The Engine Room

Do you ever eat somewhere so much that you can’t remember if the food is good or not? Welcome to the Engine Room!
This place is a staple of Dalton and the locals love it. Mostly because there’s a little something for everyone and they can accommodate large groups. The décor leaves a little to be desired, because it’s essentially a cinder block warehouse that has been converted. The, ahem, art is clippings of old news articles and pictures of past and present fire department employees. (Hence the name Engine Room. Clever, right?)
About the food: Dalton loves their buffets. And what buffet would be complete without fried chicken? While I’ve had better chicken elsewhere, it’s not bad at the Engine Room. It’s not bone-​in and it is fried in Crisco! How, pray tell, can you be sure? Any southern cook worth their salt knows the crispy difference a little Crisco can make. That and you can smell it… in your clothes and hair… after you leave… several hours later.
They rotate a few other animal proteins daily like pot roast and chicken casserole. They also offer typical southern sides and a salad bar. The lettuce is always cold and they have beets! The sides, while not bad, do have a few missteps. It is a buffet, but specially the okra bothers me. I’m not sure what they do to the okra, but they obliterate it. It’s not that nice pop-​able fried bits of green slime that I love. This is more like an «Oh dear lord what have you done?» pile of fried batter that you have to dig through to find okra. If you’re a lover of mac and cheese, let it be known that this is not the baked ooey delicious stuff. Rather it’s the type made in a big kettle with easy melt cheeze. I do always enjoy the pintos, cabbage, and greens, though.
The great thing about the Engine Room is it’s a flat $ 10 for the meal, and that includes a drink and dessert. (One trip only!) They also have pickled peppers for your greens. That will win me over any time. So if you’re in the area and want a little taste of Dalton, be sure to stop by.

Food is great! My only complaint is the poor quality contemporary Christian music piping through the speakers. As a classically trained musician, listening to poor singers playing the same chord progression over and over repeating the same text is a disgrace to God.