Discount Center Cafeteria

US 250, Burton, WV - (304) 775-7781

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Posted By Michael Stern on 9/28/2006 5:10:00 PM

What do you need? A winter coat? A new carburetor? A box of ready-to-make macaroni and cheese? A loaf of soft white bread? A genuine West Virginia pepperoni roll? A cast-iron skillet? Penny candy? The Discount Center, by the side of Highway 250 in the tiny town of Burton, has it all … and then some. We stopped for brunch. (In fact, we stopped for a meal midway between breakfast time and lunch time. It's a certainty the word brunch has never been spoken in this down-to-earth place.)

Adjoining the all-purpose dry goods / hardware / automotive / grocery store is a strange little fluorescent-lit eating shed where, among a hodgepodge of merchandise and posters for automobile parts, breakfast and lunch are served at low, low prices. Seating is at booths or one long communal table covered with oilcloth.

We arrived too early for the daily special of chicken breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, beans, apple sauce and a biscuit ($4.89), but were delighted with breakfast of biscuits and gravy and an all-purpose true-country meal of soup beans and corn bread. As we dined at one of the booths, the lady who made the food chit-chatted with us and was horrified to learn that a good biscuit is hard to find in some parts of the country.

In truth these were not the best biscuits and cornbread we've ever eaten, but the latter crumbled mighty well into the soup beans, which were hammy and delicious.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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"Mild and filling, interlaced with nuggets of ham, these soup beans in their gentle broth are supreme comfort food. They're especially good if you crumble cornbread over the top."
Michael Stern

"Whatever you need, including something to satisfy an appetite, will likely be found in this one-size-fits-all shopping emporium."
Michael Stern

"Biscuits and gravy are available by one or by two. We had only one, but split in half on two plates so we both could fork into it with ease. The biscuit is soft enough to absorb lots of the sausage-rich gravy, which is beguilingly simple and not at all gluey like some."
Michael Stern

"A line at the top of the Discount Center Menu reminds customers: "Save $'s No Tipping""
Michael Stern

"From our booth, we had a good view of the communal table where lunch customers sit. Note the mismatched chairs. As it was mid-morning, we had the place pretty much to ourselves."
Michael Stern