Back-to-basics cooking in Our Town

PARIS -- Our Town is a place with traditional Midwestern values and down-to-earth people. It's no surprise Robert found a diner with back-to-basics food.

When you pull into the parking lot at the Paris Family Restaurant, you get a feeling of what awaits you inside. Almost all the employees are related. I had a hard time following the roster, but there was a mother, daughter, "future" grand-baby, cousin and uncle. After a while, I got dizzy and gave up.

Whether it's your 1st visit or your 50th, you will be treated the same way; like an old friend. As you'd expect, the menu is something grandma would have put together. It's the kind of food we all know is not the most healthy for us to be eating, but admit it or not, we all like it every once in a while.

I was hoping to be able to say that everything was good, but I can't. Want to know why? Come on, people really order that? This requires more research, so I asked the hard-hitting question, "why?"

I was forced to eat liver once as a child. I seem to remember not liking it much. So, when the nice lady offered me a bite to try, I almost declined.

But, hey! Maybe today's liver is better. Maybe my tastes have changed. Maybe leprechauns will wax my car!

This stuff is awful! They tell me this is good for liver, but honestly, even good liver is pretty bad.

Now, I have to get the taste out of my mouth. Chili, cheese, applesauce, soda; nothing worked! I need something bigger and better.

The Beef Manhattan. It gets rid of liver taste and is a much better choice for lunch. You don't have to order the liver, but it's there if you want it.