Falcon boasts several family restaurants serving a wide array of mouth-watering foods within a relaxed atmosphere. No need to drive even as far as Powers Boulevard anymore with choices so close to home.Jill’s Country Cafe7117 McLaughlin Road.Hours: Closed Mondays,Open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. SundayIf you’re looking for that down-home, small-town feel, then Jill’s Country Cafe is the place to be.”You’re a stranger here only once,” said owner Jill Bennett. It’s a comfortable place, full of good smells and laughter. Some of the customers just like to spend time with their neighbors and drop by for lunch, mainly for the company. “We’re like family,” Bennett said, as she waved goodbye to customers and welcomed others.The food is down-home and downright delicious, just like Grandma used to make.Ciao Bella Pizza & Pastaria7634 McLaughlin RoadHours: Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Closed Sunday.Web site: www.CiaoBellaPasta.comMike and Gina Casimiro insist that all their food is homemade, and 90 percent of the recipes were handed down from Gina’s grandma. Gina, who is a registered nurse, is the main chef. She goes the extra mile to make sure her ingredients are authentic to New York pizzeria standards.Mike proudly shows off family photos on the walls. “This is a family oriented restaurant,” Mike said. “When you come in, I’m going to ask how your family is doing. We’re looking for a level of intimacy with the community.”In the kitchen, someone is making mozzarella cheese, proving that they use fresh and homemade ingredients. Everything is made in-house; the sauces are made from scratch.Besides eating in (and the atmosphere definitely adds to the eating experience), you can order food to pick up. They also cater parties.Poblano’s Family Mexican Restaurant7336 McLaughlin Road.Closed Mondays.Happy Hour: Tuesday – Friday 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.Express lunch menu Tuesday – Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.Web site: www.poblanos.netBrothers Don and Ed Klein scouted six locations before they chose Falcon. This seemed like a growing area with lots of potential, so this is where they built their 260- seat restaurant.There is a bar with five flat screen TVs showing sports programs all day. An outdoor patio, three-quarters of it covered with glass to keep the wind out, has fans to cool you off on those sweltering summer days, along with heaters and two fireplaces to chase away the cold.Beautiful wall murals and hand-carved chairs grace the inside of the restaurant. There is a separate dining room, with room for up to 50 people.”Our food is special,” said Don Klein. “These are all home recipes from the owners and the chef. We have a ‘scratch’ kitchen, and everything we serve is homemade.”American food is also served, although the Mexican food is “not too spicy,” he said.Frankie’s Too!7376 McLaughlin Road.Opens at 7 a.m., 7 days a week.Web site: www.frankiesbargrill.comFrank Patton greets his customers like they are old friends. That’s not just the way he is but that’s also the way of the restaurant. “It’s a great meeting place, a neighborhood hangout,” Patton said. “We’re very family oriented. We have kids’ menus and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything we serve is homemade.”On Saturday nights, there is live entertainment. “We just want everyone to relax and have fun,” he added.Frank and his wife Kathy are also involved in raising money for the community. They have participated in fundraisers for the fire department, breast cancer and TESSA. “We believe in supporting the community,” Patton said. “It’s very important to us.”Nawlins Bar B Q7685 McLaughlin Road, Ste. 150The restaurant is open from 7 a. m. to 8 p.m. daily,and the bar is open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily.Web site: www.nawlinsbarbq.comOwner Jacqueline Hine from New York and co-owner Martin Allred from Louisiana opened Nawlins Bar B Q in April. “We’ve just started opening for breakfast from 7 – 11 a.m. We have crepes and Southern grits and cafÈ du monde,” Allred said.If you’ve ever wanted to try alligator or frog legs (or swamp jumpers as they call them), then the swamp platter may be just the thing. If not, you may want to go in for Tuesday wine and dessert night, where fine chocolates are the specialty.In the Bourbon Street room, there is live entertainment.Because many of their ingredients have to be shipped in from Louisiana, they have become a local distributor of products like Luzianne tea and Blue Plate Mayo. They also cater.Wild Wings ‘n Things11605 Meridian Market View #100Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day.Owners Pete and Kim Crowley said their establishment is a “family place.” “We run daily specials all week,” Pete said. Besides wings, they serve sandwiches, salads and offer a kids’ menu.There is a full bar with three TVs and a big screen for sports. “There are night activities and we all watch the fights or a football game,” he said.There is also an Internet Jukebox for a change of pace. The restaurant sits right at the end of the strip mall so there are huge windows on two sides, which gives it an airy appeal.The Grill at Latigo13710 Halleluiah Trail, Elbert(Behind the Equestrian Center)Hours: Saturday and Sunday breakfast 7 a.m. to noon;Saturday and Sunday lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.;Thursday Night Dinner Club 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.Kenny Backstrand has been in the restaurant business for 40 years. He would get called out to Latigo Trails to cook for special events at the Equestrian Center, like L’il Britches Rodeo. Then people said they wanted to eat his cooking more often, so they opened on weekends for breakfast and lunch.”Then, Thursday Night Supper Club started,” Backstrand said. “At first, there were only a few people. Now about 80 show up for dinner.” The food is “home cooked from scratch,” he said.His green chili is a specialty. “It’s an addiction,” said Bob Harrison, manager of the Latigo Trails Heritage Center.The Grill also does catering for seminars, graduations and weddings; plus, they have a banquet facility that seats 150.The owners of both Bamboo Garden and China Recipe are out of state and could not be reached for comment.The Creekside Grill at Antler Creek is undergoing a change in management and could not be reached for comment.
