Southtowne Grill

When we don't have time or feel like cooking this is where we go. The service is always great, and the food is awesome.

We drove a bit off the interstate to have lunch here when driving from Jeff City, MO to Mcalester, OK (thanks to all of the positive Yelp reviews). It was certainly worth the trip. I have grown tired of fast food right off the freeway.

Service was very quick, but not pushy. The restrooms were clean, as was the restaurant (though the benches in the booths are showing some age).

I ordered a lunch special (1/2 chicken salad sandwich, baked potato = $4.99). The sandwich was good, not great -- but the baked potato was perfectly cooked, with the perfect amount of butter and sour cream. Pickle on the side and sliced tomato/lettuce leaf were fresh.

My daughter got a cheeseburger off the kids menu (comes with one side = $4.99), and I'm happy to report Sheila's offers apple sauce as a side (she was less than enthusiastic, but any chance to offer her something other than fries is nice). Her burger was great (I put my lettuce/tomato on one half and ate it).

My husband ordered a chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and french fries (to share with our kid who was bummed that I ordered her apple sauce). I think it was $8.99 and the 2 sides were included. We have really good chicken-fried steak where we live, but we both agreed that the beef in Sheila's version is of a higher quality. He cleaned his plate with only a little help from me.

Before we left, we got a slice of peanut butter pie (delish!) and a cup of coffee to go.

There's a salad bar that you can choose as one of the two parts of the lunch combo, and I think if we stop there again I might go that route. It seemed rather popular with the regulars (of whom many were wearing suspenders).

Very good!  Had the buffet. Left very happy and full!