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1675 NC Highway 105
Boone (828) 262-5400
We recently revisited the Sunrise Grill
Ray: I started off with a cup of the chili, subbed for the chips that would have come with my sandwich. This time the chili was much better, although still a bit light on spice. The broth was also a bit too sweet for my tastes. Overall good though, hence my new rating of 3.5 chilies, up from 1 chili last time. A great improvement!
Tom: I ordered the soup of the day instead of chili. It was a chicken and wild rice, cream-based soup. It was actually very good–a unexpected surprise in this type of informal restaurant.
Ray: For main course, I had the very tasty Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. This is a breast of chicken, breaded and fried, with a very spicy buffalo wing sauce covering the chicken. Yummy! It’s not often that I find a meal that meets my spice specifications, but this one did. As an added bonus, I was happy to find that the lettuce and tomatoes on the sandwich were fresh and tasty. No gas-ripened tomatoes here, despite it being the depths of winter here in the High Country. The only things that could have improved the sandwich would have been the use of a real Kaiser roll instead of a hamburger bun, and a better dill pickle spear.
Tom: I had the meatball sub again, to compare to other restaurant’s as well as the one I had here last time. The sandwich continues my disappointment in meatball subs in Boone, started with the equally bland meatball sub at Pepper’s. It was no worse than Peppers’ sub but just not spicy enough. Maybe it’s just me but hamburger meatballs in a supposedly Italian sub are pointless. These should be Italian Sausage meatballs! If the Sunrise would make this change would put them in the lead for meatball subs in Boone. It was, as Randy would say on American Idol, “just Okay, dog!”
Ray: The decor here consists of a collection of college pennants, sports posters, and other miscellaneous wreckage that gives the Sunrise a nice, informal atmosphere. There was classic rock playing lightly in the background, and there were a couple of TVs for watching sporting events. The tables and booths are nice, simple, and surprisingly comfy to be made totally of wood, but the chairs have seen better days — they could use a coat of paint.
Tom: Well, at least it did not have an all too common suspended ceiling with missing or stained tiles. It was actual sheet rock, and (appropriately?) with a popcorn finish. The morning I had breakfast (see box below), the waitress was repairing one of the tables between serving guests. Kind of annoying.
Are you ready to rant some about the service?
Ray: The service was fast and courteous, and more importantly correct, with no errors in my order, much better than last time.
Tom: Yeah, when I had breakfast here I timed it from order to serving as about 5 minutes–pretty good!
Ray: In stark contrast with our previous visit, this meal was tasty, well prepared, and ample. Things certainly seem to have improved at the Sunrise. I would now recommend the Sunrise to those looking for a tasty lunch at a good price. We’ll have to sample the breakfasts here, however, before passing final judgment.
Tom: I agree–an improvement indeed. I’ll drop in for some more meals, I’m sure.
Tom: I made a solo breakfast run just after this to test their morning fare. I had the “Grillmans Special,” a plate of grilled potatoes (about twice the size of dice) cooked with onions and green peppers, topped with two eggs (mine over easy), and bread–I chose toast rather than biscuits ($5.59). The potatoes were a bit uneven, with some almost not cooked enough but most nicely done–I would guess that the fresher ones were added to some cooked earlier, to fill out the very generous plate.
It was actually quite good, although I needed to order a side of bacon since it really lacked a bit in not coming with any breakfast meat. That was three thick slices, good but a tad greasy (yes, maybe breakfast should be greasy but it could have been drained for a moment on paper towels).
Speaking of that, I think the Sunrise needs napkin dispensers to provide a bit more grease-relief for hands, beyond the one napkin the silverware comes wrapped in.
Overall, it was reasonably good and certainly a generous portion–I could not quite finish it. The coffee was Okay–it was not burnt as in some places that leave it on the warmer too long. But, a bit watery. That should be two scoops per 5 or 6 oz cup brewed–don’t cheat!
GPS Coordinates
Lat: 36° 12.079′
Lon: 81° 40.910′
Menu (prices may change)
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