Re:US-20: Fredonia NY to Vale OR
Fri, 10/22/10 7:35 PM
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Well, Roadfooders, I am clearly not worthy / ready to fully participate here. I've just returned from a fantastic roadtrip out west, the first part on US 20, part on US 93, other assorted routes, and the return trip mostly on US 50. I loved durn near every mile of it, other than much as I loved visiting my western US friends, with so many of them, I got rushed on the two routes I hoped to explore.
As for my inability to fully function here, I am too reserved / shy to pull out a camera and take pictures at restaurants, other than the occasional birthday shot or something like that. Is that an acquired talent or are some (most) people born more comfortable that way than me? In any event, I regret to inform you I have no pics of the places I ate, though I have found many of them can be found online with a little searching / sleuthing.
So with no further adieu (aka excuses), here goes:
Day 1
Lunch at Slyman's Deli - Cleveland OH: What a treat! I had hoped to miss the noon hour, but my timing was off just that far that I managed to get there right at noon! Despite that, I was quickly seated and promptly waited on by a somewhat elderly woman. I felt somewhat sorry for her, guessing she had to be working on that fine day because of the economy, though of course it's possible she chose to be there. After reading here, I knew there was only one thing I could order: the corned beef on rye! She suggested I get the bread grilled, but I opted for not doing so. Very quickly, she brought back one of the biggest corned beef sandwiches I've seen in my life (excepting for some I've made at home). The beef was lean and very flavorful. The rye bread was a little soft, even moreso because the beef was a little warm. It all squashed down nicely, but even so, I had corned beef spilling out everywhere. No problem—the plate caught it all and I retrieved it before leaving (don't you worry about that!). I didn't go for any sides. I can only eat so much and I wanted to focus on this gigantic sandwich. They're not cheap, but I was full and happy when I left there! I thought I wouldn't have to eat again until I reached Iowa, but I soon found out I was wrong...
Dinner at The Blue Gate – Shipshewana IN: Dinner was good, but to be honest, I didn't find it as tasty as what many have reported here. Granted, I didn't arrive until shortly after 8 PM, but for the money, I don't think that should have made a difference. Taking my cue from RF reports, I ordered the fried chicken with a side of beans. The chicken was good, but it came out real quickly, leading me to believe it had been sitting around for a bit. It was also just a tad on the cool side, further reinforcing my supposition about it having been prepared well ahead of me ordering it. The beans, as I recall, were fine; not great, but nothing to complain about. I was pretty tired and almost left without having pie, but I just couldn't turn it down. I saw a sugar cream pie on the menu and had to give it a try, never having had it before. I must say, that was mighty fine! It was creamy, custardy, vanilly, and sweet. Very tasty indeed. Lastly, I must say I was a little put off by the heavily religious overtones present in the restaurant. Not meaning to tread on inappropriate comments here, let me just forewarn readers, that sentiment is quite evident if that's an issue for you.
Day 2
Breakfast at The Bread Box Bakery – Shipshewana IN: To call this 'breakfast' is really a misnomer—no fault of the bakery and due entirely to the fact that I just wasn't hungry enough to order a full breakfast. All I really wanted was a 'little something' and a cuppa coffee. My little something ended up being a good-size frosted pumpkin cookie. It was dee-licious! Soft and pumpkin-y, enhanced by a cream cheese frosting made the whole thing finger-lickin' good – perfect with a cup of black coffee. The bakery has a nice covered porch which allowed me a good view of the comings and goings in Shipshe, as the locals call it. It's a busy place, and that's on an 'off' day (a day when the Flea Market isn't going).
Lunch – I'm not even going to mention it. I will just say that my plan to divert around Chicago failed miserably and I got to wonder how in the world people live and drive every day on the interstates around that gigantic city. Next...
Dinner at Cannova's Pizza – Freeport IL: Now THIS, in my opinion, was great pizza! Actually, it was a great dining experience. The waitress was joined by another, in training, but they were both very nice, even though the place was slammed with people. I started with a salad with their house Italian balsamic dressing (I think) and it was very good. Nice, crisp lettuce - including some leaf lettuce if I recall correctly, and a few veggies. I ordered the Sicilian pizza – thin (you may not have a choice), topped with olive oil, mozzarella, sliced Italian sausage, pepperoncinis, and tomatoes. I live in western NY and we have some decent pizza places around here, but this was an excellent pizza that puts ours to shame!
Day 3
Breakfast at Higher Grounds Coffee Company – Freeport IL: I don't know about you, but I love to start my day with a cup of dark, rich, black coffee. If I'm on the road, I look for the local...oh forget it—this is Roadfood--of course we're looking for the local places! Well, Higher Grounds was A, #1 in my book. Locally owned, friendly servers, and great coffee. I have often found that places that specialize in coffee often have lousy brewed coffee, so I've taken to ordering a double-shot Americano. I have to bargain with them to not add too much water so the coffee flavor really stands out. Higher Grounds seemed to know exactly what I needed. They served up a great Americano and a nice homemade scone. Perfect!
Lunch – none that day
Dinner at ??? I forgot – Galena IL: Though I had many good suggestions, Galena was packed on this Friday night and since I hadn't eaten, I wasn't eager to wait for a long line to clear in order to eat. Suffice to say I did not eat at any of the recommended places on this thread and wherever I did eat was not a memorable enough experience to write up here.
Day 4
Breakfast – not my choice; not worth mentioning
Lunch – none that day
Dinner at The Green Gables – Sioux City IA: I found the writeups here on RF to be accurate for my Green Gables experience. To make a long story short, it had been a long day on the road, not only in terms of miles, but several segments of road construction and heavy downpours had made me quite weary. True to form, I got to Sioux City about an hour before the Gables was to close. Thank goodness for GPS. Blanche, the sometimes angry; sometimes cooperative GPS led me right there with no quibble on that rainy night. As described elsewhere, the Gables is an eclectic mix of décor, but it all feels very homey and one gets the sense, rightly so, that it's been there for a long time. I wasn't looking for anything fancy, but did want to be filled up. I ordered the chopped sirloin dinner with grilled onions, mushrooms, and peppers on top, rounded out with cooked veggies and mashed potatoes. It was all yummy. The meat was medium-rare as I'd ordered; the veggies were not mushy from being overcooked. No complaints on the potatoes. Unfortunately, no room for dessert—a sad night indeed.
More to come...
