Country goodness

NEW MIDDLETOWN

Imagine waking up on a summer morning and sitting down to a big country breakfast with farm-fresh sausage, scrambled eggs and piping hot cinnamon rolls.

With every bite you savor the wholesome quality that’s synonymous with down-home, made-from-scratch cooking.

The slices of bacon are thicker and richer than any you’ve ever tasted.

The omelet is bursting with tender chunks of peppers and tomatoes fresh from the garden.

The blueberry muffin is moist and sweet.

Are you hungry yet?

Well, you don’t have to be a farmer or live in the country to experience this delicious bounty. You just have to visit Dizzy B’s Caf and Bakery in New Middletown.

Dizzy B’s opened three years ago and serves breakfast and lunch, opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“We strive to create a small, cozy, welcoming atmosphere,” said Belinda Morjock, who owns the restaurant along with her husband, Chuck. “We try to buy local as much as we can. All of our meats come from local farmers. It is important to us to support the local economy.”

And it’s easy to see that the locals return the favor. While dining at Dizzy B’s, I watched patrons greet Morjock as if they were old friends, and more than one patron ordered “the usual.”

“We know people’s names and what they like to order. They feel at home here. Sometimes customers will poke their heads in the kitchen and tell me what they want to eat,” Morjock said with a laugh.

During my visit, I didn’t tell Morjock what I wanted to eat. Instead, I let her surprise me with some of the restaurant’s best-loved dishes.

The first gem to grace my table was the Zucchini Soup ($3 a bowl).

This hearty soup features chunks of savory sausage, tomatoes and zucchini. It tastes mildly spicy and feels satisfyingly filling while still being light enough to enjoy on a warm summer afternoon.

After whetting my appetite with some soup, I tried “The Ultimate Mess” ($5.95). This breakfast dish consists of two scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, home fries and sausage or bacon. It is sort of like a messy omelet with home fries thrown in for good measure.

It was delicious. One of the things that struck me most was the freshness of the ingredients. The tomatoes and spinach seemed as if they’d just been plucked from the garden, and the locally-processed sausage was so much tastier than the name brands in the grocery stores.

Dizzy B’s breakfast menu features all the classics — pancakes, biscuits and gravy, omelets, breakfast burritos, eggs benedict, oatmeal and French toast, to name a few.

The lunch menu, meanwhile, consists of burgers, sandwiches and salads.

I sampled the BBQ Burger ($8.50). This top-notch burger comes with bacon, grilled onion, barbecue sauce and American cheese and is served on either Texas toast or a pretzel bun. It is fabulous — the combination of pretzel bun, barbecue sauce and cheese creates just the right taste.

Dizzy B’s is famous for its Reuben ($7.95). Freshly sliced corn beef is grilled with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread and slathered with spicy mustard.

Other sandwiches on the menu include the Grilled Cheese, Chicken Salad, Tuna Melt, the Italian and the Turkey Club. All sandwiches are served with fresh-cut fries or deep fried tots.

If you visit Dizzy B’s you shouldn’t leave without sampling some of the baked goods.

I tried two types of muffins: the Morning Glory, which boasts a splendid mix of carrots, raisins, apples, zucchini and spices; and the Blueberry Muffin, a house favorite with a crumbly, streusel-like top and a moist, chewy middle. Both were delicious, and the morning glory’s whimsical blend of fruits and veggies made me feel as if I were eating a dessert that was not only tasty but also healthy.

Last but not least, I sampled one of the cinnamon rolls. These decadent sweet rolls are baked fresh daily and seem to be the size of a small dinner plate. Morjock said they’re a breakfast favorite.

“People love to have them fresh out of the oven,” she said.

Dizzy B’s also offers pies, doughnuts, cookies and special order cakes.

Because the restaurant is small and only seats about 25, much of their business comes from take-out.

“Mornings are our busiest times,” Morjock said. “People love our breakfast. Customers often meet me at the door when I first arrive.”

Morjock said she always dreamed of owning a restaurant. She and her husband also own a farm and raise sheep.

“We use some of our own meat in some of the dishes we serve,” she said.