Track’s End: Sustenance for summer’s final stretch
Between the hot sun and freshly brewed sweet tea, the Track’s End crew is “just trying to hang onto summer,” General Manager Stacy Cofer told me.
Food is just better when made using farm-fresh produce, she said. For instance, she continued, Track’s End’s veggie casserole — featuring fresh corn, green beans and mushrooms — is filled with flavor; the tomatoes that top its burgers are satisfyingly juicy.
“Summertime is always an extra busy time for our burgers,” Stacy said, adding that the burgers’ popularity has only increased since the debut of the diner’s new crisp, hand-cut fries.
Alas, there is no denying it. Summer is on its way out. The days have shortened; students have returned to school. But the season’s end isn’t all bad, concedes Stacy.
“With fall,” she said, “we get better weather. And apples.”
Beginning in September Track’s End will begin to roll out its autumnal eats, which include heartier soups such as baked potato and creamy tomato basil. The fall menu also features a new selection of homemade apple desserts, including pie, dump cake and cobbler.
In the meantime, the Track’s End crew is making the best out of the seasonal transition.
“Banana nut cake is a great recipe to take us into fall,” Stacy said.
As I thought about that cake — sweet, spongy and chock-full of real fruit — I realized my grasp on summer may indeed be starting to slip.