Let's Eat

Towne & Country Café

With platters this big, the word gets around

By CARL PRICE
Staff Writer
Mar. 07, 2007

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – The omelets at Towne & Country Café are so big that owners Elizabeth and Steve Thomas consider them among the best advertisements for their restaurant.

“People will definitely tell their friends about our giant omelets,” said Steve Thomas.

For the past five years that the Thomas’ have owned the restaurant, it seems that customers have been telling their friends.

“We have a steady group of regulars that come in the same time every day and usually sit at the same table or seat at the counter,” said Thomas. “If they don’t show up, we start to get worried.”

Steve Thomas has spent most of his life working in restaurants, beginning with Joe’s Sub Shop in Somers Point at 12 years old. His route to Towne & Country went through Chi Chi’s in Somers Point, the Point Diner, 15 years at Caesars Atlantic City and the Sands Brighton Steak House, and then his own first and currently owned Ventnor Café.

Running two restaurants simultaneously isn’t easy, but it is rewarding for the couple.

“Both restaurants are open for breakfast and lunch, so I usually pick up supplies, go to Towne & Country, work there all day, close Towne & Country, then head to Ventnor,” explained Steve Thomas. “After I close Ventnor, I go home and do payroll, taxes, scheduling and place orders until Elizabeth comes home from her job at the bank and starts working on the books.”

He said he loves the hectic schedule and is thankful for his longtime employees, who know how he likes things done.

“My cook, Joe, is the most easygoing cook I ever met. He does a great job. And my waitresses, Tracey Hamilton, who has been here a year longer than I have, and Gina Tamburello, who has worked here three years, are the best.”

Thomas said large platters are not the only secret to his success. Another is fresh ingredients.

“We are so committed to fresh food that my specials have to be something that is not offered on the menu. I don’t want my customers to think I am running a special to get rid of something that has been around for a while. Everything is fresh,” he said.

The use of huge platters at breakfast spills over to the lunch menu.

“Our sandwiches are eight ounces of quality lunch meats, Hatfield or Dietz & Watson. Most places use four ounces. Our burgers are eight ounces of Black Angus beef, only the best,” Thomas said.

One of the first things you may notice when you walk into the café is a wall display of small bottles. Upon closer inspection, you will have discovered the Towne & Country Wall of Flame.

More than 100 bottles of hot sauce from around the world are stored there for the customers’ “enjoyment.”

“We have a bottle of sauce up there that I had to sign a waiver to purchase. You put it on with a toothpick,” Thomas said. “Most people like the Cholula. We tell everyone to be careful with the hot sauces. A little goes a long way.”

When it comes to the food at Towne & Country Café, a lot goes a long way to bring in the customers.

Customer Favorites

Breakfast
Italian Omelet ($5.95) Stuffed with sausage, provolone cheese and roasted peppers.
Supreme Omelet ($5.95) Fresh spinach, bacon and cream cheese fill this popular omelet.
Cheese-If-You-Please Omelet ($5.50) Your choice of American, provolone, Swiss, cheddar, cream cheese or feta.
Eggs Benedict ($5.95) Poached eggs on an English muffin with Canadian bacon, topped with creamy hollandaise and served with home fries.
Italian Delight ($4.95) Petite Italian omelet on a grilled Kaiser roll with home fries.
SOS Sampler ($6.95) Creamed chipped beef over toast, scrambled eggs, sausage and home fries.
Corned Beef Breakfast ($6.25) Corned beef hash with two eggs any style, served with home fries and toast.
Challah French Toast ($4.25) Batter-dipped challah bread with butter and syrup.
Blueberry Pancakes ($5.50) Buttermilk pancakes with blueberries.

Lunch
Soup of the Day (Bowl $2.95, Cup $2.00) A different homemade soup every day.
Our Signature Chicken Salad Sandwich ($5.75) All white breast meat with lettuce and tomato.
Cheeseburger ($5.50) Eight ounces of Black Angus ground sirloin served with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, french fries, coleslaw and dill pickle.
Roast Beef Special ($5.95) Coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye bread with french fries, coleslaw and dill pickle.
Turkey Club ($6.50) A triple-decker of turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo served with french fries, coleslaw and dill pickle.
Steak Sandwich ($5.50) Philly-style, with lettuce, tomato and fried onions served with french fries, coleslaw and dill pickle.
Breaded Chicken Cutlet ($6.50) Served with spinach, roasted peppers and provolone cheese on a Kaiser roll.
Grilled Reuben ($6.50) Choice of pastrami, corned beef or turkey breast with Russian dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.

Tips and Tidbits

The Towne & Country is available for special occasions after normal business hours.
During football season, diners can guess the score of the Eagles game and win breakfast or lunch for two on their next visit.
The Towne & Country may be serving dinners soon. Owners Steve and Elizabeth Thomas stopped serving dinner two years ago when the price of beef skyrocketed, but are considering another run. Stay tuned.

If You Go

Towne & Country Café
Harbor Village Square
Ocean Heights Avenue and Zion Road
Hours: Serving breakfast and lunch daily 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Credit cards accepted
Gift certificates available
Prices: $2.50-$7.25