Delicious Additions at Cortland Country Kitchen II

By Shannon R. Myers

Just off of the Exit 11 ramp of Interstate 81 entering Cortland, NY, amidst a cluster of chains and fast food restaurants, you can find the comfortable, locally owned eating establishment Country Kitchen II Family Restaurant, where you can rest your weary self and get a homemade meal.

Owned and operated by Doug Chidester and Carol Furgeson, Country Kitchen II is little sister to 34 year-old Country Kitchen of Whitney Point. The restaurant originally opened on Clinton Avenue, Cortland in 2010. It moved just around the corner to its current location in Riverside Plaza in 2016.

For 8 years, Country Kitchen II has served the Cortland community with fresh, homemade breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. Now, the restaurant has added some delicious new updates: a breakfast buffet and a salad bar!

The breakfast buffet is now available on Saturday mornings from 8 am to 12 pm, offering a wide choice of delectable breakfast options for a variety of different tastes. Guests will be able to choose from baked omelets, sausage gravy, biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, French toast, eggs, bacon, and sausage. A variety of baked goods such as muffins, doughnuts, and other pastries will be offered, as well. More health-conscious choices, such as fruit and yogurt, will be available, as well. All of this for only $10.25! And kids 12 and under get special pricing of only $7.25!

The salad bar is available daily from 12 to 7 pm. Just like the breakfast buffet, the salad bar consists of many delicious salads including green salads with add-ons such as onions, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and more! You will find pasta salads galore, three bean, and ham salad. Fresh fruits, marinated sliced meats, and tempting desserts like chocolate pudding and chocolate cake will make your mouth water. All of this is a great deal at $5.00 with a meal and $8.95 by itself! The salad bar will change every couple of days, but you are sure to find a plethora of fresh dishes that will satisfy your taste buds, as well as your appetite.

In addition to the new breakfast buffet and salad bar, Country Kitchen II Family Restaurant prepares a full menu of homemade breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts, including specialty sandwiches, hamburgers, grilled dinners, pasta dishes such as lasagna and stuffed shells, and steaks. The restaurant has daily specials and a kids menu.

Doug and Carol’s Country Kitchen restaurants are not affiliated with any Country Kitchen chains. Both the Cortland and Whitney Point establishments are independently owned, local, community businesses. Many of their family members help to run the Country Kitchen restaurants, including a daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and cousin.

At the Country Kitchen II, you will notice a white tree that is decorated to go with the current holiday. “We love to decorate for the holidays,” Carol said. “We want people to be able to feel comfortable when they come here, like they are coming home.” She said that she was going to take the tree down after several different holidays, but the guests protested, saying that she should leave it up. Now, it has become a perma-holiday tree. “We do our best to keep our guests happy,” she said. “We have a sign on the wall that says ‘Enter as strangers, leave as friends’, and that is our goal, here.”

Huge supporters of community groups such as law enforcement and the military, the Country Kitchen has a discount for them, as well as a 10% daily senior discount. Doug and Carol are also willing to assist with local benefits and other community groups, when asked.

Open on Sunday and Monday from 7 am to 7 pm and from Tuesday through Saturday from 7 am to 8 pm, Country Kitchen II is a great place to eat if you want to escape the chains and fast food and bring your family for a wholesome, sit-down meal. There is something for everyone among its reasonably priced menu items, including a kid’s menu, and there is a take-out option available, also.

Stop in on a Saturday morning and fill up from the new breakfast buffet, or any other day to take advantage of the delicious salad bar dishes! Country Kitchen II is conveniently located just off of I-81 Exit 11, in the back of the Riverside Plaza on Clinton Ave/Route 13. Menu or take-out questions? Visit Country Kitchen 2 Cortland on Facebook, or give Country Kitchen a call in Cortland at (607) 756-2356, or Whitney Point at (607) 692-4952. Once you visit, you’ll be sure to leave as a friend!