“Let’s go out to lunch!” says one
of the students, who had met at The Capitol in Salem, Oregon. No problem, we were all hungry and did not
know any place near The Capitol.
So we went to 17th and
State Street to Word of Mouth. From the
outside, this looks like an older house with a small parking lot next to
it. Appearances are deceiving in this
instance.
Entering the front enclosed
porch, which is the waiting area, there was no room to sit and the wait can be over
30 minutes.
It was so full that there is even
a cozy booth for customers to eat in the waiting area, secluded yet still has
the ambience of the full experience.
Above the door on the way out is a big spoon, which states, Come Back
Spoon.
Finally, your name is called and
you enter the warm living room area, fireplace working with various cozy booths
and tables. The sign next to the door states,
“Happiness is not a destination. It is a
way of life.” The ambience is further enhanced with large spoons, forks, and
ladles of all colors with other distinctive décor from another era on the walls,
where comfort foods and love go hand in hand.
There are lots of picturesque
paintings from a bygone era and the wait staff is so friendly and personable
that you cannot help but smile with them.
It is obvious they are happy with their job and want to make you happy.
The bar is in the middle of the
dining room, which should be crowded and uncomfortable but is actually full of
happy customers, munching away at their
delicious fare and smiling all the time.
Using modern technology to input
the orders, the staff still upholds the homey environment. The numerous awards the restaurant has won
are not displayed in front like most restaurants but in the back near the
washrooms. Speaking of the restrooms,
these are so unique, old fashioned, roomy, and clean, with lots of lotions for
the ladies to use.
The food is to die for. I had the Crème Brulee French Toast, priced
at $9.95 with 2 eggs and the best bacon.
For more reviews and to see pictures of the food dishes, please visit
and droll for yourself at:
Talking with customers, Fran
stated, this is soooo good. She heard
about it in The Statesman Journal. She
did not want to talk anymore as her food had just arrived.
Need I say more?
Byron and Candy said, “We love
it. They have high quality comfort
food. It is the perfect place to eat and
they wished there was one in Portland” when they go home.
Katie, a law student at
Willamette University, says she comes frequently. When I asked why do you keep coming
back? She said she came one time and
dreamt about the cinnamon roll pancakes and is trying other foods, so she gets
more to go for later in the day. She
said the service is fantastic and they keep track of the customer’s likes.
When I was there last week, I
overheard Rachel, a wait person, ask a customer how they heard about the
restaurant and the customer said a friend told her about it. Hence the Word of Mouth is really that.
Steve and Becky Mucha, the owners
and chefs, often have customers stop by the kitchen to say hello and thanks for
the food. They, even, use homemade
freezer strawberry jam made by Grandmother.
Online menus can be found at
wordofsalem.com
(503) 930-4285
140 17th Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
