Mel's Diner in Lafayette

I was in Lafayette again and I stopped at Mel's Diner on Highway 90 as I headed back to New Orleans. I'm a fan of old time diners, those with garish colors and lots of chrome are my favs. This particular one used pink and turquoise.

It was also a lot cleaner than many of the diners I've been in and a heckuva lot colder. They must keep the thermostat at 50 degrees because I swear it was warmer outside!

There weren't many folks in when I got there, so I got the waitress to give me a 50/50 sweet/unsweet tea while I read over the menu. Lots of typical diner food and even a few healthful options.

Anyway, I wasn't in the mood for a burger or for catfish so I went for the Chicken Fried Steak Dinner. It comes with a starch (french fries, mashed potatoes or baked potato) and a vegetable. I didn't want any of the veggies I could select from, so the waitress just  gave me both fries and mashed potatoes instead.

The meal was pretty good - the white gravy wasn't overly salty and very generously covered the good sized piece of meat. The beef was tender and the coating was tasty. The fries were a little crispier than I prefer but, soaked in gravy, they were pretty darn good.

Not a bad meal but remember to bring a sweater!