In Your Mouth: State St. Café
Where: 16 W. State Street.
Owner: John Faulkner
Favorites: turkey wrap, fried chicken salad
Price: $5-$9
Contact: (912) 238-9977
Grade: B+
Seeing an economic stimulus menu posted in the window of State St. Café, I thought, “This place means business, at an informed price.” A blue eighth note, one floor tall, protrudes from the wall out front with “State Street Café” written in vertical type. Unfortunately, no live blues band accompanied my salad in this breakfast/lunch nook. The signature sign was kept there from the early ’60s when it was a record shop called Norwood Records.
The menu claims “A taste of Southern Culture,” but looking at the ethnic knick-knacks on the shelves mounted on the red-and-marigold walls, I felt I had escaped from everything southern. With décor consisting of wooden tiki men and a painted parrot, I half-expected the owner to walk out from the kitchen with a head full of dreadlocks, a tribal armband tattoo and a bongo drum serenade. Instead, John Faulkner, wearing jeans, an embroidered State St. Café polo, and a black apron, greeted me with a handshake,
The Story
John Faulkner took control of State St. Café in April 2005 after the previous owner, David Perkins, became ill. Perkins opened the restaurant 1998 and when Faulkner took control, he kept many things the same. “The paint was still fresh when I got here,” said Faulkner admiring the rich colors of the walls. Faulkner and the previous owner both collected the ethnic novelties from their own travels around the world.
Back in the kitchen, Faulkner decided to change some of the food when he took over. The soups, in particular, are all his original recipes. He noted his economic stimulus menu which features a daily special for $4.99. Faulkner used to be a sales supervisor, but when he heard from a friend that State St. Café was for sale, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant. After all, he said, “I’ve been cooking all my life.”
The Food
The lunch menu features classics like grilled chicken salad and tuna melts as well as specialties like blackened tilapia salad and Santa Fe chicken salad. Another one of their signatures, State St. certainly does not scrimp on salads. I ordered the fried chicken salad and ate less than I put in the to-go box. Faulkner invests time in everything that goes from the grill to the table. Most of the customers are locals. Businessmen in their suits and ties come in for “good music and to enjoy a meal, with not too much out of pocket.”
The Last Bite
Faulkner hopes to expand on his current location, but keep the casual atmosphere. “We have enough formal down here,” he said. State St. Café’s vibrant colors inside and inviting sign outside make for the ideal tucked-away lunch date or breakfast by yourself. State St. has no angle—just a modest menu, fresh ingredients from local vendors, and quite the bite for your buck. Perhaps more places should invest in an economic stimulus menu.
