After my excellent breakfast at Ole’s, I continued upon my westward path down I-80, heading toward my next adventure. You see, I’d realized when I was planning this trip that–if I included The Dutchman’s Store on my route–that my return trip would take me within a short distance of a place I’d never been before: Yellowstone! The Dutchman’s was sort of vacationny, but pretty much everything I bought there could be called groceries, so that really wasn’t much more than just a glorified grocery shopping trip … just one that took me several hundred miles off the beaten path. However, the trip to Yellowstone is the first part of the trip where I can say that I’m officially vacationing, rather than just visit friends and family.
I chatted with my friend Penney on the phone that afternoon as I drove, where she began by giving me good-natured static–again … *grin*–about how she’d fed me dinner the night I stayed at her house, but that I hadn’t written up her excellent spaghetti dinner in my piddly little blog 
We’d been chatting for a while, and I’d just told her that it would probably be a good idea for me to stop for a late lunch at some point … when, lo and behold, the next highway sign became a clarion call. It said “FOOD: Penny’s Diner”
I hung up with my friend Penny and turned my car in that direction. Apparently Penny’s Diner is a chain, associated with the Oak Tree Inn chain. The Penny’s I discovered is here:
Penny’s Diner
473 Halligan Dr
North Platte, NE 69101
Penny’s Dinner is modeled after those classic diners from the 50s, all clean lines and gleaming metal. Inside, I found six or eight booths and a row of stools at the counter. Being solo, I grabbed a stool–despite the place being almost empty … not a surprise at 3pm–and took a look at the menu.
I seriously considered breakfast (in case you haven’t already noticed, Dear Reader … I like a good breakfast)–even though it was almost dinner time–but then something else caught my eye.
I get sick of the same old/same old when it comes to food, and I’d been seeing a lot of that on this trip, so I was definitely up for something different or non-traditional. Besides, it had been AGES since I’d had a buffalo burger. I used to eat them at Hut’s back when we lived in Austin, TX. Buffalo is leaner than beef, but it’s got a great flavor … IF you cook it right. I always enjoyed my buffalo burger with Hut’s famous black pepper onion rings, served with a side of ranch dressing, but there were no onion rings on the menu. However, as I told my waitress … to heck with healthy: keep the salad and give me fries instead
Isn’t that an awesome looking burger? Believe me, it was awesome tasting, too! The fries were pretty bad … and how can you screw up french fries? They were sorta tough and kinda funny-tasting (like they’d been in the freezer for a while) … not really appetizing at all … but the buffalo burger was killer! Perfectly cooked. Not dry at all. Perfectly seasoned. The bun was soft and tasty. The tomato, onion, and pickle add-ons were perfect. All I added to the burger was just a little bit of mayo, and it was heaven from there!
Bonus points: their iced tea was excellent as well, and the waitress offered to transfer mine to a go-cup before I could even ask. I would never demand that sort of service everywhere … but I do appreciate those little touches
Final score: I’ve got to give Penny’s Dinner a B … but, honestly, they really do deserve higher. They had a lot going for them–especially that delicious burger (half of which became a yummy midnight snack)–but the fries just KILLED them in points. They weren’t the absolute worse fries I’ve ever put in my mouth. Those were the under-cooked oven fries I once got in a place in Jacksonville, FL. However–given the quality of everything around them–those fries stood out as the absolute worst thing on the plate … and–in that company–it made you realize that they should have (and probably could have) been soooo much better.
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