My earliest memories include scenes along Elk River as we passed through Noel, Missouri. These first began
with the Sunday afternoon drives, continued with the time in the fall of ‘65 to the spring of ‘66 when we were
living at Maysville, Arkansas, and then as a teenager, often when working for my dad and he had contracts
clearing right-of-way for Southwestern Bell Telephone.
Noel was a vacation mecca and was on my short list of
places to be. However, my parents never went there.
The activity along the river banks seemed endless and by
the time that I was a pre-teen and then a teenager, it looked like a wonderland filled with a bevy of beauties. Oh,
the days of the hippie chicks!
Well, I digress, living in days past can consume me.
Some memories are strong, but all was reconciled when I
was finally able to stop at a location that was a drive-in style of restaurant in the mid ‘80’s during the time I was
working for the State Highway Department, and we had contracts under administration in the Noel area. It was
a great place to get a burger or some other standard meal for the noon hour break, but that was years ago and as
the years pass, changes ensued.
At some point during one of our Tuesday Breakfast dates, the good wife and I ventured off on a random search
for something old, something new, and specifically, some place that looked like they had the capabilities of
preparing a breakfast that could be remembered.
That day of wandering led us to The Cliffside Café in Noel, Missouri.
The route into Noel and The Cliffside
Café is bordered by those iconic bluffs. If one travels down Highway 59 through Anderson, they will find the
bluffs between Ginger Blue and Noel.
Another other option is to drive to Pineville, take Highway H across to
Noel and then when one makes a right onto Highway 59, there are the bluffs to the left and Elk River on the
right. A beautiful drive either way and a great way to prepare for what is ahead.
Staying true to my breakfast roots has continued at The Cliffside Café, since they have a plate called the
Haystack. All of the necessary components are there and all I need to do is specify that the hash browns be
crispy and the eggs, over-easy. Failure to make those request and then, well, that’s on me, but the meal that is
served is still the awesome breakfast that I expected.
Nothing can beat freshly made gravy and tender biscuits.
The portions are plentiful, thus I have been able to experience more than the Haystack, as the goodwife has eyes
bigger than her stomach. I will never understand the concept of a vegetable omelet, but it is on the menu and
therefore, someone is ordering it and eating it.
This last visit to The Cliffside Café the good wife ordered the
vegetable omelet with a side of biscuits and gravy. I am able to report that while I don’t understand the concept,
the vegetable omelet, paired with the biscuits and gravy is a very good choice. Not that I am going to order it,
but it is a good choice for those who want to refrain from adding additional protein to the meal.
So, now that it is off-season, the river rats have all packed up and gone home. The vacation areas along the river
are empty and bare, and the business owners are gearing up for the off-season maintenance and repairs that
must be completed yearly. The crowd is a little light at The Cliffside Café, but it is only temporary since in a
few months the vacationers will return, the weekenders will invade, and all will be busy and right in their world.
In the meantime, what a great little escape from the routine to drive along the scenic routes that lead into Noel,
before you sit and relax, awaiting a delicious and bountiful meal at The Cliffside Café!
Recommendations and suggestions are accepted, but please don’t send me into the front lines of a bad food
experience.
If it is a good experience, we will let the world know. We are not a food critic, so we are not going
to criticize anyone, we just won’t eat there in the future.
I’m not a hunter, you can hire people to do that, I’m not a gatherer, even though the goodwife likes to garden,
but glory be, I am an eater!
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