Lunch Ladies: Molly’s
The Lunch Ladies enjoyed a delicious visit to Molly's.
Sylvia's Upside-Down Salad at Molly's.
Jennette's meal at Molly's.
Lyndsi's meal at Molly's.
Gabby's meal of choice at Molly's.
“Reunited and it feels so good!” I’m not going to lie — the immortal song lyrics of Peaches & Herb could not help but to echo through my head, the moment we knew Lyndsi would be back for our next lunch review.
We thoroughly enjoyed the company of our guest writers and even planned on including more since we had some great, entertaining emails from people wanting to get involved. But to have our sister from another mister back in her proper place just feels right, so perhaps we can save some added guests for another day.
So with welcoming Lyndsi back, it seemed fitting to go to a place with some hometown cooking, to give her a proper “Welcome Home” if you will. Molly’s restaurant had been recommended to us a while ago, but when we got around to going, it was right before they were going to close for the holidays since they are owned and operated by Marvellous Catering Co., and I am guessing that is quite the busy season.
So our initial visit was fortuitously postponed to this apt reunion.
When we first went, we made a few observations that we think might help some of you fellow newbies. There is parking around the side of the building in addition to the front. The dining is cafeteria style; you line up, grab your tray, tell them what you want, then pay. And lastly, this place is hoppin’! Molly’s is a small restaurant that uses the space well to pack in a lot of seats and a lot of diners. Because of this, it’s a great lunch hour spot; come enjoy the grub, chat and get on with your day; which is exactly what the Lunch Ladies did.
Here is what we went with:
Jennette: BBQ Bowl with Smoked Chicken $6.95 + Diet Coke $1.49
When I walked into Molly’s I felt like I was entering my mom’s kitchen. The atmosphere was warm, inviting and relaxing. Oh, and the smell reminded me of how hungry I was; it was a delicious scent. I didn’t have any trouble deciding to order the BBQ bowl. How could a girl go wrong with Dutch oven potatoes and smoked bbq chicken? The chicken was tender and covered in the right amount of tangy bbq sauce and the potatoes were not covered in so much cheese that I was overwhelmed. My meal came with a nice wheat roll and, of course, I added a Diet Coke to make my lunch complete!
Sylvia: BBQ Salad $7.95
I was served up a delicious upside-down salad at Molly’s. My bowl was first loaded with pulled pork and Dutch oven potatoes, then the lettuce, cheese, pico, tortilla strips, and topped with a tomato ranch dressing. The pork was nice and tender and the potatoes were beyond delish. Thank goodness there were hands other than mine serving them up; I wouldn’t have known when to stop. I had to share with everyone my upside salad because I thought it was kind of crazy. And how cool was it for the Lunch Ladies to go through a cafeteria-style line?
Lyndsi: Sandwich and Side $6.95
Well it was my first lunch back from my leave and I was excited to try out a new spot. I don’t normally think cafeteria-style dining and delicious foods go together, but at Molly’s that is exactly what you get. I decided on the pulled pork sandwich with a side of potatoes. The sandwich was delicious Carolina-style BBQ served on a delicious roll and topped with coleslaw. The flavors together were perfection and the crunch of the coleslaw was exactly what the sandwich needed. The potatoes were a chunky Dutch oven potato and topped with cheese. They were a great warm complement to my sandwich and made my meal complete. I can’t wait to go back to Molly’s to see what is on the menu.
Gabby: 24-Hour Smoked Beef Brisket 10.95
Molly’s conveniently designates on its chalkboard menu what items are gluten-free. I chose to get the all-too tempting beef brisket meal that comes with your choice of two sides. I selected the Dutch oven potatoes and the spinach salad. This home-cooked style meal was a great combination of flavors. The brisket was salty, tender, and had tasty, crisp edges. The spinach salad was coated in a perfect amount of poppy seed vinaigrette, tossed with iceberg lettuce in addition to spinach leaves, Mandarin oranges, cranberries, fresh strawberries, shredded cheese, and almond slivers. Yum! Then the shining star of the meal, the buttery, soft potatoes with ham, onions and melted cheese, left my mouth watering. This magnificent meal will definitely have me returning to Molly’s!
We are glad that we now have a welcoming new restaurant to add in to our rotation, with friendly staff and fantastic fare. We were happy we made the trip, and glad to have all four Lunch Ladies back where they belong!
— Molly’s: 753 W. Columbia Lane, Provo. Open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 4-8:30 p.m. on Friday. Closed Saturday to Monday.