For over 40 years, the Lincoln Inn Restaurant, 240 E. Lincoln Highway, has been serving diner cuisine with a smile to DeKalb residents and passersby. This old-fashioned restaurant made me feel right at home from the time I walked in until the time I walked out with my doggy bag full of goodies.

The wait staff was nothing short of spectacular. The attentiveness with a side of friendliness was quite the step up from the usual quick-stop locations my schedule allows. It helped that there was a constant flow of coffee in my cup at all times.

Obviously, the best part was the food. I started, by recommendation, by ordering the cheddar bread with jalapenos on the side. That was possibly the best food decision I’ve made in a while. The toasted, buttered cheese bread was similar to the taste of a grilled cheese sandwich but so much better. The fresh jalapenos added just enough heat to properly bring together this amazing flavor combination.

While browsing the menu, I came across some cleverly-named dishes such as the Mary Lincoln Club, the Log Cabin Burger and Abe’s Monte Cristo.

Being the Lincoln enthusiast I am, I was immediately drawn to these creative names and decided to sink my teeth into the Log Cabin Burger. I couldn’t have been more pleased. The grilled beef patty on a corn-dusted bun was cooked to perfection. The wait staff even accepted my odd request for alfalfa sprouts instead of lettuce.

What I also appreciated was the glass ketchup bottle. It’s a strange thing to get excited about, but there’s something rewarding about having to hit that 57 on the Heinz bottle to make the ketchup come out faster rather than just squeezing it out of a plastic container.

Just as I was wrapping up my meal, my waitress recommended ordering one of their stuffed cookies. Regardless of the fact that I was about to burst, once I heard chocolate and peanut butter, there was no going back. If I hadn’t had class, I probably would have stayed to try each flavor because, my goodness, they were absolutely delicious.

The atmosphere and excellent food at the Lincoln Inn Restaurant makes it hard not to like. Check out their website at www.thelincolninn.com for a copy of the menu.

4/5 Stars.