Deborah Denney learned how to cook while serving her country. The chef, who
once fed a former president and Navy admirals, now serves up fried chicken livers
in a small café. But it’s all the same for Denney.
“I enjoy it,” says the owner and chef of Marcia’s Grand Café in Mt. Pulaski.
Denney recently purchased the restaurant from Marcia Meyer, the former owner.
The small town café is quite a change of pace for Denney, a Lincoln native.
During her time in the service, she cooked on weekends for 1,500 people, as
well as admirals and former president Gerald Ford.
“I learned how to cook in the Navy,” says Denney, who later returned to Lincoln
and worked at a factory for eight years before returning to the kitchen. She
worked as a chef at Lincoln Christian College and Lincoln Christian Village
before taking a job as a chef for Meyer in June. She purchased the restaurant
a few months later.
The restaurant is located in the Pulaski House, a former tavern rich in history.
The building, located on the town square and across from the courthouse, is
reportedly where travelers once stayed, including Abraham Lincoln when he was
practicing law. Worn wooden floors, a soaring tin ceiling, two fireplaces, and
large front windows reflect its age. Walls are painted in dark red and pale
green. Simple burlap valances are tacked to the tops of soaring storefront windows
and used as curtains to divide the three dining rooms. Mismatched antique tables
and a large neon sign, which simply says “Restaurant,” all work together to
create a warm atmosphere.
Since owning the restaurant, Denney has added several new items to the menu,
including an Angus beef hamburger patty, Philly steak sandwich, crab cakes,
baby back ribs, prime rib, and salmon. Thanks to high beef prices, she plans
to replace the filet with a New York strip steak in the near future.
Marcia’s Grand Café also now serves breakfast. Omelets, eggs, biscuits and
gravy, and French toast are among the offerings. Lunch options include cheeseburgers,
grilled Reuben, grilled chipotle chicken, portabella mushroom, Philly steak,
club, tuna melt, chicken salad, and tuna salad. The deli wrap is a nice change
of pace: ham or turkey wrapped in an herb garlic tortilla with lettuce, tomato,
and Vidalia onion dressing. Most sandwiches are served with the café’s cole
slaw, chips and a pickle. I recommend the Cobb salad if you like lots of blue
cheese. The plate of lettuce was piled with chicken, tomatoes, bacon, blue cheese,
hard boiled eggs, and avocado. There was no skimping on the ingredients — each
bite provided a mix of the abundance of the mixture. Potato soup was a featured
item of the day during my recent visit. It was flavorful and full of chunky
red potatoes.
Appetizers include the basics: mozzarella sticks, grilled chicken quesadilla
and fried onion tanglers (strips). I recommend trying the sweet potato fries.
The most unique item on the menu is one of the best. The fried, thick slices
of sweet potatoes are served with maple syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.
The $1.50 side dish ($2.25 during weekend dinner hours) could almost be considered
dessert.
Dinner is served only on Friday and Saturday evenings, with entrees such as
pepper-encrusted filet, chopped sirloin steak smothered in sautéed onions and
peppers; a grilled 10-ounce pork chop; chicken Cordon Bleu; chicken stir-fry;
fried coconut shrimp and catfish and grilled salmon. Prime rib and ribs are
also offered. Dinners are served with soup or salad, vegetable, choice of potato
and roll. Dessert items like cream cheese brownie pie, bread pudding and cheesecake
are made by waitress Vicki Anderson.
Marcia’s Grand Café is located at 102 S. Washington St., Mt.
Pulaski. 217-792-3200. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Tue.-Sat.;
lunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tue.-Sat. and dinner is served 5 p.m.-9
p.m. Fri. and Sat. Homestyle fried chicken and other chef’s selections are served
from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays.
The Lincoln DepotÂ
The Lincoln Depot has undergone several changes since being purchased by Bill
and Penny McCarty in June. An expanded menu includes pasta dishes and more seafood,
in addition to customer favorites like Gentleman Jack pork and pecan chicken.
Prices now range from $6.95 for fried walleye to $29.95 for a large surf and
turf platter, with lobster and filet. The restaurant added wooden tables and
more entrees under $10 in an attempt to create a more casual atmosphere.
“It’s not quite as stuffy” now, says Bill McCarty.
Although this is the Williamsville couple’s first restaurant, McCarty’s father,
Bob, operated McCarty’s in Taylorville for 14 years before closing last summer.
Some of his recipes are used at the Depot, including homemade marinara sauce
used in the Key West lasagna dish, made with shrimp and crab.
The chef is Harold Johnson, formerly the cook at the Capital Teletrak in Springfield
and former owner of Harold’s Rib Rack. Johnson now smokes barbecue ribs, pulled
pork and prime rib at the Depot for Saturday specials.
The Depot also offers catering and delivery.
There may be many new changes at the historic restaurant, but the electric
train still goes around the track attached to the ceiling.
The Depot, located on Chicago Street in Lincoln, is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Tue.-Fri.; 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Tue.-Wed. & Thu.; 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Fri.;
11:30 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. Sat.; and 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sun. All you can eat fried
chicken and spaghetti is available on Sundays and a brunch buffet is served
the last Sunday of each month. For information, call 217-735-3311.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2004.
