What Are You Cooking Today?

The Sunday routine with my dad in my hometown is that after church we eat Sunday dinner at Tink's.  Tink's is the restaurant in town - the only restaurant in town.  When I was growing up, Tink's was called The Main Café and it was owned by Morris "Tink" Kempher.  Tink was a Chicago Cubs fan and I was a St. Louis Cardinals fan.  You can imagine how he razzed me whenever the Cubs were ahead in the standings or any time they beat the Cardinals.  Any time there was a basketball game, Tink would open up the restaurant after the game,  and within minutes, the café was full of basketball players, cheerleaders and fans ordering burgers, fries and of course cherry cokes.  Tink's would be loud with laughter and silly kids - just Tink and all the kids.  He loved kids.  We were having fun with our friends, our parents knew where to pick us up, and we were all safe.  

After Tink became ill, a family in town bought The Main Café and re-named it Tink's, which is what we always called it anyway.  When I go back home now, my dad and I go to church together on Sundays, then we go to Tink's for Sunday dinner.  I always see the Kreps family

there with the family Patriarch, Don (his daughter is the owner of Tink's).  I also regularly see my kindergarten teacher with her husband as well.  She's 93 going on 53.  Amazing!  A majority of the people in the restaurant are still friendly faces.   

Although I am sure there is a menu, you don't ask for one.  (I did once and my dad looked at me with such disappointment that I never did it again.)  On Sundays you order The Special.  The Special is similar to the comforting meal your mom would have cooked - meatloaf, chicken fried steak, etc. and always a potato, vegetable, roll and light dessert.  On Tuesdays, you go for fried chicken and on Friday nights, catfish.  Any other time, you can order the daily special or maybe a tenderloin or even a burger.  Once a week, my dad might go up to Tink's for a biscuits and gravy breakfast (although I don't think it's on his heart healthy diet).  

An adorable waitress named Carrie always waits on my dad.  She already knows that he doesn't take a roll, prefers mashed potatoes (with lots of butter) over a baked potato, and has a glass of water with his coffee.  It's the type of restaurant where the green beans are fresh with little bits of ham - real comfort food.  It's the type of restaurant where instead of looking at a menu, you ask, "What are you cooking today?"  Throwback, retro, vintage, whatever you want to call it, Tink's has not changed since I left the area 34 years ago - except for Tink.  Unfortunately, he passed away in his young 70's.  Sometimes I wonder if he knows how much his restaurant meant to all of us in that town.  It is truly the heart of the town.