Honeysuckle's Cafe fails to impress

When I hear the word Honeysuckle I think of the sweet smell of flowers on a hot summer day.

What I don't think about is eating mediocre food at a cramped cafe wedged between rows of shops in a strip mall.

Honeysuckle's Cafe opened recently in the Six Gun Plaza on East State Road 40. The Cafe serves breakfast and lunch and is open Monday-Sunday. While I have yet to sample the breakfast, the lunch was unremarkable to say the least.

The menu seemed inviting, offering a hearty selection of sandwiches,salads, burgers and wraps.

It even has a list of "healthy choices" including a fresh fruit platter and a veggie burger. The prices are also alluring, as everything is withing a $5 to $8 range.

This facade did not last long however; it was over as soon as the first thing I ordered hit the table. It does not take much effort or talent to fry up a batch of frozen mozzarella sticks, but apparently whoever was in the kitchen that day didn't catch the memo.

What are supposed to be golden fried, gooey and delicious morsels of breaded soft cheese came out as burnt shells that at one time held mozzarella. They were obviously overcooked, to the point that the cheese exploded out of the breading and was lost in the depths of the deep fryer.

Some things can be overcooked a little and still taste just fine. Mozzarella sticks, however, are not one of these things. Eating tube shaped pieces of fried breading was not exactly appetizing, especially considering my options of dipping sauces.

The sticks were served with ranch dressing and honey mustard. Although the ranch actually paired well with the fried cheese, I always thought it was common knowledge that mozzarella sticks go best with marinara sauce.

I ordered a Caesar salad with a bowl of corn chowder on the side, figuring that they really couldn't go wrong with something as common and as easy to pull off as a Caesar salad. But of course, I was wrong.

The corn chowder was actually decent. The soup, which was filled with potatoes and corn had potential but was severely lacking in flavor. I, who never adds extra salt to anything, found myself dousing the chowder with salt and pepper. After I adjusted the spice level to my liking the soup was actually pretty good, and as long as it wasn't overcooked I was not complaining.

The salad however, was a different story.

I knew things were heading for a downturn after I watched the salad sit in the hot window for about ten minutes. I knew it wouldn't be cold, which is how a salad should always be served, but I was hoping for the taste to make up for it.

The dressing was obviously straight out of a bottle: disappointment number one. There was no cheese, but for some reason there were plenty of black olives. I have never had black olives on a Caesar salad, and hope to never have them on one again. I did not eat more than five bites before I decided it wasn't worth the calories to even eat.

The place is small, and probably family-run which is why I was so surprised at the lack of quality in the food. Maybe they are still working the bugs out,as the restaurant is fairly new, or maybe it was just a bad day for the kitchen.

Basically, if you are going out to breakfast and want to try Honeysuckle's Cafe go for it, it might be amazing, but if your looking for a good lunch, don't waste your time.