PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS VON HOLLE
Did you know that Johnny Paycheck killed a man in Hillsboro? That’s what I heard at the table next to me as “Take This Job and Shove It” played over the speakers at Poochie’s Place. That’s not exactly true, but when Poochie handed me a menu with that comforting smile on her face and said “good morning,” I was back in the reality of Amelia, Ohio.
Poochie has nothing to do with dogs. As she says, “It’s what everybody’s always called me.” What Poochie’s Place does have to do with is down-home cooking for breakfast and lunch. When I asked my waitress if the pancakes were as big as my head, she said “bigger.” I prefer the French toast to start the morning, but the deep-fried waffle with icing is the kind of thing you’ll be telling people for weeks that you dared try it. Or maybe you’d get more attention if you told them you had a goetta burrito.
For lunch the meatloaf rivals both the burgers and the sloppy joes in popularity. You know it’s good when they serve it for breakfast. But is it better than the bologna? Right out front, a sign says “Fried Bologna” as if that’s something really special. I thought it was joke until I heard two people ask, “Do you have the fried bologna today?”
Prices at Poochie’s are average, and the portions are big. That means locals from Amelia and points further east can pack the place, so plan accordingly.
Poochie’s Place, 1375 Ohio Pike, Amelia, (513) 753-4000. Breakfast and lunch seven days.
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