Main Street Bakery and Grill Review (Opinion)

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One reviewer was downright skeptical about the Main Street Bakery and Grill, which is in a house located on, you guessed it, Main Street in Johnson.

The place looked a little scary for a restaurant, she thought.

But good food, down home service and tales of Gus the coffee swilling ghost had her converted before she was halfway through her first onion ring.

We were told that Gus, the original owner of the house, likes to make coffee in the middle of the night and has a proclivity to show up when it’s time to pour a cup of java. Apparently he’s a sloppy drinker because he’s also known to leave a mess in the kitchen’s prep area.

Try as they might, our reviewers didn’t see Gus or any ghost. However, their spirits were moved by a pre-lunch inspection of cakes, cookies and breads in the shop’s backroom bakery.

The Main Street lunch menu is mostly grill fare with a selection of burgers, salads, chicken strips, specialty sandwiches and a daily “chipped plate” special.

One reviewer was tempted by the honey ham sandwich ($4), which has ham and Swiss cheese with honey mustard. But he opted for the Main Street Supreme ($4), with choice of turkey or ham, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on tomato basil bread. He ordered a side of deep fried potato chips ($1) as well.

It was a perfectly good, fresh sandwich with just the right zip in the bread, he said, though he wasn’t bowled over by anything about it. The homemade chips were salty and delicious, cooked just right, he said.

The second reviewer chose a French Dip ($5.50), which came loaded with roast beef and Swiss cheese on sourdough bread and a side of au jus. And she couldn’t resist an order of beer battered onion rings ($2) on the side.

“That’s the best French Dip I’ve ever had,” she said and noted she’d revisit the grill in the not-too-distant future.

The roast beef was succulent and obviously home roasted, she said, and the au jus was authentic juice from the roasting, not pre-packaged.

Her only complaint about the onion rings was that the portion was too small. They were battered with a generous coat and cooked to crispy perfection, she said.

Service was perfectly good and friendly, and the restaurant was filled with plenty of khaki- and badge-wearing Tyson Foods executives on their visit.

In the end, our party couldn’t resist a couple of cookies for dessert. The treats were as genuine of baked goods as they come – just sweet enough to be satisfying.