Sikeston, Missouri. Lambert's Cafe.

We first ran into Lambert's Cafe back in 2004 when we spent the winter in Orange Beach, Alabama.  There are three Lambert's.  One is in Foley, Alabama and the other two are in Missouri.  We had never been to the one in Sikeston, but it was lunch time, so...

Sikeston is about halfway between St. Louis and Memphis and that alone demands that a good restaurant be built in whatever lucky town occupies the ground.  Lambert's began with a small building in 1942 as it is shown in a picture on the menu.


It is much larger now.

Lambert's is the "Home of the Throwed Roll."  If you were thinking that has something to do with how the dough is prepared, you haven't been to Lambert's.  It refers to how the rolls are served.  Here, on the left, is one in flight, viewed from the customer's perspective.  On the right, you can see the server's view.

While the rolls are being "throwed," another staff member is walking the aisles with sorghum and apple butter to put on the rolls.  Other servers are passing out fried okra and black-eyed peas or other pass-arounds.  Yes, folks, we have arrived in the South.

There are other ways to know that we are in the South.  The server responds to a request for "iced tea" with "Sweet Tea?"  Your meal will likely be served with two, three or even four "sides."


And finally, there is a bottle of green hot pepper sauce on every table:


If you do come to Lambert's, come hungry.  The Travel Channel has named it the "World's Best Place to Pig Out" against some pretty good competition.

And, o yes, bring cash.  Lambert's does not accept credit cards.



It is best to arrive around 2:00 p.m. for lunch since the parking lot is full and there is usually a lengthy wait before that time.