Review: Travis Restaurant - Clinton Township, Michigan

Review by Don Taylor


My sister and I were about during Memorial Day. After an early start and a long day of paying our respects at various cemeteries in the Detroit area, we decided we were finally done and it was time to eat. We were both famished and stopped at a place for a late lunch, early dinner. We stopped someplace, (I forget where) and learned that the place closed at 3:00 PM because of the holiday. She then suggested we go to Travis Restaurant in Clinton Township. She said they have good food at a great price. She couldn't have been more right on.


Travis Restaurant, Clinton Twp, MI
Photo from Google Maps. 
Travis Restaurant is what I call, a "hole in the mall" restaurant -- a small strip mall with several different businesses in it. We arrived about 3:45 in the afternoon and they still would serve breakfast, my favorite meal of the day. It has been my experience that if you want to judge a place on their breakfast there are two things to order. First, if they make their own hash, I like to try their hash and eggs.  If they use Mary Kitchen out of the can, that is a definite mark against them.  I'd rather they not serve hash than hash out of the can. The second best thing to try their country fried steak. Not only can you tell the quality of the meat they use, you can also tell about their gravy.

So, I ordered the Country Fried Steak "smothered in homemade sausage gravy" along with two eggs and hashbrowns. 'Cause everything is better with bacon, I ordered a side of bacon to go with it. My sister ordered a club sandwich without tomato. If I was still hungry shame on me, 'cause I definitely ordered enough food.

Country Fried Steak, Hash Browns, two eggs, & toast
with an extra side of bacon and extra butter.
Travis Restaurant, Clinton Township, Michigan
Photo by Don Taylor
When the food arrived, I looked with awe upon my breakfast. I then began tasting it - Delicious. The country fried steak was most excellent. I found no gristle or tough places. It really was smothered in a thick, homemade sausage gravy that tasted superb - not bland nor over spiced either.  I don't know that I've ever had any better. The bacon was crispy and, to me, perfect.  The hash browns were cooked nicely. The sourdough toast didn't have enough butter for my liking so I asked for additional butter, which came quickly. The only detraction was that the eggs came over well instead of over hard, as I had ordered. (Over hard means the yoke is broken, over well means the yokes are cooked to have no runniness.) All in all, it was one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time.


The atmosphere was such that my sister could have a nice conversation about our day.  It was an excellent experience.

Rating: 4.6

Ambiance: 3 (A typical neighborhood diner environment.)
Food: 5 (I probably couldn't have cooked it better.)
Service: 5 (Staff was friendly and extremely attentive.)
Price: 5 (Meals were under $10 each, not including drinks)
Value: 5 (For lunch I don’t know of many places better.)

Travis Restaurant is located at 34400 Harper Avenue in Clinton Twp, Michigan. I will happily stop again.


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Chef George’s Auto Mile Diner, Saco Maine

Image
Restaurant Review – Chef George’s Auto Mile Diner, Saco Maine I’ve found a great little breakfast place in Saco, the Auto Mile Diner. It is small, but the food is excellent, and the staff is always friendly. I’ve been there several times for breakfast and have always found the breakfasts great. I was getting my Jeep serviced across the street and walked over for breakfast. I there are only eight tables, but I was able to find a good seat. Moments after arriving the Owner asked if I’d like coffee. After hearing my reply, a nice cup of coffee was placed in front of me. There is a menu on the table as well as posters on the wall suggesting other items. After several visits, I’ve found the Mexican Omelet is one of my favorites—peppers, onions, cheese, jalapenos, and tomatoes, wrapped in eggs with salsa and sour cream on the side. There are several choices for accompanying sides, I picked hash browns and a grilled English muffin. The food arrived quickly and was delicious
Read more

Restaurant Review – Pappy’s Café aka Pappy’s Tavern

Image
Review by Don Taylor Pappy's Tavern - Andover, Minnesota It is rare that I go to the same restaurant two times in a row; however, I during my recent visit to Minnesota I went twice with friends to Pappy’s Café (The sign outside says Pappy’s Tavern while the menu says Pappy’s Café. People who know me know I really love a good breakfast, so two sets of friends on two separate days took me to Pappy’s. Frist, I went with friends from Blaine, MN, who live about 10 miles from Pappy’s. When we arrived, the place was very busy. We threaded our way to the back to a table next to the pull tab sales booth. It was busy, but it made buying pull tabs easy for my friend who only needed to turn around to purchase them. We ordered Bloody Marys while we reviewed the menu. The waitress, Sidra, brought the Bloody Marys with a snit. It had been a long time since I had a Bloody Mary in the Midwest that I had forgotten the tradition of having a small beer chaser (called a snit) with your Blo
Read more

Bridge Street Cafe - Rockford, MN

Image
While I was in Minnesota my brother suggested we go to breakfast at just about the best breakfast place he had been to lately.  He said it was about ten miles but would be well worth the trip.  So we loaded up our mother and headed to Rockford and the Bridge Street Cafe. The Bridge Street Cafe is a home-town cafe which is open for breakfast, starting at 6:00 AM (7:00 AM Sat & Sun) and open until 2:30 PM (3:00 PM Sat & Sun) and provides a nostalgic trip to a classic all American classic cafe.  Apparently downstairs of a Masonic Lodge the decor is pleasant. We were quickly greeted and asked if we wanted coffee or juice. We looked over the menu, my mother decided upon the “Breakfast Scramble” with breakfast potatoes (versa hash browns).  Both my brother and I decided on “The Bridge Street Breakfast.”  Three eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, and toast.  Quite unusual, one of the options is French toast and both of us selected that as well as hash browns.  Breakfast Scr
Read more