Lunch at Tip Top Grill

Last Saturday I took the boys up to their school to do some skateboarding and playing on the playground, and we finished up just in time for a late lunch.

We went right down the street to Tip Top Grill, which is a little diner in our neighborhood. For years, it was a Citgo gas station, but several years ago it was converted to the restaurant. Trivia: my friend Lisa and I used to buy cantaloupe there when it was a Citgo ... the owner/operator would bring it in from the country, and it was the BEST cantaloupe in town.

Anyway, we've only eaten at Tip Top a handful of times since it opened, but Saturday was too gorgeous not to stop.

One of the things you have to take into account, though, is how popular it is ... especially on a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day.

When we pulled up, there were no parking spaces and the line was about 15 people deep outside the door. We also noticed that there weren't any tables available.

You can imagine how, with this view of the Oxmoor Valley below, Tip Top is a big draw in Bluff Park.

We ordered our lunch (burgers and corn dogs) and then settled on the pavement to eat, picnic-style. I have eaten picnics in places with FAR worse views, by the way.

I ordered a cheeseburger, and while it wasn't the best cheeseburger I've ever had, it was okay. The fries were really good. The most important thing is, I kept it all down, all day. WINNING, as Charlie Sheen would say.

This one's for my dad ... you can see the power plant in the distance. (I think it's the Smith Hydroelectric Plant, but I'm not sure.)

The railroad tracks run right through the middle of the valley below, and while we were eating, a looooooong train came through, blowing its horn. The boys were so excited and kept trying to guess how long it would be until the end of the train would come out of the woods. SPOILER ALERT: it was like six minutes, so I had to hear a LOT of guesses. Repeatedly. Several times. Again and again.

There was just something about hanging out with my three little men on the top of the mountain, enjoying the beautiful day and filling our tummies up with greasy food ... it was simply the best.