Restaurant Review: Huckleberry's Restaurant in Fairfield, California

Huckleberry's Restaurant isn't your typical dining location in Fairfield, California or anywhere else for that matter. There is an alligator head on the wall. My condiments are in a tin bucket. I look up and see someone's overall shorts on a clothesline. And THIS is where I chose to eat my breakfast? To tell you the truth, Huckleberry's (near the corner of Travis Boulevard and Oliver Road) is actually designed to give a backwoods feel. Huckleberry's is a Louisiana and Cajun-themed diner that purposely smacks you with their theme from the minute you open the doors. Yes, those are cricket sounds chirping from the front counter. And yes, you are eating under a tin roof. The kids loved the theme and the servers were more than friendly and accommodating. Even the coloring pages stuck with the Cajun flavoring, covered in alligators and swamp scenes.

There is even a bit of functionality to the design of Huckleberry's. I noticed that our booth had a strange sidewall to it. I looked up and saw a pulley cable attached to the wall. When I gave it a tug, I saw that it opens up to another booth, allowing for larger groups to eat together.

Service at Huckleberry's is also a highlight. Everyone we met had a bright smile on their face and wore matching T-shirts with phrases like "Aieeeee!" on the back. Every time I saw a T-shirt, I was immediately transported back to the first time I heard Bobby Boucher's defensive line coach Farmer Fran in "The Waterboy". I think that if Huckleberry's turns into an all-night diner they should invest in getting a wandering alligator costumed character complete with a Cajun trainer character.

Huckleberry's menu spans a selection of breakfast and lunch dishes-they close at 3pm. You can have anything from pancakes and waffles to Cajun quiche or a spicy breakfast burrito. I chose to have the stuffed French toast smothered in Huckleberries, while my wife had the Caramel and Pecan Waffles. We also added biscuits and gravy, a pretty reliable indicator of whether a southern restaurant is really southern or putting on a show.

My stuffed French toast was good. There was a nice bite to them. I had never eaten actual huckleberries before, yet I could tell the fruit was fresh. My wife's waffles were very sticky with the caramel and pecan sauce. The serving sizes were just right with the price- both meals could be had for under $9.

As for the biscuits and gravy...mmm. You can tell that someone worked hard on them because they did pass the "are you really southern?" test. If I had eaten those first, no one would have gotten any. We left the restaurant satisfied with the food but more impressed with the scenery and décor.

Although the biscuits and gravy were delicious to me, my favorite part of the meal was the orange juice. My orange juice was fresh-squeezed, tart, and served in a Mason jar. You can't get much more southern than that! And since I'm from the Carolinas, Huckleberry's hit a soft spot in my heart.

Huckleberry's is a new restaurant and there are a few minor kinks that need to be worked out. Yet the experience from the minute you step in to your last bite of biscuits and gravy is an experience worth having. I would expect Huckleberry's to be around for a little while longer, filling the mason jars with fresh-squeezed juice and service with a smile. Now where'd that gator go?

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