ma gooch's, cleveland, ga

The new job took me to Cleveland, GA just a few weeks ago. I apologize for the delay in the update, but it's not like anyone is reading this regularly enough to matter anyhow.

I woke up pretty early by today's standards and headed out towards Cleveland, GA where I was to train the middle school teachers of White County. I don't like surprises on the road so I always plan to arrive at least an hour early. Today, I was more on track for two hours early because I over-estimated the time it would take to make copies at Kinko's on the way. I hadn't really eaten breakfast and was seriously in need of a decent cup of black coffee. I arrived at the town square of Cleveland and surmised that it was really more of a town circle in the style of a European round-a-bout. It was difficult to look for a restaurant while keeping the other cars at bay and looking for the right street so I ended up just going along my route, hoping something else would turn up ahead. I turned again on my route and ended up at a little place that looked inviting enough and relatively new. Turns out they only accept cash and I only had $5 so it's off to the bank. Double back on my route back towards town and I see another place that looks much more "worn in" while sitting at the traffic light. Got some cash, came back to the new find. The first store's loss if you ask me for not taking plastic. I found myself at Ma Gooch's in the heart of Cleveland, GA.

It's a pretty neat place, a building in the corner of a parking lot of a somewhat larger shopping center. When you come in, you can either be seated at the table section to the left or the diner side to the right. Of course I chose the diner side. They let me pick my own table which is always a source of anxiety for me. I never choose the right table it seems, always picking the wobbly one or the booth where the table is too close to the seat on both sides. Got lucky and picked a decent one for once.

The cook was out at the bar and I asked him what was good there. Of course he started rattling off the whole menu. So, I figured I'd go with my country breakfast standard. Two eggs scrambled, patty sausage, biscuit and gravy. I'm so vanilla when it comes to breakfast. But it does at least let me compare different restaurants on a level playing field. Speaking of, I had a hard time adjusting to the regular meal style breakfast while I was in Japan a few years back. Sorry, just can't do soup, fish, etc. for breakfast, too. My stomach is too conditioned after years of good, old American style breakfast, heavy on the starches please!

Anyhow, coffee was standard diner fare, not spectacular but definitely drinkable. The eggs were awesome, not too greasy, not browned on the edges. That's one of my biggest peeves with scrambled eggs. I have trouble not browning them, but then again I don't cook them everyday for a paycheck. Sausage was good, hand-formed patties which is rare these days. And the biscuit and gravy combo was dead-on, little chunks of sausage in the gravy with a little saltiness to it and just the right consistency on the gravy. Biscuit was standard fare, but at least it was fully cooked.

I also had an interesting chat with the cook after he prepared my order. It was about 10:30 and they were kind of between breakfast and lunch. He was wearing a New England Patriots hat so I asked him if he was from up north. Turns out that he was born and raised in Georgia so I ragged him about being a fair-weather fan but then asked him seriously about why the NE hat. He gave me a story about how he was watching one of their Super Bowl appearances (didn't ask specifically, so it could have been any of the last 22 games since they're always in it) with his dear ol' Grandma, just before she died. He said it was the last memory he had of her and they were rooting for the Pats so he sort of just became a fan. Said he's a Falcons fan as well, but they haven't been doing well. I concurred and stated my reasons for not being a huge fan in recent years due to their "thug team" stylings. A few more personnel changes and I might bring myself to be able to watch them again.

Anyhow... a great diner-style breakfast if you find yourself in Cleveland, GA for whatever reason. You might stop in on your way to Babyland General, birthplace (literally) of Cabbage Patch Kids, or to the local zoo, Wildlife Wonders, as seen on Dirty Jobs, or even on your way to hokey ass Helen, GA. And just in case you're wondering, Ma Gooch's will take credit cards, unlike the other place I almost stopped at.