If you'd like some alternative viewpoints, albeit somewhat older ones, see the Enquirer review from 2004, CityBeat's 2003 thoughts or the Cincinnati Burger Guys' review of the burger (scroll down the page).
The atmosphere is casual -- think smalltown greasy-spoon. The decor is interesting, some of it unique (we sat below a couple of stained wooden board with various metal beaters glued on in geometric patterns -- looked better than it sounds, actually). While this may sound like I'm being critical, I actually found the atmosphere relaxing, comfortable. The staff was friendly but not bubbly (I often find bubbly to be annoying).
As you can see from the menu, selections are fairly expansive, but restricted to typical diner fare -- meatloaf, smothered this and that, country-fried something-or-other. You'll find lots and lots of grease here -- gravies, sauces, melted cheeses, deepfrieds, etc. We ended up covering both breakfast (served until 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays) and lunch/dinner. So, here are some specifics on the food.
- Country omelet: Running about $7, this was a decent-sized 3-egg omelet, with diced potatoes, mushrooms, onions and cheese. It came with little potato pancakes and two "kettle kakes," described as not quite a biscuit and not quite a doughnut. The omelet was a bit bland and its diced potatoes a bit overdone, but it was fine -- a good, average omelet. The potato pancakes were small -- silver-dollar size and a bit larger -- and quite thin, with a good garlic-and-onion flavor. They were fried crispy brown, and this was a bit problematic. I wondered if perhaps the oil needed to be changed, as it tasted a bit too. . . something for me. But these could have been quite good, without the extra flavor from the oil. The kettle kakes were half-moon shaped. My suspicion is that they are produced by taking uncooked biscuits, bisecting them, deepfrying them, then quickly dredging them in powdered sugar (so that the sugar cakes on). They were fine -- nothing exceptional, but fine. Overall, the meal was sufficiently filling, adequate in quality, average in flavor and good-and-greasy.
- Two-piece chicken dinner: Lisa had the two-piece dinner, with dark meat (drumstick and thigh). This came with mashed potatoes or fries, but Lisa substituted potato pancakes (no extra charge); a side (Lisa chose apple sauce); and a dinner roll (out of a package -- definitely not homemade). Lisa didn't care for the potato pancakes. The apple sauce was chunky but simply ordinary, of course (hard to make apple sauce very exceptional). Lisa really enjoyed the chicken -- made to order and piping hot, she said, with a good flavor. The pieces were undersized, but apparently made up for this in flavor.
We didn't try any of the homemade pies, but we did see them in the cases -- and they looked excellent! We're going to have to go back for pie and coffee some time. Overall, I think the food is good diner food, or greasy-spoon food. Much of the food, I think, comes frozen, but things like the meatloaf, pies, chicken I think are made in-house and are likely the better choices. But, hey, a small, hometown restaurant -- like in Lisa's grandparents' town of El Dorado Springs, Missouri (population: what?) -- is likely to serve frozen, premade stuff. And lots of grease. So as long as you know what you're going to get and want to get that, you'll be fine. Prices are, I think, reasonable.
The real brilliance of Hitching Post, like with any spot of this sort, is the people. They were warm, friendly, and seemed to know numerous customers by name (and they also knew about their personal lives, a sign of deeper relationships). This is something you won't get at those chain restaurants.
Rating: 8 (3, 2, 3) (What's this?)
Lisa's rating: Grandma's delight!
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