Zeke's is located at 1781 E. Highway 69 in Prescott. For more information, call 928-776-4602 or visit zekeseatinplace.com.

© Geoff Gourley

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Eggs Come First

Kirkland Remember back in january, when you made that resolution to eat healthy and lose some weight? If you're like most Americans, you didn't make it past the Super Bowl. And that's OK. In fact, as long as you've blown it, you might as well head to Zeke's Eatin' Place and really fall off the wagon.

If you've never been to Zeke's, a small diner just off State Route 69 in Prescott, the motto is this: "No one goes away hungry." After one meal, you'll know they're serious.

Bob Williams owns the restaurant with his wife, Tracey, who was the inspiration for the diner's Western theme. "She's a country girl deep down," Williams says. "We just expanded on that."

Among other things, cow skulls and framed images of John Wayne adorn the walls. There's something almost intimidating about having the Duke look down at you while you're eating. It's as if he's saying, "You'd better clean your plate, pilgrim."

In addition to the Old West, there's a history lesson as well. Old photos of Prescott, dating back to the early 1900s, are scattered under clear glass covering the tabletops. Small flyers advertising local businesses accompany the photos.

Of course, the food is the main attraction at Zeke's, where the hearty meals are geared more toward Hoss than Little Joe. "We're a man's man's place," Williams says with a laugh. "We're meat and potatoes. It's in-your-face type food."

What most people put in their face is breakfast. Even during the lunch hour, Williams says, most people order breakfast, with omelets being the most popular items. These aren't ordinary omelets, though. The nearly foot-long monsters, which include anywhere from five to seven eggs, span an entire plate and are served with a towering pile of crispy hash browns and a choice of toast, pancakes, or biscuits and gravy.

The basic pancakes are about 7 inches in diameter. If you're more adventurous, try the wagon-wheel pancakes, which are roughly the size of hubcaps. Although it's not on the menu, Zeke's even has a pancake challenge.

"If you can eat three pancakes in 20 minutes or less, we buy your meal and give you a T-shirt," Williams says. "We make a spectacle of it, but only about 15 people have ever done it. It's just funny to see their faces when the pancakes come out."

Breakfast is served until 2 p.m., but Zeke's also has a lunch menu available beginning at 9:30 a.m. The menu features soups, salads, sandwiches and "midday meals from the chuck wagon." Like breakfast, the lunch portions are huge.

Try the Southwest turkey melt. It's a real knife-and-forker, thanks to the red chile mayo that covers the oven-roasted turkey, green chiles, pepper jack cheese and bacon piled high on sourdough bread.

As a side dish, you'll have to choose between fries or a salad. Although the healthy voice in the back of your head will be whispering "salad," if you're going to fall off the wagon anyway, you might as well fall hard and go for the crisp, expertly seasoned fries. Once you've tried them, you'll resolve to go back and try them again.

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