J&D's Family Restaurant - Brigham City, Utah

J&D’s Family Restaurant
720 So Main St.
Brigham City, Utah
(435) 723-3811

Just finishing a long errand in company with my sister and nephew, we found ourselves on Main Street in Brigham City, Utah. It was near noon and we were hungry. After a few clicks on the GPS we were calling out the restaurants as we passed them. We didn’t want the traditional fast foods so we kept on cruising down Main Street. We couldn’t cruise too far or we would be headed out of town. However, the next in line was J&D’s Family Restaurant. It looked good from the outside and the parking lot was near full. Since J&D’s was away from the usual tourist stream, the congregation of locals was a good sign of a good place to eat.
It is hostess seating and there were several groups ahead of us. The rotation went fast and we were the next. The waitresses bussed the tables and there was one waiting for us but apparently the hostess went on break and forgot we were there waiting. After a few minutes my nephew brought the situation to the attention of one of the servers and she immediately seated us and took our beverage orders. That was the only blot on what was a satisfactory dining experience.
The menu is heavy on breakfast, less on lunch and dinner is but the back page and provides a clue to the locals dinning patterns. They do feature specials that are posted at the entrance. We focused on the lunch. The menu states, “All hamburgers are one third pound served lettuce, onions, pickles and tomatoes on request. Add extra patty, $1.89. All burgers and sandwiches are served with your choice of soup, salad, tater tots, sweet potato fries or French fries.” Sister Pattie Sue ordered a BLT ($4.79) and asked for the salad to accompany her meal. Nephew Ron ordered a double fish sandwich; two fillets served open face, ($6.49) and requested the Tater Tots. And I, as almost usual, ordered a cheeseburger and the French fries. Without intending, we were testing the depth of their menu items.
Pattie’s salad was served first. A nice sized serving for a side-salad, it was a bed of mixed salad greens including some radicchio, shredded carrots and a slice of pickled beet. There was a topping of finely shredded American cheese. The dressing is served on the side and it makes it easier to fix the salad to personal liking. The dressing was ample for most and I’m sure more was available on request. Pattie said the lettuce was crisp and fresh, and overall a nice salad. Her BLT arrived shortly after along with the rest of the orders. A simple presentation, it was toasted white bread, dressed with lettuce, tomato and bacon, much like your mother would have set in front of you. The sandwich was tasty and satisfying.
Ron’s double fish sandwich was served open face with cheese. The cheese had yet to melt over the fish fillets. That was the only distraction from the overall look of the dish. There was an ample serving of nicely browned Tater Tots. Ron said it was tasty, the fish moist and not dried out. He proceeded to eat his meal with a bit of gusto. After all, it had been a long day and we were hungry.
My hamburger was served open faced and all of the requested extras, lettuce, onions, pickles and tomatoes, were there. A nice touch, the onions were red onions and were very sweet, very nice. The dressing was a mild mayo-style and did a nice job of moistening the sandwich without imparting its own flavor to the sandwich. The fries are cut from whole, unpeeled potatoes. Usually I don’t like that kind of fries because of the large number of slices mostly potato skin. In this batch the peel was a spot here and there with and on a few ends. Nicely browned, crisp and not at all greasy, they were just fine and I enjoyed them.
The overall impression is a family restaurant, more diner or café than restaurant, serving wholesome food, well prepared but not with any excess of garnish or flourish. Were I in Brigham City again, I would seek out J&D’s as a place of comfort and enjoy a good meal.