Neal's Lodges Cafe

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Arrived on Friday just prior to 5:30PM before the dinner crowd.  There were large groups of people already there but still plenty of available seating.  We sat inside due to the summer heat and admired the landscaping and scenery through the large windows, which were spotlessly clean.  The restaurant was clean and well decorated with lots photos on the walls.  

Dinner for six was served two plates at a time a couple minutes apart, somewhat awkward sitting there watching your companions eat.  Everone at our table ordered the fish plate consisting of three pieces of fried fish, a corn coblet, fries, cole slaw, lima beans and one hush puppy.  Dinner rolls were served about half way through the meal and they were very tasty, although a bit late.  The tea was served in a tall glass and only unsweet is available, but refills were fairly quick.

The fried fish was clearly overcooked, not just on my plate but on all of our party.  The light breading although tasty was dark and the fish was crunchy and dry on the ends and sides.  One of the three fillets was mostly bones with a large backbone on one end.  The fries were "just warm" and were soggy... not crisp.  The corn coblet was small and overcoked to the point of being too soft and deflated, as if setting in water too long.  The cole slaw was a bit dry and was warm.  The lima beans were well seasoned although mine remained practically untouched since they are more of an acquired tatste.  The hush puppy was very good but wish there were two.

Overall, the quality of the main dish items was poor.  The dinner rolls and hush puppy were the stars of the meal.

The server was pleasant,smiled and was quick to provide drink refills.

Stopped here for breakfast on the way home from Garner. The place was clean, and the service was fast. Eggs and pancakes are pretty hard to screw up, and ours were very good. I would like to hit this place again for a lunch or dinner. the CFS sounded really good.