You may think you’re going to click into Poor Man’s Café’s Facebook page for a quick peek at the daily special, but you’ll soon find yourself whiling away a pleasant chunk of time scrolling from one affirmation or endearing image to another: “Love and blessings for your Sunday”; “Always find time for the things you enjoy in life”; “Hang on! The week’s almost over.” Between a squirrel dropping in with a morning greeting and a rooster inquiring after your health, there is no room for anything but a smile.
Owner Rhonda Burgess has, indisputably, one of the friendliest, most feel-good places on social media. And the diner itself is even better.
Bright and airy, with purple counter and yellow seating, this family-owned and operated eatery in Stamping Ground is the kind of place you’ll want to spend many a morning and afternoon, enjoying the simple pleasures while tucking into Rhonda’s down home country cooking – much of it made from generations of family recipes.
Country ham with a choice of two sides – pinto beans, baked apples, macaroni and cheese and mashed taters and gravy; homemade meatloaf, mashed taters, brown gravy, seasoned green beans and a roll; open-faced roast beef, homemade broccoli casserole or coleslaw; fresh ground hamburgers, patted out every day, and piled with fresh lettuce and thick slices of tomato and onion and served with crinkle-cut fries; pulled pork barbecue, chips and coleslaw.
And Poor Man’s Café’s number one specialty? Chicken livers hand-battered with Kentucky’s own Weisenberger Flour and served with mashed taters, seasoned green beans and coleslaw. The chicken liver dish is so beloved among diners that the restaurant churns out 80 pounds of this Southern fried delicacy every third Thursday and Rhonda has to warn everybody: “You better come early.
“It brings the crazies out,” she says.
Coleslaw shows up as a side with several daily specials and there’s good reason for that. It is a mix of fresh cabbage and carrots tossed in a secret-recipe sauce.
“My mom makes it from her grandmother’s recipe,” says Rhonda. “People come from all around just to get the coleslaw.”
Desserts include peach cake, chocolate pie and butterscotch pie – all homemade by Rhonda’s mom. Customer favorites are the Poor Man’s Butterfinger cake and old-fashioned oatmeal cake.
The desserts are as sweet as the messages Poor Man’s Café regularly posts on its Facebook page: “The most important gifts you can give are your love, time and attention”; “Make today so awesome yesterday gets jealous!”; “Always end the day with a positive thought.”
Poor Man’s Café’s is open for in-person dining (following the governor’s mandates relating to COVID-19) and for curbside pickups. Check the Facebook page for daily specials (and daily affirmations). For more information, call 502-535-7700. Updated information about Georgetown restaurants offering onsite dining, curbside pickup and delivery may be found here.
Recipe: The RC Burger
This cheeseburger topped with grilled onions that cooks in its own butter is named for Rowen Covington, a regular at Poor Man’s Café who invented it.
Ingredients:
- Butter
- 2 pieces white bread
- 1 slice American cheese
- Onion, sliced or chopped
- Hamburger patty
Directions:
Butter one side of both pieces of the bread. Lay them in a pan and toast.
In another pan, start the hamburger and mash it flat. Place the onions around the burger and sauté. Once the burger is done, place it on one piece of the toasted bread and top with a slice of cheese. Let the cheese melt. Add the onions, cover with the other piece of bread and finish toasting.
Find other tasty recipes from Georgetown restaurants here.
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