Heartlanding Through the Breadbasket

Thursday August 26
 
I'm now a week into my trip- with another week and a half to go!
 
Today I was going to take a day trip- a 400 mile round trip day trip to Bismarck!
Why not? I've been to Fargo before, saw just about everything I needed to see, however I've never been to Bismarck other than passing by on I94. Besides the speed limit is 75mph, it's a straight level ride the whole way through and there's no traffic...
After a half decent cup of  coffee and a  Bran Muffin at  Atomic Coffee in downtown Fargo I was on my way...
 
After a drive lasting just under 3 hours I arrived at
 

 
Fried's Family Restaurant
in Mandan, about 10 minutes west of Bismarck.

 
 
Besides North Dakota's Native American and Scandinavian culture there is also a large "Germans from  Russia" culture.  These were Germans who moved to Russia for their religious practices and eventually emigrated to the US and  settled in this part of the country. Many of the restaurants incorporate this culture into their cuisine. Fried's is one of them..
 
I started out my meal with a big bowl of  thick and creamy Knoephla Soup
 

 
If wild rice soup can be considered the state soup of Minnesota then knoephla soup is most likely the state soup of North Dakota. Basically it's a thick and creamy potato and chicken soup loaded with small dumplings... I've never had it before and I understand that Fried's has some of the best...and it was nothing short of outstanding.
 
I also tried Fleischkuekle.
 
 

 
Another German from Russia specialty. Flaky fried pastry dough with filled with ground meat spiced with what seems to be onion powder.
 

 
 
This is what the interior looks like. All I can say is that it went well with ketchup
 
For dessert I had another solid Sour Cream Raisin Pie.
 

 
 
The restaurant also had a nice gift shop...
When I left Fried's, I couldn't help noticing this..
 

 
 
oh if I only I had a few extra days to spend in Bismarck!
 
After lunch, I made my way to the State Capital
 

 
Located on the Capital Grounds is a famous statue
 

 
I believe it's called "The Pioneers"
 
Next door to the capital building is
 

 
The North Dakota Heritage Center. A very cool history and natural history museum.
 

 
Of course any museum in the Dakotas just wouldn't be a museum without a family of Bison.
 

 
Don't quote me, but if I recall I believe this is supposed to be a depiction of Teddy Roosevelt who spent some time living in North Dakota back in the 1880's

 
I'm not sure who this is supposed to be.
 

 
nor these friendly looking folks..
 

 
I thoug this was really cool The German from Russia pioneers would use these Iron Markers in place of headstones when they buried their dead.
 
I spent a good part of the mid afternoon at the Museum and then took a stroll around very tiny downtown Bismarck....I'm convinced that Bismarck would be in the running with Casper Wyoming for most boring downtowns for the second largest cities in their respective states. (Both Fargo and Cheyenne have much more character)
 
I then returned to Mandan  to check out
 

 
Fort Lincoln State Park
 
Located on the Lewis and Clark trail
 

 
The state park includes a Museum which celebrates the original inhabitants of the area, The Mandan Indians.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
Remnants of a Mandan Village were also discovered on the site as well
 

 
and Native American Earth homes were reconstructed on the site to recreate the village
 

 
A tourguide took us on a tour inside these earth homes..
 

 
 

 
Even though it was very warm (in the low 90's with very low humidity) outside, it was surprisingly cool inside these earth homes. Apparently they were built to brave the elements as I was told they can withstand extreme temperatures..
 
The state park is also the location of Fort Lincoln.
 

 
THis is where General Custer and his troops set out for the Battle of Little Bighorn..
 
Considering the hilly vistas and unusually warm temperatures and low humidity..
 

 
 

 
even though I was still "heartlanding through the breadbasket" there was almost a "rocky mountain high and big sky feel" to this area- hell I was halfway through the state to Montana anyway... so I guess it made some sense..
 
My last stop at the State park was
 

 
a re-creation of General Custer's home located at the Fort. And of course the dork of a tour guide reminded us that  the year is 1875...
 
 

 
The house itself was constructed 20 years ago, apparently exactly to the original specs
 
 
Here are some interior shots
 

 
This is where the general ate
 

 
This is where the general slept
 

 
and I guess this is where the general played pool
 

 
After the tour I went back to Bismarck for my dinner stop at
 

 
 
The Little Cottage Cafe
 
This was written up in the first two Roadfood books respectively in 1978 and 1980
 

 
I can see why it hasn't been included since...
Ok I know it's been 30 years since the Stern's last reviewed it. In their review they mentioned specials including stuffed pork chops- ok, I knew it would be a shot in the dark
but in the back of my mind I was hoping they would be on the menu. I looked at the specials - BBQ Ribs....ummm...no I don't think so....and hmmm....Pot Roast....that's a
possibility-no luck- they're out....shucks I missed the lunch specialty of cabbage rolls too
(another German from Russia Specialty)  and ribs and kraut- another northland specialty. several of the on line reviews noted they
have knoephla soup- it would have been great to order some and compare the soup
to the version I enjoyed at Fried's, no such luck, vegetable soup today - I don't think so...

Ok what do I do....I'm regretting it now- but I got another order of....
 

 
Fleischkuekle.....I should have learned my lesson from lunch......perhaps I thought this version might be better??? I was so frustrated it seemed that lunch's version was better (or it could have been my imagination) maybe outside of some imaginary nuances it tasted exactly the same...
 
For dessert I ordered the local specialty

 
Kuchen- basically a custard dessert filled with prune. If this is an accurate representation of kuchen then I doubt I would order it again- it was very "blah"
 
****NOTE TO CAJUN KING- THIS IS NOT PIE- IT'S "KUCHEN" THEREFORE IT SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE PIE COUNT*******
 
 
Until now I can truly say I did not have an ordinary meal....This was my first REAL ordinary meal of the trip...and thankfully the last! (but the nasty snacks have yet still to come)

After dinner I took the long drive back to fargo... I was back in Fargo a little after 9pm...
Before returning to my hotel, curiousity got the best of me. Theres a college bar called the Bison Turf, that I always wanted to check out- one recent review I caught indicated they have "the best" beer cheese soup in Fargo- better than the now defunct Grainery? better than TNT's Diner??? Impossible..... I arrived at the bar and I was twice the age of everyone there- I never thought the day would come when I could say that....I ordered a bowl of the beer cheese soup----what a waste- it was watery and dasted like soapy dishwater- come to think of it- that's probably what it actually was....The only saving grace was that they had Summit on tap....fortunately I did not take any photos....
 
After that it was back to my hotel....I was exhausted and needed sleep... More tomorrow.
 


 
 

If I had a dime for every place I've been to that was out of Ringneck Pheasant...

I've visited the North Dakota Heritage museum many years ago. I found it much more interesting than I had expected to.

Man, you are a devoted person to make two meals out of both hotdish and fleshkukla, or whatever.  I'd imagine the museum would be interesting--we've spent the last month watching Deadwood on DVD and it would probably be a treat for us.

You do a road trip right.

ChiTownDiner
 
If I had a dime for every restaurant that didn't have pecan bacon pie on the menu!
 
Nancy,
The second round of tater tot hotdish found me, I wasn't looking for it. It just seemed the logical choice versus "sloppy joe" What I really wanted to do that afternoon was try to catch an early lunch at the Lemon Wolf Cafe, they opened at 11, however I was concerned about making the ballgame in Fargo on time, especially considering all the construction that was going on in Duluth
 
Fleischkukle, I take full responsibility for that- twice in one day was too much, I probably should have just gone with a burger, or perhaps they should have had a better selection of daily specials

Is that Geronimo up there?

In North Dakota I would say that is not likely to be Geronimo. Geronimo was a Southwest Apache. Most likely, if it is a depiction of a real person, it would be Crazy Horse an Oglala Lakota leader.

OK OK 9 Pie and 1 Kuchen
 
This is one area of the US I have not visited much, I need to get back out there and explore.

Friday August 27
 
After another "ok" coffee and bran muffin at Atomic Coffee, I was beginning to wonder if there was any good solid exceptional coffeehouses in the breadbasket. So far I've only been to two that peaked my interest , one of which I don't even remember the name of...
 
I was ready to leave North Dakota and head south to another exciting state...
South Dakota of course!
 
My first stop for lunch was in the faming town of Marion SD  approximately 40 miles due west of Sioux Falls at a local tavern called
 

 
Bud's Tavern.

I'm still convinced that roadfood restaurants come in many shapes and forms besides
diners drive ins and dives which seems to be the post website direction. Bars and Taverns are no exception.
 
If you're ever in eastern South Dakota farm country, there are two interesting regional items that you must check out and Bud's Tavern has them both...
When I first walked in, the bar was busy with the lunch crowd, and although it was busy, the two ladies behind the bar were very friendly and helpful as I was telling them about my trip.
I sat down at the bar sitting not too far from these fellows
 

 
And ordered the high plains special - "Red Beer" or "Tomato Beer"
 

 
Basically you take any domestic beer- bud, miller or if available, old style, add tomato juice and olives - As you know I despise these beers in and of itself, but when adding the tomato and olives it was quite the refreshing libation....
I know that Red Beer is not unique to South Dakota, but its quite popular here and South Dakotans in the eastern part of the state, consider it "their own"
 
The other unique item I enjoyed is in fact regionally distinctive to South Dakota, you're very unlikely to find it elsewhere with the exception of bordering states.
 

 
Chislic- skewers of  lamb that's fried and served wiith ritz crackers. Although any meat can be used Lamb is considered the traditional way to serve it. I remember being given onion powder and another spice to add at will. Some places will use beef instead of lamb, but it's obvious that lamb gives it that extra oomph! In addition the only thing non traditional about this meal are the fried onions - unique to Bud's this was a nice accompanyment....Since I never had tomato beer or Chislic before, what I initially considered just an "experiment" turned out to be a very good lunch.
 
After lunch, I drove to Sioux Falls to check into my hotel- what was interesting is that my hotel was literally right in the Empire Mall parking lot...
 
I then drove downtown to revisit....Sioux Falls
 

 
 

 

 
also the site of the old defunct Queen Bee Mill

 
 

 
I spent quite a bit of time walking around some of the paths. I did stop at the Visitors center for some decent Ice Cream, I remember I ordered Moose Tracks but didn't take any photos... I found out there is also a  Friday Night light show at the falls, unfortunately I had other plans because that would have been really cool to check out.
 
Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to walk around downtown Sioux Falls. It seemed that most of downtown was under construction, and the streets were torn up causing lots of traffic back up, so I ended up heading back to the Empire Mall. I collect post cards, specifically aerial views of various downtowns across the country. Unfortunately on my last visit back in 1998 I couldn't find any. I ended up at a "South Dakota themed" gift shop and the owner told me she's been at the same location for almost 20 years and has yet to see post card depicting the Sioux Falls skyline. At that point it all came back to me- I remember the exact same lady telling me the exact same thing 12 years ago!
 
I then headed back to my hotel. As you recall, my dilemma was that I was couldn't decide which Steak House I was going to go to for dinner. I narrowed my options down to two choices The Tea Steakhouse or the Brandon Steakhouse and Lounge.
Well the two ladies behind the bar at Bud's Tavern gave the thumbs up for The Tea Steakhouse, they never heard of the Brandon Steakhouse, however that is approximately 20 miles  east of Sioux Falls. When I returned to my hotel, I asked the desk clerk, who also seemed to have a plethora of knowledge regarding local attractions and tidbits. She replied neither, when she saw me "roll my eyes" and I explained that those were the only options, she explained that the two times she went to Brandon Steakhouse they did not cook the Steak the way it was requested, although I didn't get into specifics, from reviews I read the Steakhouse "has a problem" cooking anything beyond medium - anyway, her gripe with the Tea Steakhouse is that its always too crowded, however the Steaks are fine- that's ok with me- I got a secret- I'm going before the standard midwestern dinner hour of 6pm so I betcha the crowds won't be an issue.
Besides hearing at least two commercials for the Tea Steakhouse on the radio and none for the Brandon Steakhouse- I guess the writing was on the wall...
 

 
The Tea Steakhouse it is!
 
Arriving around 5pm the dining room wasn't crowded at all
 

 

 
and of course you gotta love their slogan..
 
although it has been 12 years I remembered the trio of salad dressings
 

 
french- ranch- thousand island- blue cheese comes seperately- of course I had to ask
for the blue cheese dressing...
 
served on a very boring salad
 

 
 
along with some very boring rolls and a very boring basket of crackers
 

 
but who cares when the Steak Comes
 

 
I asked for the Large Porterhouse/T Bone- they were out (probably a good thing)
so I "settled for the regular sized T Bone - medium and the
 

 
Lyonnaise Potatos...
 
This was a fine steak- not a $100 a plate butter  butter knife steak- but a good solid steak and the lyonnnaise potatos were also excellent. This meal was just as good as I remembered, and you know what, I'd gladly pay under $30 (including tax and tip) for a steak like this, bad salad and rolls included. When I left around 6pm the dinner crowd started rushing in, so I'm glad I got there when I did....
 
My last stop for the evening...
 

 
 
Sioux Falls Stadium- aka the Bird Cage...
 

 
Home of the independent Sioux Falls Pheasants...
 

 

 

 
 

 
The Pheasants hosted the St Paul Saints that evening....
It was yet another sell out crowed (I've seemed to hit alot of those so far) and a close game tying the game in the bottom of the 8th... Since it has been nearly 4 weeks, I forgot the specifics but the Pheasants won.
 

 
 

 
Two things I didn't like about this game (or the previous game in Fargo)
I know it's supposed to be family friendly but they really over did it with the between inning contests. They really over did it here- it was "pop diva" night. Which basically meant the interns (on field in between inning announcers) dress up as different pop divas and sing karaoke too one of their hits. In this case it was Christina Aguilera and as this photo depicts...
 

 
Madonna- even the mascot got into the act...
Personally I think i'd rather see Chi Town Diner do bacon- pecan pie jello shots!
 
The other tacky thing was playing "Sweet Caroline" in between one of the innings. As much as I hate the Red Sox- it's still "their song"
 
Anyway...only in South Dakota would they clean up up the field like this in between innings..
 
 

 
more tomorrow...

Dale, I call shenanigans.  Red beer is not specific to South Dakota.  My good friend from Pasco WA has it all the time, and whereas the formulation may vary, even the NYTs had an article this summer about the Michelada.  It's everywhere.  
 
And also, you might slap an ermine sash and a crown on me, but it doesn't make me Queen Elizabeth any more than a slice of American cheese makes those hash browns lyonnaise potatoes. :)

Nancypalooza


Dale, I call shenanigans.  Red beer is not specific to South Dakota.  My good friend from Pasco WA has it all the time, and whereas the formulation may vary, even the NYTs had an article this summer about the Michelada.  It's everywhere.  

And also, you might slap an ermine sash and a crown on me, but it doesn't make me Queen Elizabeth any more than a slice of American cheese makes those hash browns lyonnaise potatoes. :)

I know I didn't say that Red Beer is unique to South Dakota I did point that out- but they do like to call it their own
http://www.food.com/recipe/red-eye-red-beer-382429/photo?aid=205346
http://lafinlarry.net/pipermail/thc_lafinlarry.net/2008-June/000686.html
http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-194975.html 
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/road-trip-destinations-072809

South Dakota
Nearest highway: I-29, I-90
You're bringing: Your kids
Suggested length of stay: Five days

You drive in South Dakota. Everywhere, forty, sixty, eighty miles at a time, so it's impossible to pick one place to visit in the whole state. Start in the northeast in Aberdeen, Tom Daschle's hometown, and order a red beer, a South Dakota specialty, at Wild Oats on South Main Street. (It's Budweiser mixed with tomato juice. Don't ask questions, just drink.) Then pop up to Eureka, a small town founded by German and Russian immigrants, and stock up on a half dozen kuchen, which are open-faced German pies, at the Eureka Kuchen Factory. From there it's 250 miles south to Badlands National Park — it's all mounds of dirt, but weird dirt — and then to the underwhelming Mount Rushmore (Is that really it? It looks so... small) and the overwhelming Crazy Horse Memorial, a half-finished towering mountain being chipped into the image of the American Indian warrior. Camp that night in Badlands National Forest, then spend the next day hiking through Wind Cave National Park. That is South Dakota. Driving long stretches of flat road. Strange pastry. Strange landscape. Wonderfully nice people. And red beer. Don't forget the red beer. —TYLER CABOT


Read more: http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/road-trip-destinations-072809#ixzz10M1ZAUOg

 

Kinda like Minneapolis likes to call Juicy Lucy's their own, I told some of my friends back in NY about that a couple of weekends- they started laughing - they called them stuffed cheeseburgers- they said they've been enjoying those right in in NYC ever since they were little tykes back in the 70's.
 
I know that they're not "real" Lyonnaise  Potatoes. The Tea Steakhouse  calls them lyonnaise potatos- so that's what I called them- there's fried onions in them too- they are fresh cut- and they were really good no matter how simply they constructed it..
 
 

Thanks Dale for reminding me of a treasured memory. When i visited Bismarck, it was my 49th state capitol building. i mentioned this to my tour guide who was impressed and asked me if there were anything she could do do to make the visit special. I asked if I could meet the governor, she said yes and took me to his office. The governor at that time was Arthur Link. The guide told him of my journey and he asked me what I had liked best about North Dakota. I told him the capitol and Theodore Roosevelt National Park's Badlands and he said he hoped i would find many other things to enjoy. I told him my grandparents had the same last name as he did and that we might be distantly related. He laughed and said he hoped so. He was a nice man and it struck me that it was a little odd that a governor had the time to see someone. unscheduled in the middle of a day. I can't imagine a complete stranger getting in to see a governor today.

Red Beer is very popular in eastern oregon. The now closed Roadfood spot "The Circle S Bar B Q" featured it prominently and "The Oasis " in Milton-Freewater, another roadfood  reviewed spot, also features it prominently..

mr chips


Thanks Dale for reminding me of a treasured memory. When i visited Bismarck, it was my 49th state capitol building. i mentioned this to my tour guide who was impressed and asked me if there were anything she could do do to make the visit special. I asked if I could meet the governor, she said yes and took me to his office. The governor at that time was Arthur link. the guide told him of my journey and he asked me what i had liked best. I told him the capitol and Theodore Roosevelt National Park's Badlands and he said he hoped i would find many other things to enjoy. I told him my grandparents had the same last name as he did and that we might be distantly related. he laughed and said he hoped so. He was a nice man and it struck me that it was a little odd that a governor had the time to see someone. unscheduled in the middle of a day. I can't imagine a complete stranger getting in to see a governor today.

 
That's because he heard Mr. Chips was coming to town!

One year in college I went with a volunteer group to help with wheat harvest in Dickson, North Dakota, red beer was served at the farmer's breakfast when they had been out all night on the combine or the grain hauler. This was about 1969. 

Great report. I love the minor league ballpark pictures!

Saturday August 28
 
Today marks the halfway mark around the Breadbasket, it  was an ambitious day, in  Buffetbuster and/or Chi Town Diner terms. My theme on this trip  was  "Eat like you're never going back" because unless external  forces get me back to this part of the country, its unlikely I'll ever see this region for a long long long time if ever again...
 
After a surprisingly good cup of medium roast at the Coffea (no thats not a typo)  Roasterie and Espresso Bar in Sioux Falls, a coffee house with  soothing/upscale decor seeming completely out of character for the area, I was off and on my way without breakfast. Because after this place was previously visited by Davydd I had to get here for a late breakfast...
 

 
The Suzie Q Cafe in Mason City Iowa
 
The first thing I thought when I arrived is that the interior/exterior depicts the typical Roadfood atmosphere that meets the expectations of the majority of those on this forum..
 

 
Anyway Suzie-Q cafe notoriety to fame  is quite unconventional, especially for breakfast.
 
 

 
The Spin N Span Tenderloin.  Quite different than your typical tenderloin- this is battered and deep fried- it definitely deserves a category of its own..
 
While I was there I had a pleasant conversation with a friendly local family. I explained I was passing through and had heard about Suzie Q's, the wife invited me to their church for services the next day but pointed out that they belong to a baptist church- at that point I was debating if I should respond and say "let me introduce myself, my name is
Mr. Jew , Mr. Wanderingjew" 
 

The owner and cook, I believe his name was Troy,  is quite the character too his passion is so intense that fire shoots out of his fingers!- If anyone deserves the Roadfood server of the year award for 2010 it's him!
 

 
After my artery clogging breakfast, I took a detour from my intended destination over the next couple of days although I was heading South , I decided to head due East to
 
Cedar Falls Iowa and
 

 
Chuckwagon Dining
 
A fixture in Cedar Falls for many years, ownership changed a few years back. Safet, A Bosnian immigrant took over and kept everything as is. I met the gentleman when I was there and had a nice conversation with him, he obviously takes great pride in his restaurant. I arrived at the tail end of the traditional midwestern lunch hour
 

 

 
offering more than your typical salad bar, Safet pointed out that everything is homemade.
 
A full dinner includes salad bar so I helped my self to such midwestern specialities as pea salad.
 
And although it arrived late, a fresh hot out of the oven roll also arrived at my table as well
 

 
Of course when in Iowa - order pork- and that's exactly what I did.
 

 
A 12 Oz Iowa Chop with a mess o' hash browns...
I enjoyed my meal- the pork was juicy and tender and the hash browns were fresh cut and crispy, however something was missing. If only this chop was stuffed or  swimming in mushroom gravy, bringing back memories of the Iowa Machine Shed or the long lamented White Way Restaurant in Durant...

However dessert brought me back to the present..

 
 
In my case another fine slice of
 

 
Sour Cream Raisin Pie or as the waitress called it "Raisin Cream Pie"
 
I enjoyed Chuckwagon Dining- it was a good- solid meal.
 
From there it was a 2 hour drive to Des Moines. I stayed in Suburban Clive.
It's been 9 days since I've met up with another Roadfooder. That was going to change.
I had the pleasure of meeting Blizzardstormus a little over 2 years ago when I visited his restaurant, The Farmer's Kitchen in Atlantic Iowa..

Mark took the 90 minute drive out to Central Iowa and we met for dinner  at
 

 
Crouse Cafe in Indianola IA, about 20 miles south of Des Moines
 
We  shared an order of what was probably the best onion rings I've ever had
 

 
 
Mark I believe had a "half order" of the hot beef sandwich
 

 
and I did it with Fleischkuekle, I did it with Tater Tot Hotdish and now I'm going to do it again!
 

 
a tenderloin (twice in one day!) although this time it was a legitimate "breaded" pork tenderloin...it was good although I told Mark I thought his was better. Mark told me that they've in fact improved on their recipe since I was last there after taking advice from Davydd
 
I believe we both finished our meals with
 

 Cherry Pie
 
I enjoyed the Crouse Cafe, and especially their onion rings...
 

 
it's an unassuming place that has been around for years. And while we were there, the owner, Mr. Crouse stopped by our table to say hello..
 
And right before we left- one of the employees took a photo of Blizzardstormus and myself (and of course I'm wearing my standard roadfood issued uniform of an Hawaiian shirt)
 

 
 
As we left, Mark was nice enough to bring me a slice of his mom's signature Sour Cream Raisin Pie
 

 
which I enjoyed later back at my hotel- just look at all of those raisins!
 
So today, not only did I meet the owners of every restaurant that I visited, but  I also ambituously enjoyed, not one, not two but three slices of pie- take that Buffetbuster!
 
more tomorrow.......

Crouse's Cafe served a very good hot beef; real mashed potatoes, tender beef & most importantly, REAL homemade gravy. It was fun getting together with a fellow Roadfooder.
Where do you put all that food?1?

I would not dare to question doubling up on either pork tenderloin or sour cream raisin pie.  That's just good thinking.  :)

Fleischkuekle
 
I copied and pasted the word from your report, so I didn't have to try and remember it. I would not have though it would go with ketchup from the photo. Did you just not like the taste? The texture looks good.

The Suzie Q Cafe owner is Troy Levenhagen. He is a professional magician when he is not running his cafe. The cafe itself is a prefabricated structure built by Valentine Manufacturing out of Wichita, KS back in the 40s. There are few left. Here is the history.
 
Valentine Diner History

Mark,
Starving myself all summer certainly helped. My coworkers and friends all thought it was hilarious. "so you spend all summer losing 25 lbs just so you can pig out and stuff your face your vacation??" 
 
Nancy
 
Tater Tot Hotdish did grow on me. I would have no reservations  about  doubling up along with BPT's  and Sour Cream Raisin Pie, however, Fleischkuekle? That's another story..
 
Dirt Dude
 
I simply found Fleischkuechle somewhat "bland" I felt the same way  about pasties when I had them in Montana, I also felt the same way about another culinary speciality I had in Iowa- which will be in the next excerpt (and also tried the same item later on in the trip) When trying new items I try not to go on first impressions, if I did that I never would have had another breaded pork tenderloin after my first two tries.  Fleischkuechle is usually served with ketchup, I did some research "after the fact" and found out that it's also commonly served with brown gravy in the eastern part of North Dakota too.

Aww...wish I'd have known about the central Iowa meeting of Roadfooders.  I haven't been to Crouse in a few years, it would have been an excellent excuse.  :)
 
All of that looked fantastic....now I am hungry again.

wanderingjew



Dirt Dude
 
I simply found Fleischkuechle somewhat "bland" I felt the same way  about pasties when I had them in Montana, I also felt the same way about another culinary speciality I had in Iowa- which will be in the next excerpt (and also tried the same item later on in the trip) 

Hmm...now you have me curious....

I'm gonna go ahead and guess...loosemeats? 

Ahh...yeah.
 
Not really much of a fan, myself. The ubiquitous Maid-Rite.
 
Meh.  I'll take a good BPT anytime over one of those. 

Billyboy
 
No need to keep everyone guessing- you hit the nail right on the head...

I'm a bit slow in getting into the thread, sorry.  I have to add to the South Dakota section, a brief comment about the ethnic heritage clebrations that take place around the state during the summer/harvest seasons. In my case we have visited TABOR, SD, a literal cross-road community about 20 miles west of Yankton. Known for it's annual CZECH DAYS that draws a huge crowd from all over the Midwest  (and from California, if you count us on our first visit). Truckloads of free beer, dancing (polka) and much singing and story-sharing goes on.  Many other groups representing other countries have similiar celebrations that make the state a major party area during the summer weekends.
 
Here's a link to thje TABOR FESTIVAL Website-
http://www.taborczechdays.com/
We give South Dakota Two Thumbs Up for remembering it's past !
 
PS- I really like the looks of the Iowa Pork Chop and Hash Brown Potatoes ! That one got to me , Dale !!

mayor al

PS- I really like the looks of the Iowa Pork Chop and Hash Brown Potatoes ! That one got to me , Dale !!

Al-
Iowa left me in "pork heaven" there's more from where that came from