Adam & Eats: Sisters Gourmet Bistro

Editor’s note: Adam Brandt is a graduate from the Cobra Kai School of Culinary Callousness, where he received their highest award, the Red Apron of Merciless Eating. Aside from eating and talking about eating, he makes pots, paintings, prints, books, photographs, and generally, a big mess. He has been the studio assistant at Mudpuppy Pottery for almost nine years and is attending a local university in a desperate attempt to earn a biology degree.

A restaurant that has recently been the subject of controversy just so happens to be a place that I heard serves one heck of a breakfast. Although, I found the place to be less than controversial, I did find their breakfast to be awesome.

Located on historic Main Street in Van Buren, is the notorious Sisters Gourmet Bistro.

Some people say the fact that Sisters serves alcoholic beverages is a big deal. Some say otherwise. I, along with many others, have no particular opinion about it one way or the other. People, in general, do not visit the quaint little café in order to get tore up from the floor up. They go there to eat simple food prepared with a gourmet flair.

On my most recent visit, I was on a mission to sample their all-day breakfast menu. A recent bout with a stomach bug that is going around found my tank a little empty and in need of something particularly scrumptious. Luckily, Sisters had just what the doctor ordered, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

First, we must consider the restaurant itself. The whole concept of this restaurant is quite brilliant and way ahead of its time. Well, for our area it is anyway. The concept of serving traditional comfort foods, but with a treatment of fine dining is quite ingenious.

From the well-dressed waitstaff, to the cloth napkins and tablecloths, the place has the feel of a restaurant that you would be lucky to walk out off spending less than $100. In reality you’ll wind up spending around $30 and walk out stuffed to the gills and carrying a doggie bag. It seems almost fitting with the theme of the place that you can now order a glass of wine with your dinner. Even if you choose to order something like deep fried pickles or catfish with hush puppies.

Like I mentioned before, their breakfast menu had my number, so that’s where we’ll focus our attention in the food department.

Right out of the gate, they get big bonus points for offering a chicken fried steak combo. They also get more points for the steak being big enough to feed two professional football players. Add two eggs whichever way you want them, hash browns, and toast or a biscuit and gravy to the mix and you can pretty much cancel all of your plans for the rest of the day on account of an emergency nap session. Not only is it massive, it is also wonderfully delicious. I suggest getting your eggs over medium and getting a forkful of eggs, steak, and hash browns, rolling it in gravy, and stuffing it into your mouth. It is magical.

The other fan-friggin-tastic item on the breakfast menu, which so happens to live up to its name, is the awesome breakfast sandwich. Thick-cut, buttery jalapeno bread topped with two eggs (any style), two sausage patties, pepper jack cheese, and crispy hash browns is a spicy flavor adventure in every bite. Somehow, all of the peppers manage not to overwhelm the taste and simply enhance the experience.

Overall, Sisters is a great place to eat. Please, don’t let your views of their newly acquired liquor license stand in the way of your chance to eat a great meal. Until next week, good eating.

Feedback
When he’s not beating his eggs, Adam makes time to respond to e-mails that get past his hard-ass spam filter. You can try to reach him at [email protected]

Adam also has this thing called Sandwich Control.