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The mission of the restaurant states, "Classic American food with unique California flavors in the heart of historic Jamestown." We're talking about The Smoke Cafe, a classic, "old school" diner located in the Mother Lode town of Jamestown, CA. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's just past 08:00 in the morning opening time of The Smoke Cafe, on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, and I've arrived in historic downtown Jamestown to enjoy an amazing breakfast in the beautiful Mother Lode region of California.
Photo: Do you like the color "green?" The walls and partitions of the entire restaurant are painted green, with white trim, which, in my opinion, makes for an attractive decor. As you enter the restaurant, an "old school" black board lets you know you've arrived at The Smoke Cafe; the daily special board hasn't been posted, as the restaurant has just opened.
Photo: The dining room is interesting as it's actually two levels, with the second level being about three steps higher than the lower level. The lower level furniture is all booths, while the upper level features a combination of booths and tables. If you like a "granny smith apple green" color, you're in luck, as the all the walls are painted that color, which works in harmony with the red tile floor. The walls are decorated with framed photos, taken by local photographers, and each photo is for sale. The kitchen is located at the extreme rear of the restaurant. Besides for-sale photographs, there is a television monitor, tuned to country music videos. I found the song, "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" to be quite appropriate on this early Tuesday morning.
Photo: The kitchen staff was busy preparing a to-go order, which must have been ordered long before the restaurant opened.
Photo: Cassidy rings up a customer who has just picked up a large to-go order. The Smoke Cafe is mostly "old school" with the exception of the infrastructure, as I noticed orders and checkout seemed to rely on computers, along with a speak/listen Wi-Fi device.
Photo: From the upper section, I could look out the front door into the small, gated patio the restaurant offers, which includes several tables. The patio is friendly, both to diners and their companions, including dogs. That's Main Street in the distance beyond the sidewalk, but there's not much "action" happening on the street this early Tuesday morning, as Jamestown is a small town, located in a rural county in central California.
Photo: Meet Kymberly, a friendly, local Jamestown resident, who, along with her son's dog, are enjoying the morning on the patio. Kymberly enjoyed a cup of coffee, and I'm not sure what the dog enjoyed, but he looks happy. Each table in the restaurant, and on the patio, is set with a full assortment of condiments, including Cholula Mexican Hot Sauce. The patio is "dog friendly" to all well-behaved dogs, and the restaurant inside is "friendly" to all service animals.
Photo: The breakfast menu at The Smoke Cafe features all of your breakfast "comfort food" and everything a breakfast lover could desire. The Smoke Cafe is serious about breakfast, and breakfast - or lunch - is offered any time the restaurant is open. Click on THIS LINK or the menu image to view the complete menu. You can order from the breakfast or lunch menu, as anything listed on the menu is available anytime the restaurant is open. As usual, I was tempted with a cheeseburger, but in the end, the "Country Fried Steak" got my attention, along with my order.
Photo: After I placed my order, Cassidy began to update yesterday's specials into "today's specials." Just as she finished, I began to have company, as the dining room began to fill up.
Photo: Alright, it's September 20th, and the "Specials Board" is dated the 19th, but it's all good! Specials change daily, and are listed and updated every day on the white board.
Photo: Meet Cassidy, my amazingly friendly hostess, who brought my delicious breakfast to me with a warm and friendly smile. Cassidy not only brought a delicious breakfast, but she treated me like family.
Photo: I'm a happy guy as Tiffany took my photo, as I'm ready to enjoy my breakfast of country fried eggs, refried beans, eggs and toast. When it comes to drinks, I'm quite modest, as my drink of choice is usually ice water.
Photo: From the "Breakfast - Served All Day" section of the menu, I went for, "Hand-breaded country fried steak with country gravy and eggs." My side of choice was in-house-made beans, my eggs fried over easy, and sourdough toast. The side choice is vast, as hash browns, home fries, biscuit, pancake fresh fruit or beans can be ordered... how could I ever resist in-house-made refried beans as my side of choice? The "star" of this "old school" breakfast was the hand-breaded country fried steak, which was, indeed... seasoned, hand-breaded and pounded tender, into shape. Naturally it was deep fried to a darker, crispy brown, and covered with LOTS of thick, delicious country gravy. I'd like to add the gravy was thick, rich, flavorful and had LARGE chunks of sausage... the chunks of sausage actually stuck out of the gravy! Folks, that's "chunky" gravy, certainly! The two eggs were perfectly fried, over easy, as I ordered, which shows the chef has talent, as it isn't easy to deliver a perfectly fried egg, over easy. Cassidy pointed out to me the refried beans are made in-house daily, and one taste of the delicious beans made a believer out of me, as cans simply don't happen at The Smoke Cafe. The beans were rich, creamy, smooth and seasoned, with just a hint of... dare I say? ... lard? Or was I simply imagining? The beans were simply delicious, and as much as I adore hash browns, good, in-house-made refried beans are always a welcome diversion from hash browns. The beans were simply delicious, and reminded me of refried beans that I've enjoyed during the many trips I've taken to Baja California, Mexico. Magna's Tacos Restaurant y Bar, located in La Mision, serves the kind of refried beans that I LOVE for breakfast. The chef at The Smoke Cafe must have paid a visit to Magna's, as their refried beans taste deliciously similar. The sourdough toast was perfectly toasted, buttered with real butter, and was simply delicious. I used a piece to mop up every bit of gravy from my plate, which must have made the staff happy, as my plate was "finger-lickin' clean." The Smoke Cafe's combination of an amazing country fried steak, topped with chunky sausage gravy, refried beans and perfectly fried eggs makes for a breakfast that would bring a smile to a Tuolumne County "foodie," or anybody who loves a diner-style breakfast that tastes like mom's home cookin'. In a single word... DELICIOUS!
Photo: How can you go wrong with Mexican-style, in-house-made refried beans, country fried steak, topped with the chunkiest gravy in Tuolumne Country, and two perfectly fried eggs? Delicious "Americana" cuisine at The Smoke Cafe. When you dine at The Smoke Cafe, you'll enjoy delicious, classic, "Americana" diner cuisine, served by friendly staff, in the heart of historic Jamestown. If you're a Tuolumne County "foodie," or anybody who craves delicious "comfort food" diner cuisine, all roads point to The Smoke Cafe, located in Jamestown, CA. The Smoke Cafe Copyright(c) 2022 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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