My Culinary Odyssey: Stanton and Salyersville

    I'm going to honest about these two places.  I basically just use them as rest stops on shopping trip to and from Lexington. As such, I really only eat there.  Sure, there have been other reasons which I will go into, but there aren't that many. Check the introduction here to see how these posts are organized.

    Stanton: Somehow, this place has become our go-to for rest stops. It's about the perfect spot for my mom in the mornings and for my afternoon refueling on the way back. The only other place in Stanton we have ever gone to would be the Kroger, and we only bought stuff there that first visit, which was soon after it opened.  Haven't been back there in over a decade.  On a positive note, almost every place is still open.

• [Dairy Queen, TO:  One summer, after we started going back to Lexington on a regular basis, we stopped here.  I didn't want to go in, so I suggested to my mom what to get. It was a limited edition strawberry frozen slush drink. (At the time, I wasn't sure if they had Dr Pepper, so I wanted to try something different instead.) It was very sweet and sticky, but I kind of liked it.  I don't think they ever brought it back. Only time we ever stopped.]
• Hardee's, TO, ⭐️:  The happens to be my mother's favorite stop in the mornings for her to use the restroom, and to get a coffee so she can justify the stop. I usually just walk around the parking lot to stretch my legs and back. Once, I even watched a family of kittens wandering about. We stopped there only a few times for the afternoon return trip, as it is harder to get to it with it being on the northbound side of the highway. Usually, it was due to mom wanting the jalapeño poppers that they had (more precisely, the Red Bean Burrito location that used to share the spot).  I got something with a drink, but I don't remember what. We haven't stopped there in the afternoons in a few years now.
• Taco Bell, Stanton Funzone, TO:  The Funzone is on the southbound side of the highway, across from the main road into town. Its centerpiece was a large play area for kids, along with a few food spots and grouped seating. Back on an early birthday trip, we stopped here to eat. I didn't want to get out of the car, so my mom went in to get something, since we always wanted to try Taco Bell. I asked for something small, with little meat and no beans. Well, while the thing she found was meatless (don't ask me what it was, I don't remember), they had didn't remove the refried beans. I tried to eat around them, but we through most of the thing away. Ultimately, the play area got turned into office space. The Baskin Robins closed (don't think I ever gotten anything there anyway), and their area is now an antique shop. Taco Bell closed too, with another place taking over its spot years later, which I'll mention after the next location.
• Long John Silver's, later A & W Restaurant as well, Stanton Funzone, TO/maybe DI: This is the only original occupant of the Funzone still here, although it added a second joint restaurant a few years later. This is the only new LJS I've been to since I started eating at BK.  Make what you will of that. I've haven't eaten here that many times, as most of their serving sizes are on the larger side. I've gotten a few drinks, as they serve Pepsi products and the other restaurant doesn't. I did order the special "authentic" Fish and Chips promotion they had years ago that had smaller fish pieces and potatoes cut into chip shapes instead of fries, and special 'newsprint' wrappers. I think I ate it out in the car, which seems strange even now to write, as there wasn't that much room. I believe I got something from A & W once as well, but I can't remember. I may have even eaten inside once or twice, but I have doubts about that. I have sat down to wait, at least.
• Arby's, Stanton Funzone, TO/DI, ⭐️: This went into Taco Bell's old spot, and it has since become my go-to. We usually get there right as the 'happy hour' afternoon discounts start. I usually get the chicken slider, a side of fries (curly, although I am growing fond of the crinkles), and a Dr Pepper. I've tried a few other sliders, as well as some other sides, but these remain my favorites. The slider is usually so hot that it can burn my mouth.  Even adding some ketchup or other condiment doesn't help. I usually eat in the car, unless it is way too hot or cold, then it's inside. They recently remodeled, removing most of the both and replacing them with high tables that I don't like. This is also the Arby's where I tried their 'Wagyu' Steakhouse hamburger during one of the first promotions. I had a few reservations after I saw that they microwaved the patty to warm it up, but I still bought one. It was actually pretty good. (Yes, we did eat inside that day.) Sure, the place can get a little messy, and they wait times are a little longer than I would like, but I still like the place.
• McDonald's, TO, ⭐️:  A few years ago, after trying to stop at the Funzone, my mom forced us out before I could place an order. The restroom was it a bad shape, and she made me leave immediately. We stopped here, since it was right next door. Fortunately, this was back when they still had a dollar value menu, and I was able to find something.  It may have been a mushroom/onion burger or something.  The next few trips, we had to stop here instead of the Funzone. That stopped when the value menu got rid of anything I liked.We haven't stopped back here since, although I am intrigued about their frozen Dr Pepper slush.  Of course, I could get that locally if I so choose.

    That's it for Stanton.  Onto Saylersville.

    Saylersville: As I mentioned last year in my series on comic books, I first stopped here in grade school to visit my doctor who was working at a clinic here. I remember stopping for a drink or something afterwards, but that may have been in P-burg. Since then, stopping here has been rare, but here are two notable examples.

• [Salyerville Funzone, TO: Once, when Stanton was under a boil water advisory,  I wasn't able to get any fountain drinks, which are a must for me.  We ended up stopping here instead, an hour and more later south. While it also had an LJS, I think I got a drink from the convenience mart instead, as well as a pre-packaged snack or something. The Funzone would close a few years later, in combination with the road construction and the tornado damage to the area. Possibly something else.  I don't remember what is in the spot now.]
• [Wendy's, TO, ⭐️: During our most recent Lexington trip last fall, we had a rocky start. We had to make a store delivery to a customer before going on.  This caused my mom to ask to stop early in Saylersville to use the restroom. I got to choose the spot, and I chose here a little out of spite for wasting travel time, as we were already running fairly late. My mom loved it. The restaurant was still fairly new, only open for a short time. Not only did she get a coffee, but they talked into getting a breakfast bar.  She was infatuated over that. So much so, that she started to go to the local Wendy's for coffee just so she could get the bar as well. She's even talking about stopping here on our upcoming trip, even if it costs me travel time.]

    And that's it for this week.  Come back next week, as I start on the addenda list of places that didn't quite fit into my geographical arrangements. See you then.