Fried chicken at Galvin's Dinnerhouse

6802 S.E. State Route 371, 238-0463, www.galvinsstoe.com

You could say Galvin's Dinnerhouse is like the St. Joseph version of Stroud's in Kansas City. Although there are certainly differences in decor and some menu items, they both pride themselves on tender, pan-fried chicken served up family-style in a down-home setting. And they've both been around long enough to get pretty good at what they do. Of course, if you live in Northwest Missouri, Galvin's is a lot closer. It's located off of U.S. Highway 371 (22nd Street) just about a half mile south of the Interstate 229 overpass. The small brick restaurant used to be in open country back in 1940 when the owners began frying chickens they raised on the premises. Although the chickens in the yard are now of the statue variety, they still serve fresh - not frozen - chicken, pan-fried in cast-iron pans just like they've done for years. Then they dish it up like grandma might have done on Sunday with big platters of mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet corn, green beans and homemade bread all on a white linen tablecloth decorated with a vase of flowers.

If fried isn't your thing, Galvin's offers chicken roasted and has steaks, pork chops, fish and a vegetarian platter on the menu. You'll also want to check out their chicken lunch buffet for $8.95, Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. Their dinner buffet is offered on Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 through 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday they take their first seating at 5 p.m. and the last seating at 8:30 pm. On Sunday's it's noon and 5 p.m. They are closed on Mondays.