Last October, when the unthinkable happened in Lewiston, I promised myself that I would find a reason to visit the city. Sometimes you know you have to do something, even if you can’t explain to anyone exactly why.

I just made that happen, and I considered the 45-minute drive there something of a pilgrimage, as I’ve really only been to Lewiston a handful of times.

I guess I needed to see for myself that the city was still standing and its citizens are still going about their days despite a collective sense of grief that no person or place should ever have to endure.

After considering what restaurant I would write about, it dawned on me that I wanted to eat at Station Grill Restaurant, owned by the same folks who own Schemengees Bar & Grille, one of the sites of the mass shooting, just a mile and a half away on the same street.

The decision was finalized when I looked at the menu and my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree upon learning that breakfast was served all day and the lunch menu was bursting with burgers, sandwiches, salads, soup and chowder, among other options. Station Grill also serves dinner five nights a week.

On the second Friday in January, I skipped breakfast and arrived at Station Grill Restaurant at around 10:30 a.m., ready to eat everything that wasn’t nailed down in the former railroad station.

I landed on a glorious feast called the Station Platter, for a reasonable $13.29, especially considering it was a colossal amount of food. The platter is two farm fresh eggs with bacon or sausage patties served with a choice of skillet potatoes with cooked onions, hash browns or tater tots; choice of biscuit with sausage gravy, toast or English muffin; and choice of either two crepes or a pancake. I need a nap after writing all that, so imagine how I felt after eating (almost) all of it.

I ordered over-easy eggs, sausage patties, the skillet potatoes, English muffin and the pancake.

As I sat back drinking my coffee waiting for my order, I overhead that it was the 95th birthday of a gentleman customer a few seats away, so I popped over to his table to wish him well. He was working on a bacon grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of chowder. Both looked delish.

When my order arrived, I was stunned by the size of the pancake and delighted to see a side of sausage gravy, which I didn’t think I was getting. It was my first time trying it, and although I only had a few bites to save room for everything else, it was warm and flavorful.

I dug into the feast and immediately noticed how tasty the sausage patties were. I’m not sure if it was the cooking method, the brand they used or some other factor, but as far as sausage patties go, these were the best I’d ever had – bursting with flavor but not too heavy.

Bites of the cooked-to-perfection eggs were intermingled with bites of the potatoes, which were a sublime dish thanks to the onions. It also didn’t hurt one bit that the English muffin was grilled to just the right shade of golden brown.

All the while, as I was eating the eggs and such, I had one eye on the pancake wondering if I’d have room for it or have to bring it home for an afternoon snack. I’m kidding. Of course I ate it! Well, most of it anyway.

Pancakes are tricky business. They’re a simple thing yet so easy to get wrong. Some can come out like slabs of drywall, flavorless and uninspired. Some can be a bit too thin with nothing to offer but empty calories. But every once in a while the perfect pancake presents itself. Such was the case on this particular day.

This pancake, which didn’t have to be as huge as it was, was thick and also crispy around the edges. Each well-buttered bite all but melted in my mouth. I came embarrassingly close to eating the whole thing.

The interior of the Station Grill also won me over because of all the natural lighting, which made it feel comfortable and homey. They had already decorated for Valentine’s Day, and I also saw several historical Lewiston photos on the walls showing what the building and area looked like when it was an active railroad station and horse-drawn carriages dominated the streets.

With coffee and tax, my bill came to just over $17. I left a 50% tip because I felt like it. At the register was a basket of free small round mirrors that on one side have a photo collage of everyone who died during the Oct. 25 shootings along with the words Lewiston Strong.  I keep one on my desk.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

For an easier, heartier gnocchi, do as the Romans did

Next »

James Beard Foundation names 10 semifinalists from Maine