Doe's Eat Place

I have eaten in a lot of dining rooms that try this hard. Doe's Eat Place is one of the few that pulls it off without looking like it is trying.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: Delta roadhouse, screen door, no fuss. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with a single chuleta of cured pork to set the mood, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a Chianti Classico Riserva I wrote down in my notebook, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: sirloin for the table, the dish that puts Doe's Eat Place on every short list. The crust was the colour of dark mahogany, and the inside was a confident, even pink the whole way through. The signature touch — tamales while you wait for the steak — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for broiled tomato with a breadcrumb cap and thick-cut onion rings, stacked. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was a slab of New York cheesecake, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

If you are passing through Greenville, do not pass Doe's Eat Place by.