Only One Item On The Menu?

Anyone know of places that serve just one, two or three items on their menu besides the side dishes and do really well? Like "Killer Shrimp" or "In & Out Burger".

When I was growing up near the Chesapeake, that was an entire genre of restaurant: the crab house (see http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2005/07_29-10/ENT ). The standard scene was well-contructed (often picnic style) wooden tables covered with newspaper onto which a big pot of just-boiled hard crabs would be dumped. You were given a bib, a nut-cracker for the claws and a beer, and you would be transported to crab-lover heaven. Some such places did also serve shrimp which had been boiled like the crabs for the whimps like me (as a kid) and a few branched out to crab cakes and "she-crab" soup, but the boiled hard crabs were what almost everybody ordered.

Dearfolk,
The original Dreamland location in Jerusalem Heights in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has only ribs with bread. You can't get more limited than that.
Similarly, Holcomb's BBQ in White Plains, Georgia (on GA. 15) has only pork BBQ with either hash or stew (I forget which) and slaw with tea, or you can buy a soda out of the machine. - I need to go back there when the price of gas comes down a whet.
'Cuelessly (But Not Cluelessly), Ort. Carlton in Lovely Athens.

I was at a roadside stand close to Selma, AL directly across the main highway from a fish farm. A gentleman had a business that sold only one product and that was fried catfish on a bun with hot sauce. The neat thing about it was each fish was fileted on the spot and fried while you waited. It does not get any fresher than that. He sold no drinks or sides. It was that or nothing and he had a line of folks waiting.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

There was a guy in the summer in my little village of Bavay, France who had a sausage and "frites" (French fries) stand. We'd wait in line for 45 minutes to get a large cone of piping hot, hand-cut fries with Sauce Americaine (imagine tartar with ketchup and hot sauce added) and a beautifully grilled sausage. We called him "Le Roi des Frites".....The French Fry King. He made a fortune on that little business and had one of the most beautifully renovated farmhouses in the entire North of France.

In Lawrence, Ks. in the '70s there was a place called the Red Lion, run by a guy and his family. Bill had been a sailor and mess hall cook, and he would make 1 meal a day. It would always vary, but always be excellent. The deal was you ate whatever Bill decided to cook that day. He referred to everyone, male and female, as darlin' and you weren't allowed to complain, lest ye be asked to leave. The food was uniformly excellent home cookin', the price was right, and you had to know it was there on a side street in downtown. The only advertising was a ceramic Red Lion in the window of an old cafe. No other signs, just word of mouth. It was just one of his many ventures, and he left to service his wanderlust a few years later,

I've seen a few places near the Smokies that sell only boiled, or fried peanuts, and pork cracklins. Last place I stopped at also sold wooden canes, too.

The dudes in the Smokies that sell the boiled peanuts are great. They sell them soaked with jalapeno, chili and just plain boiled. They are great and they are super just like they are.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

We have a place a few miles up the road outside of Williamsport, PA. It's called Henry's BBQ. They have their signature sandwiches, side choices are fries or cole slaw or applesauce. They may have hot dogs for picky eaters and kids. Aside from Drinks thats about the extent of it.

Henry's probably deserves a post of its own, I will have to do a vist there (its been a couple years) and make a post. It's different than any BBQ I ever had. The meat choices are Beef, Ham, Pork, Turkey & Canadian Bacon. They really don't have a traditional type sauce, the meat is cooked in what I would consider a cross between sauce and broth. The sandwiches are served with a pickle relish topping.

They taste great, whatever they are!

Dan

At Bill's BBQ in Mason City, IA, your only choice is if you want ribs or more ribs.

In Japan one item or one ingredient places are the standard not the exception. If you see a place with a large crab on the front don't expect anything but crab.

And businessmen (AKA Salarymen) lunch places are usually often no choice except whatever was cooked that day. You sit down, the green tea is brought, ritual greetings are made and within thirty seconds you food is delivered. You had to go to a coffee shop to get an after meal coffee if desired.

As Kaneshige-san would say "Most efficient, yes?"

Snappy's in Mt. Airy, NC. The pork chop sandwich, ice tea, and a bag of chips.

I only serve hot dogs and Coke products at my cart. No fries, no chips, no Pepsi!

Nancy's Diner in Columbus, OH gets by with only serving one item per day. When I was in grad school in the mid-90s I could have told you what the special was every day of the week. Back then a meal was $3.50 and that included your drink. It think it is all the way up to $5.00 now but it's still a good deal for the amount of food you get. The only days I know now are Thursday, which is chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes day and Wednesday which is meatloaf day.

to alerus & other interested parties
Main use for this type of condiment is on Italian beef, Italian sausage sandwiches on french/italian crispy bread.
Can be used on hotdogs to give them a greater ooooomph.
Chicagoland hot called garden dogs purchased usually are covered with pickel/cucumber, mustard, catsup, relish, slaw. Of course you can pick and choose if you wish to inform server.
I love to reminesce.
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quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

The dudes in the Smokies that sell the boiled peanuts are great. They sell them soaked with jalapeno, chili and just plain boiled. They are great and they are super just like they are.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Not just in the Smokies. When I worked at the U. of FL hospital in Gainesville, some guy used to come through selling bags of boiled peanuts to all the staff. But, of course, he wasn't running a restaurant.

If you want to include stands and the like, there's of course the dungeness cocktail places on Fisherman's Wharf.