Review: Fatz Cafe, Lenoir, North Carolina

My husband and I recently celebrated our 11-year anniversary, and after dropping the boys off at the babysitter's, we decided to find someplace nice to have a celebratory meal. Despite the good and bad times, our marriage has been good and we're very happy with each other, so we wanted to find a restaurant that would make us feel as good as we feel about each other. Since we're not far from the city of Lenoir, we decided to eat at Fatz Café, which we had been seeing for a while but had never tried before.

My immediate impression of Fatz Café was good. The hostess who seated us and took our drink order was very friendly and professional. The only complaint I have about her was the fact that she seated us not far from the door. I'm cold all the time and I knew that every time the door opened, I'd feel a cold blast of February air blowing inside. I wasn't really upset about this fact, though, because I'm sure if I had explained to the hostess that I didn't want to sit near the door that she would have seated us in a different area. I had to eat with my coat on, but again, it was my fault for not requesting another seat.

My husband and I decided not to order an appetizer, because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy my meal if I got too full too soon, so we just nibbled on the delicious bread balls that were brought to our table, dipping them in the sweet butter that accompanied them. Our drinks were brought out promptly, as was our salads that we ordered with our meals. The salad was very fresh and the vegetables were crisp. The ranch dressing that I requested was also tasty and not watered down like I've tasted at some restaurants who were obviously trying to save money.

Our entrees, both combination plates, consisted of six ounce steaks, their "world famous" Calabash Chicken, three jumbo fried shrimp and red skinned mashed potatoes. I do not eat shrimp, so I ordered this dish with plans of giving the shrimp to my husband, which he gratefully accepted.

The potatoes were really good, seasoned just right and they were also the right consistency. The steak was tasty and tender, just like I like, but it wasn't quite well-done like I requested, so I traded with my husband because he didn't mind eating slightly pink meat. The "world famous" chicken was simply good and not great like we expected because of its name. I guess many restaurants create certain names for dishes on their menus in order to make people more enthusiastic about eating their food.

I would definitely return to Fatz because the service was terrific and efficient, and although the food wasn't the absolute best I've ever had, it was good. The atmosphere was nice, and the booth was very comfortable and in good shape. My husband said that he give Fatz Café a 7 ½ on a scale of 1 -10, with 10 being superb, and I have to agree with him.