Just Like Grandma's Cafe

On December 12, 2012 I had lunch at Just Like Grandma's, which was called the Piccadilly Grill the last time I had eaten there.

Grandma's is a small, hole-in-the-wall place that is very narrow, with maybe 15 stools at an L-shaped counter where you order and eat. There is also a small table up front next to the window. The kitchen is behind the counter, and you can see the food being prepared while you wait.

I was initially turned off by the smell of cigarette smoke when I entered, but decided to stay. I forgot to make notes about the menu, which was several 8-1/2 by 11-inch printed pages with a plastic cover. I ordered a chicken sandwich from the lady behind the counter, a friendly person who looked as if she could be someone's grandmother.

In a few minutes she returned to say that the larder was out of chicken. I then decided on a salad, but it turned out that several of the salads listed were also not available that day. We bargained back and forth, and I finally accepted her offer of a turkey salad sandwich on rye bread.

Meanwhile, a number of other patrons had come in and "Grandma" was busy providing them with menus and taking their orders. It may have been ten minutes before my sandwich was ready, along with a mug of warm cider that I had added to my order.

The sandwich was actually quite good when it finally came; I had thought that perhaps being a last-ditch substitute would have compromised its quality. The cider was also tasty. A black man with dreadlocks showed up after I had been there a while, and helped the lady behind the counter; I had the notion that he was in charge.

The place has a somewhat grungy appearance, probably from its years as the Piccadilly Grill. I believe it reopened in the late spring or early summer. At the moment, I rate it in the greasy spoon category, and OK if you're not turned off by that aspect. It seems to be a friendly place, and I'll try it again sometime when I'm not in a hurry.