Not all coffee shops are created equal. Neither are all so-called institutions of home cooking worth the greasy spoon.

My newest discovery is the Busy Bee Coffee Shop on Portland Road, Route 26, just before the town of Gray. It sits squat and square on the road and actually has cabins too, which, of course, are not part of the deal when you’re going there for its real down-home food.

It’s basically a breakfast place, serving from 6 AM until noon, Tuesday to Sunday. In some ways it’s similar to Stone’s, though the menu is mostly egg dishes. But it’s the extras that intrigued me, like homemade baked beans, biscuits, sausages and other add-on fare to go with the main dishes. There are also pancakes and breakfast sandwiches.

When I was there today, one of the specials was eggs and steak mash. I’m not sure what that was, and I should have inquired, but I was too busy trying to decide what else to eat. Since I don’t eat eggs often, this place is somewhat off-limits for me, but the various offerings sounded great. One in particular was what they call The Beehive: eggs over potatoes, green peppers, onions and cheese, a noteworthy artery clogger in which one could indulge occasionally.

I opted for the stuffed French toast, no weakling in the calorie department either. But then again one is not going there to count carbs or calories.

Two really thick slices of toast, dipped into a tasty egg batter hold cream cheese sandwich style, which melts into a thick, creamy filling as the toast is cooked on the grill. It’s topped with a berry topping of raspberries, strawberries or blueberries and served with pure maple syrup on the side.

It was delicious, though it’s more like a sweet, which didn’t prevent me from savoring every bit. My side order of bacon helped to sop up the juices.

I wanted to order a small cup of baked beans and sample one of their homemade biscuits, but they were out of beans, and I thought I better leave well enough alone.

The room itself defies any attempt at décor. It’s a cozy pine-paneled space with perhaps 10 tables and a counter. I felt like I could have been in an obscure netherland of North Dakota or a farm town in Nebraska.

The waitresses are as friendly as could be, and they asked if I lived nearby or was merely passing through since I had not been seen there before.

It’s not surprising that the Busy Bee draws a local crowd. I suppose that unless you live in the area there’s probably not much reason to go there. But if you have, like I do, a passion for great greasy-spoon fare, distance shouldn't keep you from the Busy Bee. It's the real thing and I'll be back there again.

Next on my list of coffee shops to try where the spoon is better than the grease is Shute’s in Windham. If any of you have other suggestions please let me know.

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