My "real life" job is that of a pastor serving a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. One of my programs is a weekly "Lunch with the Pastor", where we rotate throughout area restaurants. I never have an agenda or anything like that; rather, people are invited to come and share whatever might be on their mind.
One of the better places we frequent for these lunches is a smaller place by the name of Traci's Place nestled in the Hegins Valley, at the end of a place called Valley View (where I serve) and at the beginning of another small town by the name of Sacramento. Sacramento is so small that Traci's Place is the only restaurant there- but they are good fortuned, because they have a decent little place to frequent.
Traci's operates as mainly a breakfast and lunch restaurant, usually closing around 1 PM or whenever the last customer leaves. I have never eaten there for breakfast, although I have heard that it is very good during that time. Most of the time I've been there has been during lunch, where they serve a fine assortment of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and usually a (large portioned) lunch special.
Recently, I had the opportunity to have their ham and mashed potatoes special. Please be warned- yes, this sounds like a dinner rather than a lunch, and yes, the portions are more dinner sized as well. Their ham was delicious- salty but not overly so, with a nice smoke to it as well. It was extremely tender, to the point that I could cut it with the edge of my fork rather than with a knife, which is good for me because I'm a "as few utensils as possible" kind of guy. I don't know why that's a thing with me, but it's a thing.
The best part of this meal, though, came in a fairly large bowl of lettuce with hot bacon dressing. The Hegins Valley is a Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired farming community, and dishes like this are one of the culinary attractions. If you've never had hot bacon dressing, let me describe it like this- sweet, vinegary, thick sauce that is a flavor explosion in one's mouth, highlighted by the utter awesomeness of bacon. It's probably not healthy (well, let's face it- it's definitely not), but it is one of those things I will always order at a restaurant if it is indeed offered as a side.
I always gush about food I love, and well, this above paragraph is proof of that.
Traci's also serves dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, and has a wing night on Thursdays. Please be aware- their wing night has a rather limited menu. It's pretty much wings, greasy sides like french fries, burgers, and that's about it. They also have frog legs (another restaurant with frog legs!) but the night I was there they were out of them.
If you are looking for a decent place for a quick, fresh lunch, Traci's will be much more than adequate.
Traci's Place
Main Street
Sacramento, PA
(570)682-1020
