Huge portions to match the heart at Sandy's Place

When my friend, who lives in Scott City, told me that the country fried steak at Sandy's Place was huge, as big as the plate, I was sold. This was not the first time that a Scott City resident had recommended Sandy's Place to me. The locals seem to love this eatery.

I was familiar with Sandy's Place as simply "the restaurant at the airport," and I will confess that I never visited them in that location. No longer located at the airport but close to it at 4590 Nash Road in Scott City, with the stillness of the fairly open country still punctuated by the gentle roar of an airplane taking off or landing, Sandy's Place is the epitome of a mom and pop shop, with all of the charm and the home cookin' to prove it.

Upon entering the cavernous metal building, there were saran-wrapped plates filled with huge slices of pie to the right, and the invitation from the server to take one to our table if we saw one that we liked. I already knew what I wanted to try, but I looked the menu over carefully. The area around the register was littered with little hand-written signs and there were those cool soda-can airplanes for sale overhead. There was a claw machine way back in the corner, and you better believe I visited it after I ate. I'm a sucker for a good claw machine.

I ordered fried crawfish tails for an appetizer. It was a goodly portion, and satisfying. I was tempted to order Cowboy Candy just for the amazing name. It is a serving of marinated beef tenders and dipping sauce, but I decided to save something for next time.

When my country fried steak hit my table, I was not disappointed. Do you remember that scene from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" where Richard Dreyfuss sculpts his mashed potatoes into the Devil's Tower, an incredibly distinct mountain that stands alone in Wyoming? He piles up an obscene amount of mashed potatoes, and upon rewatching the scene, this was how much potatoes arrived with my head-sized country fried steak. Like Richard Dreyfuss, I felt a touch of awe and mumbled under my breath, "This means something. This is important."

The pork steak special with traditional baked beans and potato salad -- summer on a plate.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

The potatoes and steak were smothered with white pepper gravy. While this doesn't lead to the prettiest foodie picture, it does lead to the satisfaction of having enough gravy to dress every single bite of steak and potatoes. I ate half of the steak, several bites of potatoes, and all of the green beans that were heartily flavored with bacon. There were leftovers for days.

My husband ordered the daily special, a pork steak with sides. Like my meal, portions were generous and delicious. We didn't have room for pie after all.

It seems that I visited Sandy's at the wrong time of the week, because I missed the All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry Fridays. According to the Sandy's Place Facebook page, their fish is award-winning, and the Google reviews seem to agree. Sandy's served 570 pounds of fish on the first Friday in Lent, and that, too, leads me to believe that it may be worth braving the crowd on Friday to try that fish.

If fish isn't your thing, you can try the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet on Saturday, where Sandy's serves not only fish, but also fried chicken and chicken-n-dumplings. On Sunday's buffet, you'll find meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and chicken-n-dumplings. Both of those buffets include a salad bar, sides and additional entrees. Buffets like this are a dying breed, and I enjoy seeing that they still thrive when they're well done.

Some day, when I'm not bursting at the seams and thinking about "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," I'll return for just a piece of pie and some of that homemade ice cream that was advertised tableside.

For the record, that crane machine in the corner is a good one. I gave the goofy dog stuffed animal that my husband won to our dog, and she loves her new friend. Probably to death.

And that is the name of the game at Sandy's Place. Huge portions, huge heart, huge sweeping country, the huge legacy of the Wright Brothers' triumph over gravity roaring overhead ... It all leads to huge comfort and that's what I'm always looking for in my next meal.