Staff Photo by Danielle Moore
Fillings in the Big Jake Omelet at Christi's Corner Cafe include hamburger, bacon, sausage, onion, tomato and green pepper. It's served with a side of hashbrowns. Cook Jack Suddeth came up with the idea while experimenting with ingredients and offered the first one to a paramedic who had just finished an all-night shift.

Tyler Mitchell recently e-mailed to sing the praises of Christie's Corner Cafe. Everything's made from scratch, and breakfast is served all day, he said. With that recommendation, I visited this East Ridge cafe, owned by Christie Suddeth.

THE MENU

I was quite impressed with all the offerings, and so were my parents when we enjoyed a recent dinner.

The order (for three): Three-egg omelet with hash browns, three-veggie plate, chicken livers with creamed potatoes and fried corn.

There are several omelets, but there was no way I could do the Big Jake, a massive 12-egg production made by Jake Suddeth that could probably feed a tableful. The three-egg was more than I could handle. It looked like it would be on the dry side, but with the generous amount of cheese -- Velveeta, I think -- it was not dry at all. Very good, in fact. The hashbrowns were hot and good, though a few onions sautéed with them would have been nice.

My dad was pleased with the vegetable selection, ordering coleslaw, fried corn and pickled beets. He gobbled down the beets and pronounced them excellent. The corn needed a little sweetening, he decided. With a little sugar added in, the fried corn was superb, he said. Ditto for the coleslaw.

My mom, who ordered the chicken livers, and my husband, who ate the leftovers, both adored this dish. The creamed potatoes were excellent.

You can tell with one look that food at Christie's is homemade. One taste will tell you it's not from a can.

THE SERVICE

Service is as home-style as the food. Our waitress took an empty seat at our table and visited for a minute while taking our order. I enjoyed that.

Because food is made to order, delivery takes a few minutes. That was expected.

Room for improvement: Nothing to report.

THE SPACE

Christie's is at the corner of a strip mall, thus, the name. It's not a large restaurant, just six or seven tables. Seats at the counter accommodate a few more patrons. This place is nothing fancy, but the good eats are what you're after anyway.

THE VERDICT

There aren't too many places in town that still accept checks and don't accept credit or debit cards. It's a throwback to a slower time, something nice in today's fast-paced world.

IF YOU GO

* Where: Christie's Corner Cafe, 3920 Ringgold Road (next to Dollar General).

* Phone: 629-1544.

* Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

* Price range: $3.89-$7.99.

* Payment: Cash and checks only. No credit cards.

* Alcohol: No.