130 Hardin St.
Boone (828) 264-8657
We ate supper at the Dan’l Boone one hot August night. The Dan’l Boone Inn is an icon for eating in Boone, so we had to check it out. They are online at www.danlbooneinn.com .
Ray: The menu here is set, and mostly unvarying: fried chicken, country style steak, country ham biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cut sweet corn, stewed apples, coleslaw, biscuits, choice of dessert, soup or salad, and beverage. The food here is served all-you-can-eat family style, meaning the above items are brought out in bowls and each person serves their own plate. Truly a porker’s paradise! We weren’t given a choice of soup or salad, we immediately received a salad, and apparently Ranch is the only dressing choice, a drawback if you prefer some other dressing. The salad was very fresh and tasty, however.
Tom: Yeah, and its odd that we got a salad when the meal also came with cole slaw. The slaw was kind of runny (I don’t like it to have liquid) and sort of a single shade of green throughout, but it was tasty. Not much but green cabbage with a hint of carrot and a molecule or two of purple cabbage.
Ray: The chicken is excellent, not greasy at all, and with a nice mixture of spices in the breading.
Tom: Tasty but there was a lot of fried crust that may not be greasy but is loaded with oils. Pass the Lipitor, please!
Ray: The ham biscuits are likewise very good. However, the country style steak could be much, much better. To me, the Dan’l Boone Inn country style steak tastes like it is made from a cheap meat patty with fillers.
Tom: I agree that the steak was lame. I am not a fan of this type but it can be better than this. The ham biscuits were good enough to take the extras with us (I am surprised they refilled that dish!). I found the ordinary (non-ham-filled) biscuits to be a little redundant.
Ray: You need them to maneuver your food, you moron. Not all of us are slobs!
All the veggies were very good, although the stewed apples could have benefited from a bit more cinnamon. Even the coleslaw was very good, and I generally don’t like coleslaw by itself.
Tom: I thought the corn was sort of average, maybe Jolly Green Giant [make note: dumpster dive to determine this…]. The green beans are good ol’ southern style, cooked with, I am sure, hamhocks. They are classically cooked until devoid of vitamins, but very tasty. No steamed-style beans for pinky-lifting pansies here! I did like the mashed potatoes but preferred to top them with extra dark gravy from the steak platter rather than the light cream gravy.
Ray: For dessert we had a choice of strawberry shortcake or a cobbler. I chose the shortcake, and was not disappointed. It was very tasty, with fresh strawberries and lots of them. I washed this giant meal down with several glasses of quite good sweet iced tea.
Tom: Yeah, the tea was just strong enough and almost sweet enough for me!
Ray: The atmosphere at the Dan’l Boone Inn is pure country. Lots of antique wreckage on the walls, home-style tables with comfy chairs, and big picture windows overlooking the small yard and flower gardens in front. There was no music playing in the background when we visited, but that actually fits in with the theme of the restaurant: family style (I don’t remember music playing in the background at meal times at home when I was a kid… do you?).
Tom: Heck, I grew up in the 60’s so our background music was the voice of Dan Rather!
I thought it was odd that in the waiting area there is a shotgun not secured to the wall. I would make a joke about this but I don’t want a visit by Tom Ridge!
Ray: The china here is much nicer than is found in most restaurants in Boone — however, the flatwear is very, very flimsy, and reminds me of the flatwear from my high school cafeteria: thin, stamped out utensils from China.
Tom: The tea glasses were even some kind of faux crystal–better than most locations around here. Some of the larger tables have lazy Susans for making it convenient for the “family” to eat. Most of the crow I saw was older, but I understand it is a strategic (spell that “all-u-can-eat”) location for visiting parents to take their college kids.
Ray: With the single exception of the country style steak, the Dan’l Boone Inn is a great place to go for a tasty and very, very large meal. The atmosphere is relaxing, the service is good, and the price, considering the amount (all you can eat) and variety of food that you get, is dirt cheap. Because of this, the Inn is very popular. Expect long lines on weekends around traditional meal times.
Tom: Yes, and you might as well leave home without your American Express, since they do not take plastic. There is one of those little “ATM” machines inside that I would guess charge you as much for access as the meal. By the way, it is a baker’s dozen dollars per meal, flat rate.
Ray: I would recommend the Dan’l Boone Inn to anyone without reservation.
Tom: I’m not sure you can get reservations here. Say, is that one of those ham biscuits in your pocket or are you …
Ray: Don’t say it.
GPS Coordinates
Lat: 36° 12.972′
Lon: 81° 40.501′
Menu: none (see text)
Health Inspection reports
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