Logan's Roadhouse has a country music feel with its Nashville roots

What is a roadhouse? This place was full of old road signs of all kinds. I saw antique signs for motor oil, Chevrolet, neon beer signs, and photos of old service stations. Buckets of peanuts were on the table and nut shells were thrown on the floor. Large TV screens showing sports programs were hanging up high, scattered around. It was noisy, with predominantly country music playing very strongly. I did hear them play a John Mayer tune for something different.

Logan's waiters and waitresses are dressed in jeans and flannel plaid shirts. For drinks, they promote a few specialties such as fruit flavored lemonades and iced teas. My companion had a plain lemonade and was pretty happy with it. I had a specialty combo margarita with a cran-raspberry lemonade - it was nice.

For entrees, we chose hamburgers and baby back ribs. I thought their yeast rolls were outstanding. The rolls were served very hot when salads came out, which was great timing. I liked my green salad - nice red onions and cucumbers, and filling.

But the ribs, a half slab, were a little dry. My companion also said so after wanting a taste. The seasoning was spicy and smoky, so I liked it. But for ribs, I had a better recent experience at Fort Wayne's old Rib Room on East State Boulevard. Logan's were good, but too dry - maybe it needs another try.

Entrees come with some choices for sides. Sweet potato fries, mac & cheese, veggies. I had the streamed broccoli - ok but very plain. My friend chose the homestyle fries with the burger, and we both thought they were tasty but a bit too salty. I need to go back and try a some other things, like a steak and an appetizer, because I didn't get a complete sense of the menu on this one trip.

We did like the Logan's desserts we had. They offered something fun - a small portion (so fewer calories) of three desserts. One was peanut butter, one brownie, one strawberry cheesecake. They are served in a little farm-type metal bucket that can be taken home as a souvenir. It's a thoughtful marketing gimmick for a sweet-tooth finish that isn't too filling.

We went to this busy location - on Lima Road at Ludwig, near Smith Field, Lowe's and Meier. They have another Fort Wayne location southwest on West Jefferson. Logan's is a chain in about 23 states, so you may have one near you. I think a lot of my Indiana and Illinois friends would feel right at home here.