. No sugar. After I get a couple good gulps of that down I can begin to let my mind wander into the arena of gastronomy enlightenment that is Blue Plate Cafe.
WHAT HE ATE:
Blue Plate Special - Meatloaf, Green Beans, Broccoli, and Corn - $9.59
Like I may have hinted at before, the ability to please my palate is pretty promising. AKA…I pretty much like all food that exists. I implore you to take everything that I have to say in this blog with the blandiest and tabliest and grainiest grain of salt possible. My food was delicious today. The meatloaf wasn’t as good as my mom’s, but it was almost 100. The broccoli casserole is the cool broccoli in broccoli high school that gives every other broccoli a bad name on the streets. In other word’s, no child would ever dislike the big B if they could have just had a glimpse of this casserole. It was amazing. It was so overwhelming that I cannot even see the memories of anything else I ate due to the blinding fulguration that emanated from the BC. Amen.
Judge J.
This is definitely a popular spot for Huntsville locals, because once we entered the cafe I was fully aware of how packed it was. Thankfully, they were able to seat all ten of us pretty quickly, which we all appreciated.
WHAT SHE ATE:
Cheeseburger and French Fries - $7.99
I think I made the mistake of ordering a cheeseburger. While it was a good one, this is definitely a restaurant where you would want to order the ‘Blue Plate Special’ After receiving my cheeseburger, medium done with a soft bun and melted cheese, I stared enviously at my companions’ lunches. The wait staff was great, they were attentive and kept our drinks full. I would give it a go again, but would definitely stick to the specials.
Give them a visit!
Blue Plate Cafe
3210 Governors Drive
Huntsville, AL 35805
