Sometimes you need a break from the fine dining Ames has to offer.

It’s entirely possible to find food that’s more than edible and not found in a sit-down restaurant. Almost Always Open is a Citgo gas station that’s been advertising its scrumptious foods and drinks for a while. Can gas station food really live up to DPD standards? Not really, is the overwhelming answer.

Atmosphere:

KB: You’ve been in those gas stations on a road trip — the ones where there are little tables and some freezer food warmed up for quick eats. Well, this was no different, except it was on Lincoln Way, not Interstate 35. It was clean and there weren’t weird substances on the bathroom floor.

KF: Well, it’s a gas station. It looked like a gas station. We sat at a counter attached to the front window. I forgot to lock the car, but no matter, we stared at it the whole time.

Service:

KB: The guy behind the counter was nice enough. I’m not sure you can expect any more than bare-bones service from a gas station restaurant. I don’t think he worked in the kitchen often, so he made do with what he had.

KF: At first, I wanted chicken strips and potato wedges, but the guy working the counter that night didn’t know his way around the kitchen part of the store and couldn’t find them. He was really concerned about our dining experience though, as he kept checking on us while we were eating. Or maybe he just didn’t know why anyone in their right mind would eat there with all the other restaurants around.

Quantity/Value:

KB: I didn’t really want to eat anything that would have to be made from raw meat. It was good enough. My Bosco sticks — which are tasty little breadsticks filled with cheese and topped with Parmesan — were really filling. Who knew bread and cheese could fill your stomach so well?

KF: I got full. But, then again, without actually buying gas, it would be pretty hard for me to bust my wallet at a gas station. Unless I decided to try my luck on that digital slot machine.

Quality/Taste:

KB: I always get my Bosco sticks at the Des Moines airport, so these didn’t taste much different. The soup tasted like something nicely warmed from a can. It was like I got a lunch from home, only I was surrounded by TGIFriday’s chips and had a breathtaking view of Lincoln Way and some gas pumps. I think I’m a pretty good cook, so it couldn’t be horrible.

KF: The bread was OK, the pickles were Day-Glo green, the turkey was slimy, and neither I nor the guy behind the counter could tell what flavor the white cheese was. My dessert, Reese’s Pieces new candy with peanuts in the middle, were good, though. It’s like peanut M&M’s and peanut butter M&M’s had babies and Reese’s adopted them.

Final say:

KB: 2.5 of 5 forks

KF: 2 of 5 forks

Almost Always Open

419 Lincoln Way

Phone: (515) 232-0046

Hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m., Monday-Sunday

Kate’s Meal: Turkey sub, chips, lemonade, Reese’s Pieces $6.16

Kim’s Meal: Large chicken noodle soup, Bosco sticks, Tropicana Fruit Medley Juice $5.24