One of the first restaurants (or greasy spoons) I was introduced to in Columbia was this little place on the corner of Broadway and maybe Third or Fourth ST. I think there is a Chinese/Vietnamese place there now but I am not sure of the exact location. Anyway, Ed's Cafe was known for its daily specials and good stick to your ribs type food (with a lot of grease). I always ordered burger with fries which I thought was safe but my friends were used to the place and ordered the specials with no regrets.
My fondest memory of Ed's Cafe was the menu which was painted on a wall. It had the standard menu selections every little restaurant could offer but I will always remember the Scrambled Eggs and Brains that you could order. There it was on the wall but I know of no one who ever ordered it. Only one other restaurant comes to mind that offered Scrambled Eggs and Brains and that was the Spot Cafe in downtown Fulton.
Ed's Cafe closed because of a fire but the the building survived. I may appear to be hard on this place because it was clean in a way but old with that kind of run down look. It served good food and was popular with the locals and college crowd but it just wasn't around long enough for me to enjoy the food to the fullest. Although, the thought of Scrambled Eggs with Brains does come around sometimes, and I get misty eyed and I think old restaurants never die, they just burn down, but their memories remain.
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I ate breakfast or lunch at Ed's at least twice a week for at least a couple of years, back around '80-'81 They had some of the best pot roast you've ever forked. Fried fish on Fridays. Country Ham breakfast. They're still one of the standards in my mind for what makes a great "meat and three". And I was a friend and regular dining companion of the man who claimed to have INVENTED the phrase, "Meat and 3".
Interesting you mentioned "The Spot" in Fulton. I grew up in Mexico, but whenever we'd drive through Fulton at meal time, my parents would always want to go to "The Spot". My dad WOULD actually order the brains and eggs.
I can't remember how old I was when I finally realized that, yes, they were ACTUALLY "brains". ARGGGHH!!
As for me, at "The Spot" I'd always get either a bowl of chili, or a cheeseburger and fries. They had a GREAT greasy diner cheeseburger. The little building that housed "The Spot" is still there, by the way. Not sure what's in there now.
The great thing about Ed's... like Ernie's.... was that you would just as likely see truck drivers, city councilmen, professors, TV repairmen, coeds, and even the occasional mayor dining next to you.
This was my Great great grandfather's restaurant, I've become a Chef and my aunts just recently told of the restaurant my great great grandfather owned, it's special to me that people have such fond memories from the restaurant.
Edward Worley was the owners name and he was my great grandfather. Most people loved his pies and he had a couple of write ups about it in some magazines. I never knew him or my great grandmother had a house because we always meet them there when we visited. He owned it till he died in the 80s but my great grandmother had sold it with his recipes. It burned only a few months after his death. I thought he was upset she gave always his secrets. My grandmother use to cook brains and tought me to like them growing up. It's great memories! Thank you Hannah for finding this place where people remember his small place!
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