The Stag restaurant in Madras serves up fresh seafood dishes, like this halibut dinner, as well as beef and comfort food selections.

The Stag, the restaurant, is country comfortable. Unpretentious. Homey.

The Stag is also the signature sandwich at this venerable Madras eatery. It’s 6 ounces of sliced prime rib piled high with grilled onions, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato on grilled sourdough.

Comfortable.

”We serve family style (food), what I think is great,” said Phyllis Rice, who’s owned the place for several years.

Born in the 1940s, The Stag took over the old furniture store next door on Fifth Street in 1965, to make room for a banquet room and a lounge.

Rice prides herself on presenting ”a top quality product” in a pleasing setting. The dark green of the dining room and the border of eagles, elk and other wildlife are suitably outdoorsy. The booths are upholstered in a cranberry hue, which adds to the small-town, rustic feel.

Things get rolling early at The Stag. Breakfast highlights include the taco omelette (three eggs, seasoned ground beef, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole, $7.25), the bay shrimp and mushroom omelette (three eggs and Monterey jack cheese, $8.25) and a 10-ounce rib-eye steak and eggs (served with hash browns, country red potatoes or pancakes, $11.95). Breakfast is served until 4 p.m.

Lunchtime brings an array of hamburgers, sandwiches, homemade soups and salads. In addition to The Stag, the restaurant features the Reuben ($6.95), halibut fish and chips ($11.95) and a two-thirds-pound bacon cheeseburger (with fries or salad, $7.95).

Dinner is all about beef and seafood. Prime rib, served every night, comes in 8-ounce, 12-ounce and 16-ounce cuts (with salad or soup, potato or rice pilaf and a warm dinner roll, $12.95, $16.95 and $19.95). Diners can add prawns, oysters or scallops to their steak selection – surf and turf – for an additional $5.95.

The Stag

Location: 65 S.E. Fifth St., Madras

Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday

Price Range: $5 to $12 breakfast, $6 to $12 lunch, $10 to $20 dinner

Alcoholic Beverages: Full bar and lounge

Kids’ Menu: Yes

Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express

Contact: 475-2919