We had a couple of meals at Troy’s, first right after it changed hands (Mel’s had been there), but still had the old sign, and more recently after things had changed more.
1286 NC Highway 105
Boone, NC
828-265-1344
Web site:
Hours:
Monday -> Thursday: 7 AM -> 9 PM
Friday -> Saturday: 7 AM -> 11 PM
Sunday 7 AM -> 4 PM
Ray: I wanted to start out with a cup of chili, but unfortunately, the proprietors of Troy’s are under the highly mistaken impression that chili is only to be served in winter. I’ve never understood where this crazy idea came from, since it is always hot in Texas, and they serve chili year round. I thus passed on an appetizer.
Tom: I agree–it’s silly, and with global warming don’t even have a winter any more! Soon, I suppose no chili, either?
I had heard about their great, homemade soups so I had to try the soup d’ jour of the day.
Ray: From the Department of Redundancy Department?
Tom: Whatever. Anyway, it was a vegetarian pasta, with tomatoes, carrots, string beans, celery, corn and macaroni in a very tasty, spicy clear base. It was truly excellent.
Ray: For my meal, I had the hamburger all the way with crispy fries ($5.75).
The burger was very good, with a fresh bun, fresh veggies, and a good, well cooked patty. The fries were indeed crispy, a nice change from the greasy, soggy fries some places serve (hint: if you like crispy fries, order “fries, crispy”. Most places will oblige you… but if you don’t specify “crispy”, you’ll likely get the standard fare). I washed the burger down with a glass of iced tea ($1.60) which was a tad on the weak side, but not bad.
Tom: I had the Under the Boardwalk B.L.T., one of the Route 105 Sandwich Baskets. They are served with a pickle spear and fries, but I substituted the onion rings for the fries.
Ray: Trying to keep your cholesterol level up?
Tom: Hey! I just pop another Lipitor! Anyway, the onion rings were great, probably better than my previous #1 rating at Build Your Own Burger. There was a good dozen or so large rings with a nice sweet batter and not too greasy. These and BYOB’s are an order of magnitude above the fast-food offerings in Boone.
Ray: And the sandwich?…
Tom: The BLT was good, although they made it on white instead of the requested wheat. And, I think it had less bacon than your bacon burger–you had three large slices, more than my BLT.
Ray: But you reduced the dangers of saturated fat!
Tom: No, with the recent recalls on lettuce and tomatoes, the bacon is the safest ingredient! Seriously, a BLT should have more, well, B!
Also, the “Pickle Spear” listed on the menu turned out to be three, count them, three slices of dill pickle. Kind of meager.
Ray: Are you through ranting?
Tom: Yes. I won’t even go into the steaming half-pot of burning coffee visible on a sideboard hotplate.
I also had the tea, sweet–it was Okay for me. How did you find the presentation?
Ray: The burgers here are served in plastic baskets, pretty standard for a diner. The flatware was the same cheap stamped Chinese stainless most places seem to have these days. Nothing fancy, but Troy’s is after all a diner..
Tom: Yeah, and they had nice, large paper napkins for us sloppy eaters.
Ray: The atmosphere here is pure diner. The outside of the building is classic diner stainless steel, while the inside has the typical diner bar in front of the kitchen, with comfy booths in an adjacent room.
The music is provided by a juke box, which further adds to the diner motif.
Tom: But nobody actually played the juke box! It would be nice if they fed it change to keep a diner ambience with music all the time. Heck, get a DirecTV or Dish Network system and play the 50’s music channel.
Ray: My lunch here was good, just what you would expect at a diner. I was, however, profoundly disappointed that Troy’s has followed Pepper’s lead in refusing to serve chili during the summer. Inexcusable! I’ve had desserts here a couple of times, and they were very good. It’s too bad Troy’s hours have been cut back to a 9 PM close on most nights. One less place in town to go during the dead of night.
Tom: Yes, a diner should be open more hours.
Ray: I would recommend Troy’s as a good place to go for an informal meal, a dessert after having a meal elsewhere (or indeed right at Troy’s!), or for breakfast after a long night of studying (or partying).
The burger and fries were good, and the amount of fries substantial, far more than even a porker like me could eat.
Tom: I will come back, too. At least, if it’s open! Let’s return in winter to put their chili to a test!
Ray: Sounds like a plan!
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