Nowhere Café: Plentiful tastes you’ve had somewhere

After three trips to the Nowhere Café, I’m not sure how to describe it.

It looks like a nice restaurant that happens to have a bar. It feels like a bar that happens to serve food. And it tastes like a couple of restaurants rolled into one.

Formerly called Fondue, the restaurant changed names and its menu earlier this year. (According to the menu, it still serves fondue with 24 hours notice.)

But by and large, Nowhere Café features sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups and a few entrees. Most of the burgers/sandwiches range from $5-$7, while the dinner entrees are about $8-$12.

The best thing I tried was a Philadelphia steak sandwich. The meat was plentiful and well-seasoned, and the cheese melted perfectly. I had fries as a side item, and they were hand-cut and delicious.

My friends ordered a Monte Christo (grilled ham & cheese with a special dipping sauce) and a 1/3 pound burger. He raved about the Monte Christo and the sauce. She said the burger was good, but she ordered it medium and it came out well-done.

We tried an appetizer of fried mushrooms, and they were wonderful. The mushrooms had just the right amount of breading and were served with a yummy horseradish sauce. And the portion was huge — more than what three of us could finish.

On another visit, I tried the ribs with roasted green beans and fries. The ribs were big with a spicy/sweet sauce. But they were grisly, which is a turnoff. The green beans were cooked just right with spices that I couldn’t quite identify.

My friends tried the pork chops — one ordered them fried, while another tried them grilled. They both said that the pork chops had a nice flavor, but were tough and a little dry.

I also checked out Nowhere Café for lunch. You can order the same burgers and sandwiches that you find at dinner, but they also serve Southern food.

I had the hamburger steak, macaroni and cheese and green beans. The hamburger steak was great — a big, tender cut of beef covered in gravy. The macaroni and cheese tasted homemade, with lots of cheddar cheese. I didn’t like the lunch version of the green beans. They were overcooked for my taste.

My friend tried the ham and cheese sandwich with pasta salad. She said everything on it tasted fresh, but she felt like it was an average sandwich. She said her pasta salad was bland.

On the whole, the food was pretty good. I was surprised that each time the bar area was absolutely packed and the tables for dining were empty.

But everyone seemed to be enjoying whatever it was that they came for — and that can’t be a bad thing.

Nowhere Café

Two and a half stars

Address: 3780 Northside Drive

Phone: (478) 476-0554

Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner: 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Health rating: 95

Reservations: Accepted, but not neccessary

Price range: $5-$15

Noise level: Low to moderate

Vegetarian offerings: Yes

Payment methods: Cash, credit cards

Dress: Casual