Village Inn

We had been traveling in the car for 6 hours, and really needed something for lunch. It had been several years since we had eaten at a Village Inn, so we were excited to see one in the small town of Sterling, Colorado.

The building seemed to be older but the interior had been refreshed somewhat recently with the latest Village Inn retro theme look. There were kitschy sayings in posters around the restaurant, meant to look clever or intriguing. Even with the updates, the restaurant appeared just a little tired--including a bathroom that looked like it hadn't been maintained well.



When we first came in, Shari Miller, the general manager, was very welcoming and did a good job making the guests feel welcome. Our server, Shannon, was definitely "no nonsense" so we ordered right away.

I ordered the Marbled Rye Reuben ($8.39) with the side salad and Italian dressing. I ordered the Strawberry Limeade with it ($2.79) because it sounded somewhat exotic and tasty, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for.



They advertise the Reuben with fries, coleslaw, a cup of fruit, a side salad or soup. The side salad was a reasonable size and tasted fine. The Reuben was advertised as "Direct from the deli. Tender corned beef, tangy sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and creamy Thousand Island dressing on grilled marbled rye bread."

The Reuben was tasty, but I sure didn't detect the Thousand Island dressing on there, making it just a touch dry. The corned beef was really good and the bread was grilled nicely. The sauerkraut was also in a good proportion to the other ingredients. The sandwich was a nice size overall and I recommend it.

Katherine got the Classy Cobb Salad ($8.99) without the bacon, advertised as "The Hollywood classic. Grilled chicken, hickory-smoked bacon, avocado, hard-boiled egg, juicy tomatoes, black olives and crumbled bleu cheese over crisp mixed greens, with choice of dressing." She passed the egg to me but said that the salad was pretty good.



Katherine also ordered the Lemon Blueberry Elite pie ($3.89) that was advertised on the poster in the entryway, and described as: "A layer of tangy lemon supreme and a layer of lemon cake, all topped with sweet wild blueberries in a flaky crust and finished with a border of fresh whipped cream. (At participating locations while supplies last)" She enjoyed it.

The lunch was $24.06 before tax, so adding tax and tip brought it to $30.00.