Adam & Eats: D’s Family Restaurant

 

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.

One day recently I decided I wanted, no, needed, a chili dog. What’s a man to do?

Answer: find the biggest, most awesomely disgusting and delicious chili dog ever. Ever.

Located off Alma Highway in Van Buren is D’s Family Restaurant. It is a little tricky to get to D’s. It involves driving through parking lots, but once you get there the stress you underwent to find the place will seem well worth it. That is, if you like truck stops.

Despite the mildly shabby exterior and the moderately shabby interior, the place has a lot of charm. At least all of the waitresses call you “hon” and the sweet tea is strong. What gives D’s it’s charm is not its décor, it is how incredibly unapologetic they are about serving delicious monstrosities. So without further ado, I’m going to get to the food.

The first thing I want to mention are their hushpuppies. These little cornbread fritters are spectacular. Perfectly moist without being undercooked, these little fellas are bites of happiness with a little kick of cayenne right at the end.

The next thing on my list of endearing items at D’s is the country fried steak. You could order the 4 ounce, but for $8 the 11-ouncer is the better deal. And let me tell you, it is so big that it comes on its own plate (which it completely covers). It also doesn’t hurt that it is tasty. If you were so inclined, your waitress would allow you to substitute your vegetable side dish for yet another heaping mound of mashed potatoes and gravy at no additional charge.

The final monster dish that I would to mention is the appropriately named “Sloppy Great Dane.” Lemme tell you, it is one big, messy dog. The half-pound, hot, juicy, 100% pure Black Angus hot dog is sure to have your fellow diners making jokes about your big wiener.

All joking aside, this beast of a tube steak comes served on buttery toasted bun, smothered in D’s notorious chili, and topped with grilled onions, spicy deli mustard, and cheese. It is so seriously evil that your tater tots will be running for the hills. Running for their lives. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist a chance to make an Iron Maiden reference. Moving on.)

The rest of their dishes are all right, but those three take the cake. If you don’t feel like having a coronary embolism in the next few hours, then perhaps you should try one of the following dishes.

The taco salad is above average and is better with chicken than beef. The chicken tenders are pretty friggin’ awesome when combined with a plate full of country style fried potatoes. And I have it on pretty good authority that the Philly cheese steak is great for around here. If none of that floats your boat, there’s always the buffet where you’re sure to find something to wet your appetite.

Overall, D’s isn’t five-star dining, but it is solidly in the good category. Plus, for the amount of food you get it’s cheap. If you haven’t tried D’s, maybe a weekend outing is in order.

Until next week, good eating to you and yours.

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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.