Everyone has heard the old saying, “Good things come in small packages.” That is absolutely true at Rosebuds Cafe in Clifford, Michigan.
We have lived in Lapeer County for nearly forty years. We often drive through the little town of Clifford, yet this morning was the first time we ate at Rosebuds Cafe. What a delightful surprise!
Many times, we have heard friends talk about Rosebuds and we had sincere intentions to try it. This morning we finally made it happen.
I don’t know the actual dimensions of the cafe, but the size of the room has nothing to do with the taste of the food.
My measure of a good restaurant is always determined by breakfast. Even though I make great pancakes at home, I enjoy ordering them when we eat out. The blueberry pancakes I had this morning were delicious. I topped them off with two eggs, over-easy, a piece of bacon I borrowed from my wife, and lots of maple syrup. Amazing!
We were especially impressed with the kindness of all the patrons and the owner. Just this morning, we met a lady who lived in Clifford her entire life and, for a brief time, lived in the very building where we were eating. Another lady has been the organist at a Baptist church in a nearby town since she was fourteen years old. The third said she was on her way to visit her aunt. She looked at the map and decided to take the back roads which led her through Clifford. Her visit to Rosebuds this morning was her first.
In my recent post entitled, “I Always Wonder About Stuff,” I said, “I wonder when the last cardboard tube of Tinkertoys left the shelf.” At Rosebuds Cafe this morning, on a shelf just above our table was several antique items including Tinkertoys, Pick Up Sticks, and Kaleidoscopes.
The cafe is decorated nicely with pictures and antiques. I first noticed the long mirror that, in old homes, was often placed above a buffet cupboard or mantel. I was especially interested in the vintage photos of buildings in Clifford.
I have a book called, “Rails Around the Thumb”, by T.J. Gaffney. It has many black and white vintage photos of steam locomotives, freight and passenger trains that were a part of life in small villages across the thumb of Michigan, including Clifford.
One of the customers we met this morning, said when she was young, steam engines chugged through town and the cinders flying from the smoke stack often set fires in the brush along the rails. She ran along the tracks with a broom and helped put out the fires. Incredible.
Rosebuds Cafe has been owned by Judy Legue for the last fifteen years. Judy is known far and wide for her delicious homemade pies. In fact, it was a recent conversation with friends who mentioned pie they enjoyed at Rosebuds Cafe that reminded us we needed to get to the restaurant. We’re so glad we did.
Judy, everyone is right. We just enjoyed the two pieces of pie we purchased this morning. I had rhubarb, my wife had peach, both with a small scoop of ice cream. Absolutely delicious!
As we left Rosebuds Cafe after breakfast, Judy Legue said, “I hope you folks will come back.” You can count on it, Judy. Rosebuds Cafe is the best new discovery we’ve made in a very long time. We’ll be back, sooner than later.
A Coffee State of Mind 