A Statement of Purpose, Followed by Digging the GoldRush

Brothers and sisters, welcome to my blog!   A few years ago, I helmed the blog "Peace, Love, and Harsh Reality," which I sub-titled "A Grateful Catholic's Musings on Faith, Family, and Rock and Roll."  The topics on that blog varied widely and it was suggested that I pare down my interests to only one per blog title.

Fair enough.

This blog, "The Un-Fine Diner," will focus on my passion for eating.  Specifically, I'll be writing about the food I eat in places that aren't fancy.  I'm not a fan of fine-dining----it's just not my thing.  I like comfort food, and I'd like to share with you the places I find to indulge my common taste buds.  I particularly appreciate the local mom-and-pop diners, but I'm not averse to great local chains, and even on a rare occasion, a national chain----when Taco Bell has taco shells made of Cool Ranch Doritos, I'm going in for a try!

I live in the idyllic suburban Texas paradise called "Heartland," which is just south of Forney and about twenty miles east of Dallas.  Consequently, my excursions in search of sublime tacos, burgers, pancakes, and catfish are mostly around the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  But that's not always the case.  Last spring-break, Jessica (my wife) and I drove the boys (Charlie 6, Van 4) around the American Southwest, eating very well in cool places like El Paso, Phoenix, and Albuquerque.  So, it's fair to say I'm willing to go that extra mile for an awesome green-chili cheeseburger.

This morning, I actually had to go an extra mile and a half: that's about how far away the GoldRush Cafe is  from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in East Dallas. 
Our normal after-Mass routine is to follow through on the donuts we promise to the boys to get them to be good in Mass.  (To be honest, the threshold for a four and six year old exhibiting good behavior for an hour is pretty low.  As long as they don't throw a fit, they're getting a donut.)
Today, no donut was promised.  Sometime before communion, Van looked at me and whispered "I want a donut after we leave."  I'd only had a cup of coffee all morning and was feeling a hunger that could not be satisfied with a mere donut.  So, I answered his statement with a vague "Okay."  This left me free to announce, as I steered the car out of the parking lot shortly after ten o'clock, that we were going to the GoldRush Cafe. To ease the boys' disappointment over not getting a donut, I threw in "You boys can get pancakes!"  That magical sentence always makes them  happy.

Located at 1913 Skillman Street in Dallas, the GoldRush Cafe has been the standby diner for Jessica and I since we discovered it in 2005.  It is our diner standard.  It's charms: the old-school atmosphere, the reasonable prices, the friendly service, and of course, the great food all add up to a satisfying meal experience.

Since I've been eating at the GoldRush Cafe, I've tried a number of different meals, but I always come back to my all-time favorite: the chicken-fried steak and eggs.  The steak comes fried in a golden, crispy brown  batter and covered with a delicious country-gravy.  To give it a zip, I loaded the gravy with black pepper and hot-sauce.  And while I had the pepper and hot sauce in my hands, I went ahead and used them on my perfectly fried over-medium eggs.  The breakfast also comes with a choice of hashbrowns or grits---I took hashbrowns, and toast or biscuits---I chose toast.  To wash it down, I had a cup of their distinctively-strong coffee with two half-and-half creamers and sugar.

Though the chicken-fried steak is my standard order, I've occasionally ventured across the menu  for other dishes that I can recommend.  I've had the migas, and they are splendid---I was told by a friend to ask that they use a Serrano pepper, and I was not disappointed in the dramatic amount of heat and flavor it added to the eggs.  Other good choices are their chicken and waffles (the GoldRush was the first place for us to try that combo!), the huevos rancheros, and their big breakfast known as the John Wayne.  Oh, and my boys offer their expert testimony with regard to the pancakes: they are delicious!

The GoldRush also serves lunch-time fare, but since I've only stopped by for breakfast, I'll have to wait until an afternoon visit to expound on their burgers and tamales.  I have high hopes!

Don't be surprised to encounter a line if you visit on a Saturday morning, but don't be discouraged.  The line usually moves quickly.  Remember, there's a good reason for that line.

The GoldRush is a cool place to eat.  I recommend you give it a try!