Tam's Take Out

Tam's is the newest addition to Monticello's restaurant selection  which always needs expansion from the usual diners and fast food chains.  Tam's is refreshingly unique in that it is located in a charming, remodeled, old gas station which sits on a peninsula on Main Street.  Parking is in front on the slice of triangle that fits maybe 4 cars at most, but there's always street parking nearby.  The decor is patriotic, and the ambiance is country charming.  It looks like they were on a shoe string budget, but it's bright, cheery and clean.  There are 4 or 5 tables inside, but the best seating in the house is the bar looking out the windows where you can watch traffic go by, and eat by yourself without feeling awkward.

The teen taking our order was painfully quiet and shy and didn't know what some of the things on the menu were when asked for details, and she wasn't sure what was included in the meal.  This is probably a family business so my suggestion is to put your best cheerleading face on, fake perky, speak up and learn the menu because you are the first face the customers see.  While waiting for our food, there were two, little wooden games to play - tic tac toe and insanity.  More boardgames would be nice, especially for customer's who aren't there for take-out.  Also, there's no restaurants in town that offer boardgames, and this place seems perfect for it.  Hint - CDC thrift store carries quite a selection.

As for the food, the hand-pressed hamburger is only second to Beaver's Pub in my humble opinion.  The bun is a nice, hardy roll, and the ground beef is seasoned which makes the large burger better with every bite.  The fries were standard.  The chicken suvlaki (Greek) is a great, low fat choice and is definitely something no one else offers in Monticello, but then, no one else offers Italian beef and sausage either which I didn't think was all that uncommon.  I also got a half Tambolini which is more than enough to feed two people and is chock full of cheese and meats; it's a bit overwhelming after you've eaten the more mild chicken suvlaki.  The herb cheesy muffin is different, but what I really like more than anything was the corn muffin with lots of corn kernels inside.  We will definitely give this place many more tries, especially in the summer when we want ice cream which they have a nice selection of for great prices.

Quality is superb!!! Fresh made for you food.  You get a lot of food for the price.  Heart Attack Hotdog is well named(to die for)!!!  Great variety of items.

Decided to stop in and try it out.  The Tamboli is pretty good!  I plan to stop in again and try something else.