Sarah H.
Yelp
Quick rating (out of 5)
Cleanliness: 4/5
Environment: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5
Food Quality: 3/5
Staff and Friendliness: 5/5
We visited the well-established Midvale Miners Cafe & Catering for a late brunch, with a particular interest in the scones that were popular on Yelp. We went at a time which wouldn't accurately reflect a busy, breakfast-rush environment. It was plenty busy but I think the late hour affected the food quality, which I will explain below. I think it's an important consideration.
The restaurant is in an older neighborhood with limited parking next to a "Discovery Inn" motel. In my opinion, the area is a bit...undesirable. I didn't feel very comfortable outside the restaurant.
The cafe has retained its themed decor and atmosphere over time, which was lots of mining memorabilia such as pickaxes, shovels, fun signs, and other curiosities. The dining area has booths, tables, and breakfast bar that keeps its vintage experience alive. It is -very- casual. We were seated immediately.
We ordered the chicken fingers, steak and eggs, and breaded pork chops with a scone and honey butter as a side. We also ordered coffee. Just an FYI, the restaurant only has diet Coke as a choice for low or no-calorie sodas.
The chicken fingers came out so fast I that figured that most of it was already prepared. The freshest part of the meal was the chicken fingers while the fries were old and the corn was cool. They were pretty standard fare fingers; nothing particularly special but my son was happy with them.
The steak and eggs were a cut above. The steak was tasty and not overcooked, which was a pleasant surprise. We usually end up with drier, well-done steaks when ordered for breakfast in other diners, such as Black Bear or Denny's. The eggs were over medium and as expected.
The breaded pork chops were hot and thick, but tough, while the hash browns, toast, and scrambled eggs were cool. The hash browns were especially disappointing as they were fried but left to sit so that even the crunchy parts were soft. The eggs had that sort of powdery texture that I sometimes experience at buffets or large catered events, rather than the out-of-the-carton type or even -fresh- eggs. It seemed to me that everything was pre-cooked and sitting except for the fried foods and the steak. Again, maybe this is a consequence of it having been past the breakfast rush, but this is still pretty unacceptable.
The best part of the meal was the "scones", which are not scones at all, but a lovely fried bread that is very much like a donut, minus the glaze (and are pretty large!). They are really yummy! They were delicious with the weird, bottled honey butter mixture, but these would be awesome with chocolate drizzle, ice cream, whipped cream, fruit, you name it. These are really good. You can order these in batches at the diner and pick them up separately from a meal. These will make someone happy, trust me.
The visit overall was disappointing, except for the scones. We won't go back for the food, but I do plan on ordering some scones for my son's next birthday party.
**For my ASD (autism spectrum) families and friends** The noise level was high in the diner, especially with high-pitched clanking of silverware and plates. I'd bring sound dampeners like muffs or earplugs to ensure that anyone with sensory sensitivities has a good time.
