jason j.
Yelp
Stopped in for an early dinner/late lunch around 330 PM on a Saturday. 3.5 stars edging to 4.
The restaurant has a nice modern look, however has a good amount of screens with sports on. kind of strange that most of the tables had ladies having brunch, but the many screens all had sports on. Just a strange mixed vibe.
I was able to sample many items.
We where given the brunch menu so be aware that they have several menus that are offered at given times. I asked the waitress about what the times and what we could order and I honestly did not understand the explanation.
Chips, queso, salsa, and guacamole: Nice crunchy thick chips. super fresh tasting quacamole. the salsa has just a touch of heat and good flavor. The queso was above average but was even better when you mixed in some of the salsa. I would say it was a good appetizer.
Kids eggs bacon and pancakes: I really like the kids meal concept on the cafeteria trays. All the kids meals have carrots apples, and a cookie. The bacon was large crispy pieces and the pancakes where big and fluffy. was a good meal for kids.
State Fare Breakfast: Large breakfast plate that should fill up the biggest appetite. You could probably get away with splitting it with a friend. However there is a stated $3 charge for splitting plates. The giant biscuit was good and the strawberry jam was very nice, I would honestly say this was the best thing on the plate. The sausage patties where large and had a nice crispiness to them. The bacon was large thick cuts with a bit of spice. scrambled eggs were ok. The hashbrowns were great on the ends, they where nicely cooked and crispy. However the middle was way undercooked, it was a big mushy mess. In the end this is a large plate. It was not bad, and its a good amount of food, but the whole time I was like "that's is a $20 breakfast plate". that being said I had a full breakfast worth of food to go.
Chicken Fried Steak and eggs: I really wanted to try out the Cathead biscuit and thought a large chicken fried steak would go great with it. I should have read the menu a little better as it states its only a 4oz steak. I was not only disappointed in the size of the steak, but also it was overcooked causing the breading to crumble off the meat, it was also tough. "probably from being cooked so long" and had a few large chunks of gristle. The white gravy had a good flavor, but was very watery and thin. The scrambled eggs where fine, nothing great. The hashbrowns had the same problem as the other plate, crunch on the edge and soggy in the middle. The cathead biscut was good, but honestly I should have just got one as a side and chose a different meal. All in all the steak put a negative spin on the meal.
Arnold Palmer Ice Tea. Funny story, it was one of the worst Arnold Palmers I have ever had. But I got about half way through my glass and decided I was just going to switch to an ice tea. However right about that time the server brings me a fresh glass, I did not have the heart to tell her it was bad and just drank my water instead.
In summary I think State Fare has some good things going for it. I just think that many people are going to be disappointed in some of the execution of some of the items. The portion sizes are good for the price, however many of the items where average to bellow average in taste. Probably the bacon, sausage, and biscuit being the best things about the meal and those only being slightly above average items. All in all I think the restaurant is fine, but I was not overly wowed by anything I tasted.
Its a nice place to catch brunch or breakfast with friends. I can recommend, but don't think I would return.