NC Eatin’: Catawba County

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Table 220
220 Union Square NW
Hickory, NC 28601

On my way home from Asheville, I stopped in Hickory for lunch.  I can think of at least three other trips to Hickory, once with my parents and twice for one act play competitions in high school.  It’s funny – Hickory has a much smaller and quieter downtown area than Asheville, but it’s population is almost five times that of Asheville.  I guess the difference is that Asheville is very service oriented due to the tourist industry while Hickory is focused on manufacturing.  Fun fact: forty percent of the world’s fiber optic cable is manufactured in Hickory.

I found lots of chain restaurants, a couple of Mexican places, and a couple of Chinese buffets in my search for the downtown area, but I kept holding out.  Finally, I found the little main street.  I only found one restaurant open, Table 220.  The cute tables outside were full, so I headed inside.  The servers and hostess ignored me for a couple of minutes and finally asked what I wanted.  I said I was hoping for lunch.  *rolling eyes*  The hostess then seated me and brought me an ice water.

I waited for about ten minutes.  I was just fumbling in my purse for a pen to leave a note about ignoring customers when a waitress finally came over to me to ask if anyone had taken my order.  “Nope.  Everyone’s just ignoring me.”  She was actually really sweet.  I’m not sure why she ended up waiting on me; I seemed to be in another girl’s section.  Anyway, she did take my order.

While I was waiting, I looked around.  Although the sound system was having some annoying issues, the atmosphere was cute.  They have black tablecloths topped with brown paper, neat light fixtures, and oil paintings for sale.  The other patrons were mostly families having lunch after church. 

The Sunday brunch menu was pretty good – French toast, eggs, sandwiches, meatloaf, soup, etc.  I ordered a half sandwich, mixed greens, and cup of chili.  The chili was good – a little spicy with some visible veggies (no corn! thank goodness).  My sandwich was turkey on grilled sourdough with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  The salad was a nice lettuce mix with shreds of carrot and a homemade balsamic dressing.  Other than the bad service, it was a nice little stop.