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Road Restaurants Chain Restaurants Bay Area Reviews Other Reviews |
Elmer's seems to be a northwestern chain. At least I'd never seen it in California, but driving on I-5 through Oregon, we saw it at almost every stop. We stopped there (at different locations) for both breakfast and dinner and we had pretty good experiences, so much so that I wished we had the chain around here, at least for breakfast.
Our breakfast experience was at the Medford Elmer's (off I-5). This restaurant looks like an upscale coffeeshop, with fabric booths, prints on the walls and a cozy fireplace. The other Elmer's we visited, in Roseburg, had more modest ambitions.
The breakfast menu is quite extensive and there were many yummy-sounding choices. I considered the mixed berry french toast and the potato pancakes, but finally settled on the Apple French Toast ($9). It was delicious though likely to put you into a diabetic coma. The bread was topped with sweetened apples, brown sugar and cream, and the portion was quite generous. I'd order it again, but I'd prefer to share it with someone. It came with a side of meat and eggs - the bacon I chose was crispy and tasty.
Mike had the Farmer's Omelette ($9) and he was also quite pleased with it. I liked the hash browns that came with it, though they weren't anything special. The kids had the chocolate chip pancakes ($4), and I was surprised at how good they were. They didn't have that metallic taste that often comes with those made from mixes. A portion had four small pancakes and my young children ate about half of them. Next time I'll get them a plate to share.
The only sour note was their so called freshly squeezed orange juice ($1 for a small glass). It tasted like it came from a carton, and not a prime brand at that.
Dinner at the Roseburg location was also quite satisfactory. I had the bacon cheeseburger, and though the meat was cooked medium to well done (I neglected to say I wanted it medium rare), it was quite juicy. It was served on a ciabatta roll, and it worked quite well. I'd order it again. Mike had the fish and chips, and was very happy with them. They were a bit over-battered, but the flavor was fresh and good. The french fries were crispy and quite pleasant.
Camila had the chicken strips, and these seemed to be quite plebeian. I didn't try them, so I can't say more about them. Mika's spaghetti and meatball also tasted generic. The sauce was sort of sweet and not to my liking, but Mika thought it was yummy.
In all, I'm rating both restaurants (on my "road restaurant" scale) as A for "actually good".
Elmer's
2000 Biddle Rd.
Medford, OR
(541) 772-2000
1440 NW Mulholland
Roseburg, OR
(541) 673-0021