If you’re not careful, you’ll miss it. Turn into the parking lot off of Johnston Street, and you will be able to see the Decatur Farmers Market and the railroad tracks in the distance. The building was originally built in 1890 and served as the Cotaco Opera House. Curry’s on Johnston Street (the restaurant) actually resides in the basement.

Diners may choose to sit indoors surrounded by quirky art or “outside” in the glass-enclosed porch surrounded by nature. If you just don’t have time to linger, carry-out orders are prepared frequently.

This is not a frou-frou place, meaning you won’t find china, silver or crystal, and you’ll need to go to the counter to place your order and pay. But then, once you’re seated, someone will gladly bring your order to you and check on you from time to time. The casual atmosphere adds to Curry’s charm, it seems, and makes it a great spot to meet a friend for lunch.

The hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but that basically means lunch, if you’re dining in, or hours before and after for picking up orders to carry-out. A special bonus is that you can also purchase a frozen entree to take home for dinner if your day has been crazy busy and there’s no time to cook.

The menu basically consists of a wide variety of salads and sandwiches, and they have a daily hot lunch special. The Spring Roll Salad, the Fried Oyster Salad and the Fried Scallop Salad may be the most unusual menu items, but they are very delicious — so light and flavorful. Chicken salad and strawberry pretzel salad are possibly the most popular sellers. I don’t know how they manage to always have perfect strawberry pretzel salad — firm and fruity on top, sweet, creamy center and crunchy crust on the bottom. When I make it at home, my crust invariably gets soggy. Thus the need for places like Curry’s, right?

I recently took a chicken salad plate home and put it on one of my china plates. Voila! A great meal without lifting a finger. 🙂

Once, when I was “between houses” and needed to host Thanksgiving, I enjoyed Curry’s great holiday catering service and ordered a fabulous meal — turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sides, dessert — without having to buy any groceries or get my own kitchen dirty. It was worth every penny.

Curry’s does a great job — consistently and at a reasonable price. I recommend it.