Christine’s not fixin’ what ain’t broke

Why: Christine’s is a longtime favorite neighborhood breakfast and lunch spot open seven days a week. A year-and-a-half ago, Cynthia Hughes took over ownership. The comfort-food menu has not changed much and the restaurant remains as welcoming and homey as ever.

What I tried: I settled on the two-egg breakfast with eggs over easy, hash browns and a biscuit with gravy, which I substituted for the standard toast. My dining companion had the jalapeno-and-mushroom omelette breakfast special with toast. He substituted cubed home fries for the accompanying hash browns.

Hash browns are made fresh every day. There is nothing quite like fresh, thick-shredded hash browns to accompany a couple of perfectly cooked over-easy eggs. The hash browns were not greasy and they were browned just right for my liking. Biscuits and gravy are made from scratch at Christine’s. The biscuits are heavy and dense (and huge) and the gravy has crumbled and fried sausage in it. I found it savory and filling; and there was enough gravy to accompany each bite to the very last of the biscuit. I appreciated that the gravy did not become too thick as it cooled, as some gravies tend to do.

My dining companion equally enjoyed his omelette. The spicy heat from the jalapenos did not disappoint. The cubed home fries were golden and crispy without any add-ins.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: If breakfast is your favorite meal of the day, you will likely have a difficult time settling on what to have. The breakfast menu has a lot of traditional options such as chicken fried steak; a pancake special, to which you can add blueberries, that comes with bacon or sausage and eggs; a French toast platter; a big scramble with everything in it; several omelettes, or you can create your own; and a breakfast sandwich loaded with a quarter-pound sausage patty, pit ham steak or three strips of bacon on an English muffin with two eggs and cheese. The lunch menu includes sandwiches, salads, soups, burgers, a fish basket and coconut shrimp. Sides cost $1 to $5. Beverages include Pepsi products, hot chocolate, coffee, lemonade, Italian sodas, tea, juice, and milk.

Atmosphere: The once blue house has been painted a warm, sunny yellow. Inside, ’90s-style wallpaper decorates portions of walls. Oak wainscot reaches up to the chair rail in old-time fashion. The dining floor is full of farm-style tables and chairs, and the wrap-around counter situated in the middle around the hostess station offers barstool seating.

Other observations: The service at Christine’s has retained that welcoming, friendly quality that makes you feel like a special guest. As far as any changes, other than the painted exterior, I was told it is a work in progress. Who knows what else will change as time goes by, but as the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So, if nothing changes, I would not be surprised.

Cost: At breakfast, house specials are $4.75 to $13.50. From the griddle options are $5 to $10.50. Omelettes cost $9 to $14. Potato dishes are $9 to $12. Lunch salads cost $3.25 to $12.50. Soup and chili is $3.50 to $6.50. Sandwiches range from $6.75 to $12. Burgers cost $8 to $12.50. From the fryer entrees are $11 to $13.