Urban areas aren’t the only places that carry the burden of franchise food. It’s taken a toll on small towns, too. Oh, yes, a couple of generations ago, most folks were quite pleased when a McDonald’s finally came within the county line, proving that they, too, were part of the "modern world." But even more than in cities, the small-town-home-cooking places were hurt. No more the burgers from places like Dunk’s Pool Hall in Desloge, gone in a flurry of kids’ toys and ersatz milkshakes extruded from a grumbling machine.
That makes it even better when we find a place that not only hasn’t succumbed but also serves up the sort of food that makes it a mandatory visit for folks who haven’t returned to their home town in decades. Kirby’s Sandwich Shop in Sikeston has been around since 1907. We ambled in a little after 10 in the morning, to find the place empty. Folks in Sikeston don’t seem to get moving too early; Kirby’s opens at 9 Monday through Friday and 8 on Saturdays. Breakfast or lunch? We decided on a little of both.
Biscuits and gravy, of course: This is what sausage gravy is supposed to taste like, smooth and milky-white with nubbly bits of sausage, assertively seasoned. As to the biscuits–well, we wished we had some homemade jam to go on these tall, tender guys. And the over-easy eggs were done perfectly.
But the real specialty of the house is the Kirbyburger. "You want onions on that?" asked the waitress. "Yes, please," we replied. And from the grill cook, who was at work a mere 3 or 4 feet away, came "Of course! It’s not a Kirbyburger without onions!" We were sitting at the counter, one of our favorite perches, where we could see the grill cook at work, and watched as she removed a patty of ground beef from the fridge nearby, patted it affectionately, and plopped it on the grill. She then took a handful of sliced onions and perched them atop the cooking meat. After a little while, she grabbed a spatula and smooshed the onions into the cooking meat. Soon, it was time to flip the burger, and over it went, onions and all. Onions fried in hamburger juices? What could be bad?
One of the particularly good things about sitting close to the cook is that food arrives really hot. The burger arrived smoking, and it was all we could do to grab a photo before diving in. Onion lovers, this is a do not miss. The meat is juicy, the bun is hot from the grill, all in all a superb sandwich.
We skipped fries and tried the fried okra, which came out of a large sack, obviously battered and frozen, and therefore okay, not fabulous. Entertainment suddenly arrived as we watched our waitress carefully slicing ham off a real one to get ready for the lunch crowd. A fellow who’d was eating his own breakfast ended up buying the ham bone for a batch of beans to be cooked at his house the next day. It’s that sort of place.
Kirby’s Sandwich Shop
109 N. Kingshighway, Sikeston
573-471-1318
http://www.sikeston.net/kirbymenu.html
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Poor
Smoking: Yes
Sandwiches: $3-$6
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Joe seeing that hamburger with your description brings memories of the best grill hamburger and onions I have had–at the Calvert City Drive In at Kentucky Lake.
The drive-in has won awards for its burgers and they will grill the onions in the hamburger grease of course. And the burgers are about $1.00
If you take a trip to Kentucky Lake the nCalvert City Drive in is a must see. Small tucked in the kentucky woods with a great grilled burger or perfect pop corn.