Whether living in Denton or simply passing through after a long night of venue-hopping and beer-slinging (last week's 35 Conferette comes to mind), you might find yourself turning to Ruby's Diner On the Square.
It's nearly impossible to miss -- what with its central location next to the Calvary Chapel Denton, smack-dab in the middle of the historic square.
The diner has been there since the mid '80s and serves a hefty variety of comfort food, even offering up a daily breakfast and lunch buffet.
The wait staff -- ranging in age from college students to senior citizens -- bustles around wiping tables, pouring drinks and taking orders. All the while, owner Ken Willis can be found buzzing about, greeting customers and even cooking up some of his favorite culinary creations in the kitchen.
"There isn't a pie I can't make," he gaily boasts, before running back to the kitchen to cut a slice of his off-the-menu buttermilk cream pie.
It's evident that Willis has a sweet tooth as he is also the man behind popular ice cream shop, Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, also located on the square. He's the creator of some pretty interesting off-the-menu ice cream flavors -- chocolate jalapeño, Guinness and Red Bull to name a few.
But it's not the pie or the ice cream that takes the cake at Ruby's; rather, it's the patty melt.
While it's nowhere to be found on the menu, Ruby's has no problem whipping up the prevalent hangover remedy for those who had too much fun the night before.
The sandwich is crafted between two slices of store-bought wheat bread, and loaded up with a hamburger patty, sautéed onions and Swiss cheese.
It's then grilled to perfection until toasty brown, and oozing cheese from all four sides.It's pure comfort on a plate.
