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Lambert's Cafe
Sikeston, Missouri, located at the intersection of I-55 and I-57, is about 150 miles south of St. Louis and 150 miles north of Memphis. For several miles before you reach Sikeston there are billboards along the Interstates advertising the famous Lambert's Cafe...Home of Throwed Rolls! It is a convenient place to stop to eat if you are on the way to Memphis or perhaps to Branson, and you will soon learn that the term "throwed rolls" has nothing to do with the way the dough is prepared!
I remember when I first visited the original Lambert's several years ago. I wasn't prepared for the atmosphere I encountered--ice tea, lemonade, and soft drinks served in quart Mason jars. And when the "server" came out of the kitchen with a serving cart full of light airy yeast rolls and actually started throwing them to the diners, I experienced a feeling of near panic wondering if I was going to catch the roll that was being hurtled towards me or if it would end up on the floor! The atmosphere was casual to say the least--and still is! The new Lambert's Cafe is much the same as the original, except the place is considerably bigger, can serve more diners, and now houses a gift shop. A WORD OF WARNING, however! You need to have a field hand's appetite when you visit the restaurant. The menu is filled with country staples--chicken, ham, pot roast--with choices of vegetables. And you will also be offered "pass arounds", which are freebies (okra, stewed tomatoes, cooked carrots, to name a few) that servers bring around from time to time.
Although we stop in Sikeston simply to eat at Lambert's, the city does have outlet shopping available for those with the time to shop. Also, we are told that Sikeston is the site of one of the largest professional rodeos in the nation each August and is becoming a tourist destination with the addition of a riverboat casino in the area.
If you stop to eat around the normal eating times--noon or 5-7 p.m., expect to wait in line. The wait is made more enjoyable by the memorabilia on the walls, though, and the time passes quickly. So if you are planning to drive through southeastern Missouri, allow some time to stop at Lambert's Cafe and CATCH A THROWED ROLL!
Last updated 10/13/98
