The Mount Vernon Cafe & Lounge

My pal and I were in town for the Tulip Festival, because I like going to small-town festivals.  Don't judge me, I saw what you did to that squirrel the other day.  Anyway, we decided to eschew the street selection of corn dogs and funnel cakes and hit this joint, largely because of the swell old-time signage in front and back.  It was pretty clear that they weren't ready for the hardcore tulip freak crowd that came out that night; service was almost nonexistent, but I can't fault them for that because the café was jammed wall to wall with only two servers, who were getting absolutely slammed.  The lounge, which I'm guessing is home to Mount Vernon's no doubt plentiful population of aged alcoholics, had a comically large selection of fried whatnots, but we went all tradish and ordered off the menu.  That's where the surprise came in: there was nothing spectacular happening, but as diner food goes, the Mount Vernon was a solid double up the middle.  My friend's steak was much better than the gristly, overcooked knobs you get at a lot of diners, and I ordered a French dip/patty melt amalgam called a Charlie Brown that hit the actual spot.  It's also a great place to eavesdrop on whatever insanity is occupying the locals, so there's that.  It wasn't the best diner I've ever visited, but it hit all the notes a diner ought to hit.

Good coffee... Local small town cafe feel. It was clean, breakfast was good. Standard cafe fare. Sausage gravy was homemade and good.

The staff was friendly, the service was prompt, and the food was good.  I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.  I ate here twice last weekend and both visits were enjoyable.