Time out: Fill me up, Buttercup

Restaurant: Buttercup Pantry Restaurant and Bakery

Address: 222 Main St. in Placerville

Phone: 530-621-1320

Hours: Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Man I love breakfast for lunch. There’s almost something naughty about it, you know what I mean?

It feels wrong but it tastes, oh, so right.

The Buttercup Pantry wisely serves breakfast all day long and so, when it can time to order lunch it was decided to order off the  breakfast menu.

As far as the décor goes at the Buttercup, on first glance it appears that the American Pickers van must have stopped by and shared some of its collection to decorate the dining area.

A more careful examination reveals a real rhyme and reason to the multitude of vintage Americana that line the walls. It’s everywhere, but it’s quite tasteful, actually, and comforting; instantly transporting me to a simpler time and place.

I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs (over easy), which came with O’Brian potatoes (large chunks of potato with onions and chives) and sour dough toast.

When the dishes arrived, served by a pleasant and attentive server Jenn, I could tell I wasn’t going to leave hungry.

My Chicken Fried Steak was at least 8 inches long, the breading crisp and the steak flavorful. My eggs were cooked just how I like them and the potatoes were the best I’ve had in quite a while.

It’s obvious they cook everything from scratch and with great care and attention to detail.

My companion had the ham steak and eggs, which he devoured. He remarked that the ham was moist and juicy, definitely not overcooked, and had just the right amount of flavor for his taste. Not too salty, either.

“Didn’t care too much for your breakfast?” I said as my companion was licking his bowl clean. I mean that figuratively, not literally, of course.

Next time I visit I think I’ll have to try the soup and salad. They have one of the largest and most varied salad bars in Placerville (over 16 feet in length), and the three home made soups smelled amazing.

The Buttercup Pantry Restaurant and Bakery is family owned and operated (by El Dorado County’s Huston Family; the daughter, Erica, was our host) and has been serving the community for over 27 years in the same location.

They have a fantastic selection of home baked pies and pastries, but you’d better get there early. We got there around noon, on Monday, and the pastry cases by the entrance were already half empty.

I asked Erica what the specialty was and she said: “Well, I would have to say our cinnamon buns. We put three into one. Yes, one inside the other, inside the other. They’re huge and they’re delicious.”

Just then a young woman on my left, who was clutching a paper bag tight to her chest, started to slowly move away from us while giving us the “stink eye.” I looked at her and the jig was up.

“I got the last on. You can’t have it,” she said.

The Buttercup Pantry Restaurant and Bakery is located at 222 Main St. in Placerville (and really, I couldn’t think of a better location, just as you enter the Placerville historic district). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served all day. They’re open Sunday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The phone number is 530-621-1320.