New Owners Making Improvements at Kountry Kitchen

Tony Cresci, Scott Hine, Sarah Hine and Miriam Kahle.

By Laura Calverley

The Kountry Kitchen restaurant on Main Street has undergone some positive changes since Sarah and Scott Hine bought the restaurant from Doreen Harvey a little over a year ago. Word is spreading that the eatery is more than just a weekend breakfast hot spot.

“The restaurant has been here since 1939,” Sarah Hine said. “It’s always been known for its home-cooked meals and pies.”

The new owners have made several improvements since taking over the restaurant. All the meals are home-cooked meals and made from scratch, and all the food is fresh. Every week, they cook whole turkeys and cut fresh steaks.

“When we took over, it was a busy breakfast place, but few people came in for lunch and dinner,” she said. “We upgraded the quality of all the food and added some things to the menu. Now people come in for dinner and say ‘Wow, I didn’t realize you were here.’ ”

Caesar salad, Swiss chicken and fresh-baked bread are some of the items that have been added. The new owners also improved the quality of the steaks.

“We now offer hand-cut choice steaks,” said Tony Cresci, Sarah Hine’s father. “We cut them fresh every week. We have both a 16-ounce rib-eye and a 12-ounce New York steak.”

“We upgraded the quality of the food,” Sarah added.

Scott Hine had dreamed about buying a restaurant for a long time. Miriam Kahle, Sarah Hine’s mother, worked at the Kountry Kitchen and told the Hines that the previous owner wanted to sell. They took advantage of the opportunity.

The Kountry Kitchen is a family restaurant in more ways than one. Sarah Hine handles the business side; Scott Hine and Miriam Kahle run the restaurant. Tony Cresci works behind the scenes, organizing things and acting as liaison with suppliers. Sarah Hine’s sister-in-law, Jennifer Cresci, is a waitress.

“We have people who work here who’ve been here for years,” Sarah Hine explained. “They'’re like family, too.”

Many people come in just for dessert or to try one of several varieties of fresh cobbler. Customers choose from apple, peach, boysenberry, raspberry and cherry and sometimes mixed fruit cobblers such as apple-peach and boysenberry-peach.

And, of course, there are the regulars who come in to eat every week.

“We have a huge amount of regulars for breakfast,” Sarah Hine said. “Sometimes you can’t get a table on weekends and people are waiting outside.”

All-you-can eat specials are featured Wednesday through Sunday. Wednesday is lasagna; Thursday, ribs; Friday, fish and chips; Saturday, tacos; and Sunday, roast pork.

The Kountry Kitchen is open for lunch every day.

“Southwest chicken salad, Caeser salad, and, of course, hamburgers are very popular for lunch,” Sarah Hine said.

The restaurant also has two television sets that have been attracting sports fans who don’t want to miss watching the Chargers and the Padres.

“We want people to be able to come in and have a beer or glass of wine and watch the game,” Sarah Hine said.

The Kountry Kitchen, located at 826 Main Street, is open Monday and Tuesday for breakfast and lunch, from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday through Sunday from 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. They can be reached at (760) 789-3200.

Photo by Jennifer Jenkin