It’s got the traditional country décor – red and beige plaid wallpaper with a pinecone print, warm wooden floors, shelves of homemade pickled veggies and walls overflowing with knick-knacks. The menu is standard fare at the right price, too; a big steak breakfast plus juice and coffee costs about $10.

And breakfast is what Guma’s does best. There are egg breakfasts with several combinations of sides to choose from, a variety of omelets, French toast and “Guma-sized” pancakes.

Oh, the pancakes.

“Guma-sized” pancakes are roughly the size of a serving platter. Order even two of them and the waitress will warn you – these pancakes are big. Not big like your grandma’s pancakes. Not big like Denny’s pancakes. Big. Real big.

Guma’s offers a Pancake Challenge for the truly brave – and hungry – but few pass the test. The task: eat three pancakes in 30 minutes. The prize: a tee-shirt, bragging rights, and probably a stomachache.

While I may be a frugal-country-breakfast person, I’m no great lover of pancakes. But with pancakes this famous, I had to try. I ordered my usual breakfast – coffee, orange juice, eggs over medium with homefries, bacon, wheat toast and a corn muffin – and one “Guma-sized” blueberry pancake with real maple syrup. One note about the corn muffin: I am a cornbread fanatic. If cornbread is on the menu, I will order it – whether it be with breakfast or with a slice of chocolate cake. When I ordered my usual corn muffin at Guma’s, the waitress asked if I’d like it grilled, something no waitress had ever proposed to me before. Was it the right choice? Let me put it this way: I will never eat another un-grilled corn muffin.

The "Big Breakfast" from Guma's (two eggs, homefries, meat and toast) plus a delicious grilled corn muffin.

For my table of six, the wait for our food was pretty short considering the heaping Sunday brunch spread we’d ordered. My eggs were hot and freshly cooked, though a little too runny. No great disappointment, however – I’ve learned to order over-medium at most breakfast establishments, but expect over-easy. The generous portion of bacon was cooked to perfection, and the homefries, though absolutely delectable, were only lukewarm by the time they reached the table. Again, considering our party’s size it was hardly important. I topped my thick-cut buttery toast with homemade peach jam. Guma’s makes all their jams and jellies right in the restaurant and brings complimentary bowls to the table. You can also buy a jar to take home. And, as I mentioned, the cornbread is some of the best I’ve had – crispy and crunchy on the outside with butter soaking through to a soft-and-crumbly-and-perfect middle. This toasted-velvet dichotomy was something no oven could ever aspire to achieve. And grill marks are just as beautiful to behold on a corn muffin as on a thick, juicy steak. I swore to take seven muffins “for the road,” though by the time I finished, second helpings of anything was the furthest thing from my mind.

Now, the best for last: though I’m no pancake person, Guma’s could easily change my position. My whopping pancake was somehow light and fluffy yet rich and delicious at the same time, and speckled with huge juicy blueberries that were unmistakably fresh. The scoop of creamy butter and a swirl of real maple syrup were perfect toppings. Though I could never eat three full pancakes, just a few bites of one is enough to make me want to try.

And for this feast of home-cooking at its finest, I paid little over $10 plus tip. Of course, anyone going for a simpler, smaller meal could pay much less. Guma’s “Big Breakfast” of two eggs, homefries, meat and toast is only $4.95, and my single blueberry pancake (more than enough for an average meal) was $2.75. A king-sized breakfast at a student-sized price – as far as I’m concerned, it was a match made in heaven.