In Search of the Burger, Week 2: W.F. Cody's

W.F. Cody’s

Hours: 11–1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m.–midnight Sunday

Address: 3138 E. Sunshine St. (also locations at 1440 W. Republic Road and 520 E. Jackson in Willard)

Phone: (417) 887-8083

Décor: Paneling and plywood with tile floors

Notoriety: Easy atmosphere and burgers

Seating: Tables in two dining areas

Clientele: After-work crowd

The first thing we noticed at W.F. Cody’s was the tattered, stained menu.

We considered it a sign of good food that had been heartily enjoyed. The menu was informative (“the portions are large”) and educational (with a history of namesake William Frederick Cody).

The menu also advised us to allow 30 minutes if we wanted the 1-pound burger ($7.50), but we wimped out and ordered the K-pounder ($5.50 or $5.95 with cheese).

The adventurous may want to try the Larry Burger, described as a K-pound burger with bacon, mayo and topped with an egg.

We went sans egg and soon had two burgers in front of us. Think hand-formed burger with just a hint of pink. They were juicy, tender and hot.

We considered this a burger’s burger – it looked like a burger should look, tastes like one you’d make at home and had plenty of the flavor of good beef.

Each hamburger came with lettuce, pickle and white onion.

We ordered our burgers with one side of fries (half-order is $1.95) and onion rings ($2.95), and both were delivered with plenty to share. Our server explained it this way: “With the fries, a plate full is a half order. A full order is what we call a ‘mound.’” The fries seemed a tad undercooked, and the onion rings were pretty heavily breaded, but you also have your choice of twister fries, potato skins, jalapeno poppers, cheese sticks and crawfish as side dishes.

Patsy and Milt Thompson told us they have been coming for a good six years. “When we started coming, we each had a small burger and a half order of fries,” says Patsy. “Now we can’t eat the full half order and end up splitting the burger between us, too!” They come into Cody’s every Monday night, “because Rose works on Mondays. We love our waitress. She sees us coming in the door and has our order ready before we sit down.”

Rose Andersen is a seven-year employee. “My motto is, if I can’t have fun, I’m not coming to work,” Andersen says. She calls Cody’s “a neighborhood place,” gesturing toward a group of customers. “We know a lot about their lives … and we make up the rest!”

The verdict

Our Cody’s visit left us with two thoughts: 1) We’re stuffed, but we want just one more bite; 2) Will Rose know our names when we return? Because we will be back.