TLO Restaurant Review: All In Diner

Last week, after a morning of strenuous physical therapy, coupled with a night of restless sleep, I decided that a good cup of coffee and a dose or two of greasy spoon breakfast would help, so I pushed my chips to the center of the table and swung into the All In Diner – 103 W. Washington in Purcell – eager to see what awaited.

I have to say, of all the restaurants I critique, I am most enchanted by the “down-home” diner. There's always something awkwardly charming about these places, and All In is no different, with its green walls, bright red chairs, and typical diner ornaments lining its walls…

As I pulled up a red chair, sometime around noon, I was greeted by a well-worn menu and a nourishing cup of strong coffee, giving me the will to look over their sanitarium of specials. I decided to go with breakfast for now, and a lunch dish to save for later. I placed my order and after a few minutes, it came from the kitchen, posthaste.

Breakfast, or so I have been told, is the most important meal of the day. With a realization like that, I ordered the All In Breakfast ($8.95), with all the breakfast foods represented: the potato group, the pancake group, the fried egg group, and lastly, the sausage group.

A king-size breakfast without the king-size price, the All In Breakfast actually included two pancakes, three eggs, breakfast sausage, Cajun potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and of course, some spicy chorizo, for added flavor.

As the photo suggests, it was amazing. The glistening sunny side eggs were cooked to perfection, and as I pierced them with my fork, their yolks ran over my plate, sopped by the flaky biscuit and the mouthwatering gravy. The Cajun potatoes and the sausage were proactive in my caloric consumption, and the soothing, not too fluffy pancakes were flapped how I like them. But my main squeeze, the chorizo, was muy sabroso, and put a bite of thunder in my splendid breakfast.

As the clock on my phone read 1:04 pm, I then ordered a meal for dinner that night. With the breakfast a gravy-stained memory, I settled for the All In Chili Burger.

It was everything you'd expect a chili burger to be. With a slab of meat drowning in a vat of spicy chili, it was sided with a highly-edible helping of hand-cut fries.

Before packing it into a to-go container, I gently rocked the beast in my chili-splattered fingertips and traced the outline of the moist-ish bun, with the chili leaving a greasy chalk outline out of its goodness. I had a quick thrilling bite, filling my mouth with an extraordinary taste, and a sneak preview of a re-heated dinner to come. I had died and gone to chili heaven (or a reasonable appropriation of it).

I then paid my tab – pleased, happy, and full from my All In experience, ready and eager to push my chips to the center another day.

Cómpralo ya!

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