Taste of Country (Lisbon, OH)

Taste of Country is a restaurant that seems inexplicably out of place. nestled on top of a huge hillside in the county seat of Lisbon, it's class and scale seem somehow alien or out of place.

My first notion on entering was to be impressed at the size of the place. There was plenty of seating to go around, and our server (Brooke) took us to a table situated near a window. The atmosphere was very quiet and subdued; it actually reminded me of a truck stop I'd once been in (The Tennessean).

The wait staff - i can't stress this enough - was as helpful as humanly possible. Friendly, polite, courteous beyond all reason. To the point of not only remembering both i and my date's drinks, but refreshing them constantly, even if not quite empty. They would bring a new glass each time, so you were never dry, an act which impressed me to no end.

Dinner costs about ten dollars a head, and comes with soup and salad bar. Some items are more expensive, but nothing was outrageous - I could see taking a family there.

The salad bar was small but well stocked: everything was plentiful in supply, and there was enough variety to satisfy whatever suited your tastes. It wasn't as huge as say, Ponderosa, but the flip side of this is that it wasn't overwhelming. There was also a soup bar serving two types of soup (wedding soup, and i forget the other type - bad reviewer!). Cold things were cold, hot things were hot. The pasta salad was quite tasty, and my date found the regular salad quite pleasing as well. It was all very laid back and modest, which worked well for the environment.

The entree that we both chose was fish, which we got fried, with a side of french fries. The rolls that were deliver first were (as promised) hot, and of a particuarly dense variety - quite filling and warming. The serving of fries was a bit anemic, but forgivable considering the salad bar. They don't give vast portions like Da Lonzos, but their not the same kind of place, either - the environment is totally different.

The fish itself was billed as being Icelandic Haddock. Fried in a light batter, it was both delicious and flaky, with hardly any fish taste. I've often said that if a restaurant cooks fish well, it can cook anything well; nothing is as easy to ruin as fish. If that's the hurdle to jump, they cleared it with several feet to spare. I really can't stress enough that the fish was very good - exactly what i'd hoped for. It was served with some tartar sauce, which complemented it nicely.

Throughout the evening, people would come in, and i noticed that the waitress was very friendly and personable with all of them - making jokes, some small talk, really giving people the sense of being welcome. This really helped set the atmosphere, and to make what could have been an ok meal at a nice restaurant into an enjoyable and pleasant experience.

As to the other patrons, they were mostly older - I'd put the average age at around forty - and there seemed to be a lot of "regulars". No one really spoke to us, but i noticed a lot of groups vs. single eaters.

If you're on your way through, Lisbon has a plethora of delicious eateries. I have to say I'd count taste of country as one of my new favorite "date" restaurants - classy, understated, good food and an excellent staff. Be sure to try the Buckeyes on the way out; at sixty cents each their well worth the cost.

I give it 4 stars - the small portion of fries was a little off putting at the price. Great food though.