Saturday January 17, 2009 cont.
 
A short distance south of Lima, in the small town of Wapakoneta, is the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum.


Neil Armstrong was born and raised nearby.  Really nice museum, that includes a high quality movie and a moon rock.  They also surprised me by having lots of info on the Russian space program, too.  This place is worth a couple of hour visit.  I also paused to watch all the kids sledriding on the hills right outside the building. 

Man, that looked like fun!
 
After driving through lots more farmland and small towns, I arrived at my dinner destination, Balyeat's Coffee Shop

in Van Wert, Ohio.  This place is not reviewed on the Roadfood website, but has appeared in some of the JMS books.  It has been about four years since I was here last.  Balyeat's is very easy to find, since it is located next door to one seriously big county courthouse.

One of the true highlights of this place is the great sign hanging outside.

I had hoped to plan my visit here so that I could take a photo of the sign during the light when I arrived and then after dark and all lit up, when I was leaving.
 
The interior is long and somewhat narrow, with a long line of counter seats.  Spotting a open table in the corner, next to a heater, I sat there.  More times than not, I would have sat at the counter, but warming up was the priority here.  The clientele is older, which is no surprise, since Balyeat's offers what can usually be described as comfort food.  Veal loaf sandwich?

 
My waitress was a little white haired woman, probably in her late 60s.  She had lots of personality and opinions, which I enjoyed.  The first thing I asked her was how are we doing on the pies.  She scurried away and came back with terrible news.  All they had left was one piece of the sugar free raspberry and several slices of the raisin.  I had her bring me back the raisin.  This was very disappointing, since I passed on pies at earlier stops, to save room for here.  At least the raisin pie looked good.

 
I didn't try much of the bread, but the biscuit on top was soft and warm and tasted better than it looked with some grape jelly on it.

 
Lots of interesting things on the menu worth trying, but how could I pass up the chicken, considering the sign outside.  I was asked if I wanted white or dark meat and I asked for a combination of both.  She apologized, but said it was either or.  I chose the dark.


The chicken is fried and then baked, which is unusual.  It was very moist and flavorful and I easily ate the whole thing.  The dressing here was much better than what I had the night before, but the mashed potatoes did not taste from scratch to me.  I think they were from a box.
 
As for the pie, outstanding!  Perfect, unmistakably homemade pie.  All it did though, was make me regret not being able to sample more of their pies.  I will be back.
 
Unfortunately, my food came out so quickly, it was still light out when I left, so I didn't get a night photo of the sign.
 
The plan was to hit one more place on the way to my hotel near Toledo, but I was tired and full by now.  On the way, the snow had picked up and I saw several accidents.  It was a bad night for driving.  
 
After relaxing in my hotel in Perrysburg for a while, I looked outside, since I was considering a visit to Schmucker's in Toledo, for some of their excellent pie.  But, looking out the window at all the snow coming down, I decided to just stay in.  After all, I was having breakfast there the next morning.
 
More to come.....

Schmucker's...pie fit for a king & buffetbuster! 

Note to Davydd:  I asked the waitress about the BPT and the way she described it and its preparation sounded right.  She said it was one of the more popular items on the menu.  It may be worth you stopping in here and trying it.  If nothing else, I can promise good pie!

nocarolina


Michael Hoffman, I saw on another thread that you used to be a sportscaster on WSAZ-TV in Huntington WV. Every time I spend the night in Huntington ( at least once a year ), I keep my TV on WSAZ as NBC is my favorite network. It's possible that I've seen you on the air at some point; can you tell me what years and days of the week you were on?

That was many, many years ago -- 1965 and 1966. I did occasional sports segments from the Charleston area during the week (I was the news director at WKAZ, a Charleston radio station at the time, and we shared space with WSAZ-TVs Charleston bureau), and drove to Huntington on weekends to anchor the sports during the 11 o'clock newscasts.

You know, I admire your dedication to real roadfood, and I enjoy your trip reports. The fact that you make so many trips just to experience the food is pretty damned neat.
 
Although I don't care much for pie.

Well that is high praise indeed!

That chicken looks wonderful--so was the skin still crunchy or had it softened up a bit?

Nancy-
No crunchy skin.  It was definitely soft, unfortunately.

Michael Hoffman-
I genuinely appreciate your comments.  Any chance you would meet me for a Beanie Burger later this year?  The Gahanna Grill is in the Hamburger America book, too.

ChiTownDiner-
It sounds like you will be almost as disappointed as I was.

buffetbuster


Nancy-
No crunchy skin.  It was definitely soft, unfortunately.

Michael Hoffman-
I genuinely appreciate your comments.  Any chance you would meet me for a Beanie Burger later this year?  The Gahanna Grill is in the Hamburger America book, too.

ChiTownDiner-
It sounds like you will be almost as disappointed as I was.

The Gahanna Grill? Sure. But I'll skip the Beanie Burger for a regular cheeseburger with grilled onions.  It's the exact same sandwich, but without the slaw, bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

NYPIzzaNut


BB  I grew up on great German Potato Salad but since I left Yonkers I have not been able to find it anywhere like what I was used to - which is just as you describe it - have you ever made it like you like it and it came out great and could you share a recipe for it if so?

My wife is 100% German. Try this one, It's very basic since it came from a simpler time.
 
GRAMMY'S HOT GERMAN POTATO SALAD
This is my wife's Great grandmother's recipe. She was a German immigrant in the late 1800's. (Uses some updated ingredients)
Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
16 slices of bacon
1/2 C chopped onion
2 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2/3 C cider OR white vinegar
1/2 C water
Directions:
Cook potatoes in jackets in water, drain, let cool until still warm, then peel & dice & put in a bowl
While potatoes are cooking, Dice & fry bacon until crisp & remove from pan
Leave 4 TBSP of bacon drippings in the pan
Add onion & Cook about 1-2 minutes
Mix flour, sugar, celery seed and salt & pepper together
Add to pot & stir, (Kinda like a roux)
Add vinegar & water, stir until it thickens to your liking
Add bacon back to heat
Pour dressing over potatoes, toss lightly and serve

Buffetbuster, you're right... I goofed. I did mean Nick's Kitchen. Don't know how it came out "Grill"; guess the ol' brain's on it's way out ( wait 'til you reach my age - you'll understand. ) I really enjoyed my BPT, and I did get to meet the owner. We had a nice chat; she even gave me a Nick's coffee mug. Today I had lunch at the Maid-Rite in Sycamore IL ( not too far from Rockford. ) I waited for you, but you let me down - you never showed up!  lol

Michael Hoffman, thanks for the info. Seeing that I was a high school freshman when you were on the air, I guess it's not too likely that I saw you, huh?                                     Bob

buffetbuster


Note to Davydd:  I asked the waitress about the BPT and the way she described it and its preparation sounded right.  She said it was one of the more popular items on the menu.  It may be worth you stopping in here and trying it.  If nothing else, I can promise good pie!

BB,

US 30 there is a hot bed area for tenderloins from Huntington, of course, to Decatur, IN to Van Wert. I should be traveling through that area in May. The area was heavily populated by old German Pennsylvania Dutch stock in the mid 1800s. I trace a lot of ancestry back through there. So I would not question what the waitress said. Looks like my kind of place. Thanks so much for the report.

Michael Hoffman


That was many, many years ago -- 1965 and 1966. I did occasional sports segments from the Charleston area during the week (I was the news director at WKAZ, a Charleston radio station at the time, and we shared space with WSAZ-TVs Charleston bureau), and drove to Huntington on weekends to anchor the sports during the 11 o'clock newscasts.

Michael Hoffman-
There is a good chance I did see you on WSAZ, although I can't say that I remember it - I lived north of Portsmouth, Ohio until late 1965, when I moved to Michigan.  In that area of Ohio, the TV station with the strongest signal was channel 3, so that is what we usually watched.  I still have a lot of family in that area.
 
buffetbuster-
While I have eaten at Balyeat's in Van Wert and at a Kewpee's in Lima (the one on Bellefountaine Ave just off I-75), you have just provided excellent reports on two others that I have been driving past without stopping for over 40 years now. Wilson's in Findlay and G & R in Waldo are both places that I need to try.
 
I have been aware of G & R, which has been highly recommended to me by my brother for several years now.  I was not aware of Wilson's, although for these many years I have usually stopped to eat in either Findlay or Bowling Green when traveling between Michigan and southern Ohio.

Michael Hoffman

nocarolina


Michael Hoffman, I saw on another thread that you used to be a sportscaster on WSAZ-TV in Huntington WV. Every time I spend the night in Huntington ( at least once a year ), I keep my TV on WSAZ as NBC is my favorite network. It's possible that I've seen you on the air at some point; can you tell me what years and days of the week you were on?

That was many, many years ago -- 1965 and 1966. I did occasional sports segments from the Charleston area during the week (I was the news director at WKAZ, a Charleston radio station at the time, and we shared space with WSAZ-TVs Charleston bureau), and drove to Huntington on weekends to anchor the sports during the 11 o'clock newscasts.

 
Did you ever work for WKRP in Cincinnati???????????????? ( A great Show by the way!)

Buffetbuster,
   Another outstanding trip report! I look forward to these whenever I have time to drop by this website, which is getting to be less often these days due to research and writing.
      Unhungrily, Ort. in 30601-Land.

Foodbme

Michael Hoffman

nocarolina

Did you ever work for WKRP in Cincinnati?

 
Dearfolk,
   No, but I once worked for WDOL (AM & FM) in Athens, Georgia!
      Airlessly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing 30601-Central.
P. S. For a brief time, there WAS a WKRP in Dallas, Georgia! -- The closest anything in Cincinnati ever came to WKRP was WKRC, which was 550 AM there for many years, in addition to probably FM and TV, which I don't remember.

Sorry this is taking so long to finish.  I got distracted by Las Vegas, which is most likely easy to understand!
 
Sunday January 18, 2009
 
Lots of new snow on my car in the morning and the roads were a bit messy.  I drove over to Schmucker's for my breakfast (actually breakfast was an afterthought, I wanted pie!), but they were closed.  I could have sworn they were open on Sundays, but obviously, I was wrong.
 
After getting a bad report of more snow coming, I decided to just head home and hope that I will see an open place for breakfast between here and the Ohio turnpike.  Just a few miles down the road, I found Dudley's Diner.


 
The place was very quiet inside, but that could have been due to the weather.  The cook sat at a nearby table, doing crossword puzzles, since he had nothing else to do.  I settled on a Philly cheese omelet and cook went back to make it.

They used good quality beef and were very generous with the cheese and onions.  A fine omelet. 
 
While I was sitting there eating, I noticed an unusual mural on the wall.

I asked the elderly woman who was waiting on me if this place started off selling hot dogs out of a bus and she confirmed that it was true.  Apparently, they were a fixture at all the locals fairs and parks, until they built this diner.  Now, I have to try a chili dog!


This was a very strong flavored, wet chili sauce.  You know how there is a greasy in a good way and a greasy in a bad way?  This was greasy in a good way.  The bun was nice and soft.  I wish I had room to eat a couple more.  They also offer about a half dozen other types of hot dogs, too.
 
Dudley's Diner
415 S. Reynolds Street
Toledo, OH
419-536-2726
 
Just a very short distance further down the road, there was another breakfast place open and packed.  I believe it was called Reynold's Garden Cafe.  By the amount of cars there, it must be pretty good.  Anyone ever eaten there?
 
My original plan was going to have me stop in Cleveland and have lunch at Balaton.  But with bad weather coming, I decided it would be better to just head home. 

They should make a chili dog omelet--now that would be good.

Ort. Carlton.

Foodbme

Michael Hoffman

nocarolina

Did you ever work for WKRP in Cincinnati?

 
Dearfolk,
   No, but I once worked for WDOL (AM & FM) in Athens, Georgia!
      Airlessly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing 30601-Central.
P. S. For a brief time, there WAS a WKRP in Dallas, Georgia! -- The closest anything in Cincinnati ever came to WKRP was WKRC, which was 550 AM there for many years, in addition to probably FM and TV, which I don't remember.

Man are you guys behind the times!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/01/wkrp-back-on-air-in-cinci_n_147299.html

WKRP Back On Air In Cincinnati

stumble digg reddit del.ico.us [/link] [link=http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/javascript:void(w=window.open('http://www.mixx.com/submit/story?page_url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/01/wkrp-back-on-air-in-cinci_n_147299.html&title=WKRP%20Back%20On%20Air%20In%20Cincinnati&tag=media&partner=HP'));w.focus();] mixx.com ShareThis

November 29, 2008 09:48 AM EST |
Compare other versions » Compare 09:48 AM EST 09:33 AM EST and 09:48 AM EST 09:33 AM EST versions

---

CINCINNATI — WKRP is back on the air in Cincinnati _ but this time it's for real.
A low-power TV station has changed its call letters to WKRP, the same as the fictional radio station in the 1970s hit series "WKRP in Cincinnati."
The station changed its call letters to promote its new digital TV signal. It formerly went by WBQC-TV.
General Manager Elliott Block says the new call letters give the station recognition because so many people remember the television sit-com.
___
On the Net:
http://www.wkrp.tv/
___

Foodbme

NYPIzzaNut


BB  I grew up on great German Potato Salad but since I left Yonkers I have not been able to find it anywhere like what I was used to - which is just as you describe it - have you ever made it like you like it and it came out great and could you share a recipe for it if so?

My wife is 100% German. Try this one, It's very basic since it came from a simpler time.
 
GRAMMY'S HOT GERMAN POTATO SALAD
This is my wife's Great grandmother's recipe. She was a German immigrant in the late 1800's. (Uses some updated ingredients)
Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
16 slices of bacon
1/2 C chopped onion
2 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2/3 C cider OR white vinegar
1/2 C water
Directions:
Cook potatoes in jackets in water, drain, let cool until still warm, then peel & dice & put in a bowl
While potatoes are cooking, Dice & fry bacon until crisp & remove from pan
Leave 4 TBSP of bacon drippings in the pan
Add onion & Cook about 1-2 minutes
Mix flour, sugar, celery seed and salt & pepper together
Add to pot & stir, (Kinda like a roux)
Add vinegar & water, stir until it thickens to your liking
Add bacon back to heat
Pour dressing over potatoes, toss lightly and serve

I will have to try that - thanks so much!

Nancypalooza


They should make a chili dog omelet--now that would be good.

Nancy -
 
I've had one - the chili dog omelet, and a chili dog pizza.  Not sure I remember when or where....I'm always trying that goofy stuff!

Michael Hoffman

buffetbuster

Michael Hoffman-
I genuinely appreciate your comments.  Any chance you would meet me for a Beanie Burger later this year?  The Gahanna Grill is in the Hamburger America book, too.

The Gahanna Grill? Sure. But I'll skip the Beanie Burger for a regular cheeseburger with grilled onions.  It's the exact same sandwich, but without the slaw, bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

I didn't realize all that was on the Beanie Burger.  Still, I think I need to try it once. 

nocarolina-
That is terrific that you got to stop in at Nick's Kitchen, meet Jean Anne and have that wonderful BPT.  Did you have any pie while you were there?  Did you identify yourself as a Roadfooder?  That sure was nice of her to give you a coffee mug.
 
Davydd-
If you do go to Balyeat's for their BPT, make sure you go early enough to have a better pie selection.  Or better yet, let me know when you are going to be there and I will meet you!

ardee-
Thanks so much for what you said.  That makes really makes me feel good.  If you do make it to Wilson's or G & R, please report back and let us know what you think! 

buffetbuster

Michael Hoffman

buffetbuster

Michael Hoffman-
I genuinely appreciate your comments.  Any chance you would meet me for a Beanie Burger later this year?  The Gahanna Grill is in the Hamburger America book, too.

The Gahanna Grill? Sure. But I'll skip the Beanie Burger for a regular cheeseburger with grilled onions.  It's the exact same sandwich, but without the slaw, bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

I didn't realize all that was on the Beanie Burger.  Still, I think I need to try it once. 

Oh, I agree. At least once. And if you can eat a couple of Double Beanie B urgers I believe you get a T-shirt and your picture on the wall.

Beanie Burger:



 Gahanna Grill website 

Buffetbuster, I didn't get to have any pie at Nick's Kitchen as I got there just ten minutes before closing; I got "slighty" lost trying to find Huntington, so I just barely made it in time. I did tell Jean Anne that I was a Roadfooder and that I had read her posts, and we had a very nice chat. The mug that she very thoughtfully gave me is really cool; it has the big neon "Nick's Kitchen" sign on it. Maybe I should start actively collecting roadfood-related artifacts. I have magnets from Moody's Diner and the Loveless Cafe on my fridge door, so that's a start. 

BB, it turns out that I'm even further along with my Roadfood collection than I thought. I completely forgot about the Snappy Lunch mug that one of the employees gave me several years ago. I wonder what these mugs would bring on eBay?  lol   By the way, in case no one's heard, Charles Dowell had to retire from Snappy Lunch recently due to declining health; I understand that he's not doing well at all. He wasn't at SL when I was there in Sept., and it just wasn't the same without him. 

Looking for something to do this weekend, me, my girlfriend and her daughter decided to take an overnight trip to Dayton, which is only about four hours away.  Since there isn't enough here to have its own trip report, I will just slap it onto the end of this one.
 
The first planned stop was at Henry's, just west of Columbus.  It was getting to be close to lunch time, but I explained to the ladies that Henry's is best known for their pies.  So we decided to have pie only here and then eat lunch at our next stop.  God bless these women for putting up with me!
 
I've written about Henry's in several other trip reports, so I won't go into too much detail.  But it is a small yellow building in what used to be a gas station and is the classic Roadfood small town cafe.  The inside looks like something out of the 50s with the wood paneling

and they make blue ribbon pies here.  The day's list:

I have eaten pie here at least a half dozen times and there were some on this list that were new to me.  While I was deciding, the ladies thought splitting one piece of blackberry, with a scoop of ice cream would be the way to go.  The people here are so nice, they cut the slice in half

and gave each one their own scoop of ice cream at no extra charge.  They swooned over the rugged crust and the sweetness of the berries.  I grabbed one bite and it was quite good.
 
I started with the banana cream, which is my personal favorite pie.  And Henry's didn't let me down, because this pie

was a classic.  Tall, airy meringue worked so well with the dense, fresh banana filling.  This pie tasted like it had just come out of the oven.  This is one of the best banana creams I have ever had.  Don't I look like a happy boy?

Unfortunately, the peanut butter cream

was not as good.  It was too rich and sweet for my taste and I tired of it quickly.
 
Henry's
6275 Route 40
West Jefferson, OH
614-879-9321 
  
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/544-544/henrys
 
We got back in the car and headed for a more traditional lunch.

About 45 minutes later, we pulled up at Mel-O-Dee Restaurant,

located in New Carlisle.  It is only a few minutes off of I-70.  They have a great looking old sign

in the very busy parking lot.  The inside has a typically family restaurant atmosphere.
 
They sat us in a booth in the back, right next to two very loud couples.  When the waitress came over to greet us, it took three attempts for me to hear her ask what I wanted to drink.  This made me request a move to a more quiet area of the restaurant.  But don't take that as a shot at this place, because most of the restaurant was quiet.  It was just those people.  And it is hard for me to get too upset about that, since Mariton and I are both notoriously loud talkers ourselves.
 
The regular menu here is huge.  They offer just about any type of comfort food imaginable.  And then they have quite a few specials, too.



Broaster Walleye?  How interesting does that sound?  New England Boiled Dinner in Ohio?  This is a menu that begs for much more investigating!
 
Walking to our table, we noticed that just about everybody was eating the broasted chicken.  So Emilou went with the four piece meal.

An extremely crispy skin, along with juicy inside meat, it is easy to see why this is so popular.  Mariton loves stuffed cabbage, so that was her choice. 

As big as this was, it is hard to believe this is only one stuffed cabbage.  She loved the stuffed cabbage itself, but thought the accompanying sauerkraut was too salty.  So, I ate it.  Her sides of green beans

and steamed cabbage (more cabbage!)

both met with her approval. 
 
Despite the warning by Bruce and Sue in the review, I went with the beef hot-shot.  Only here, it was a Swiss steak,

inside white bread, covered in a thick brown gravy, along with mashed potatoes.  And like the review said, the steak and the mashed potatoes definitely seemed more prefabricated than homey.  Luckily, just about anything is edible when covered with a good brown gravy and I still easily managed to finish my plate.  For a side, I went with the cole slaw,

which the menu brags up.  This was crisp, creamy and sweet and was very enjoyable.
 
Although the pie case here was very tempting, I wanted to save room for future meals and passed.  We didn't love everything about Mel-O-Dee Restaurant, but it still gets better than a passing grade.  I will be back.
 
Mel-O-Dee Restaurant
2350 South Dayton Lakeview Road
New Carlisle, OH
937-849-1378
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/2255-2549/melodee-restaurant

Well those pies certainly look delicious.

That's a whole lot of cabbage action.

I will be back.

With a menu like that you almost have to I don't even know what it is but that Baked Swiss Steak sounds good....I probably would have ordered that Fisherman's Platter Special.

How could you pass up the fresh made hot cobblers?!?

Love your Swiss steak. I had to laugh. Last December, I took some time out during the deer gun season to head into town to grab some lunch. I stopped at a place outside Nelsonville, Ohio called Dee's Diner.
My usual thing there is a cheeseburger and coffee. It's not good, but it won't kill you. This day, however, I actually looked at the menu, and I saw Swiss steak, with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. What the heck. So I ordered that.
 
When it arrived it turned out to be a cooked hamburger patty -- probably frozen to begin -- covered with gravy, mashed potatoes that had to have begun life in a box, and green beans that were more gray than my beard.
 
The most amazing thing was that I actually ate it all, despite the fact that it was really, really, really bad.
 
Perhaps it's not quite as amazing as the fact that I've been back to Dee's Diner several times since.

Michael Hoffman


Love your Swiss steak. I had to laugh. Last December, I took some time out during the deer gun season to head into town to grab some lunch. I stopped at a place outside Nelsonville, Ohio called Dee's Diner.
My usual thing there is a cheeseburger and coffee. It's not good, but it won't kill you. This day, however, I actually looked at the menu, and I saw Swiss steak, with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. What the heck. So I ordered that.
 
When it arrived it turned out to be a cooked hamburger patty -- probably frozen to begin -- covered with gravy, mashed potatoes that had to have begun life in a box, and green beans that were more gray than my beard.
 
The most amazing thing was that I actually ate it all, despite the fact that it was really, really, really bad.
 
Perhaps it's not quite as amazing as the fact that I've been back to Dee's Diner several times since.

Any Port in a (Hungry) Storm!!!

The reason for the trip to Dayton was to visit the National Museum of the Air Force on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  If you have never been here before, you can't imagine how big this place is and how many planes they have.  There is so much here, it would take a week to get through it if you read all the displays.  Here are some photos.









 
I can't say for sure that it is 100% true, but according to family legend, my great grandfather was a mechanic for the Red Baron.

 
This was my second visit here and the first for the ladies.  We ended up spending around three hours all together.  I think this is one of the finest museums in the country.  Oh, and its free!
 
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/
 
We checked in at our hotel, which was right across the street from the museum.  Mariton took a nap, Emilou got on the computer, while I took off by myself for a late lunch/early dinner.  My destination was the Hamburger Wagon in Miamisburg.  This place is nothing more than a small wagon

that sits in the middle of town and it goes all the way back to 1913.  I first read about this place in the Hamburger America book.
 
While walking up, I saw no one was there.  Sweet!  I paused to look at the very basic menu

and in the mean time, a woman stepped out of a car, got in front of me and ordered 15 doubles.  What!  Now, I'm thinking I will be here all day.  But one of the two young guys manning the cart immediately asked for my order, too.  Seeing how small these were, I went for three doubles.
 
Here is how it works:  One guy sets buns on the counter and starts with the onion

and then the pickle.

While this is going on, the other guy drops semi-round pieces of beef into the huge skillet, where he smashes them into shape. 

I asked him how many burgers this skillet will hold.  He told me that he has heard you can fit 30 into it at a time, but he never puts more than 16.  Here is a close up of the skillet

through the small window.  BTW, both of these guys were very nice and patiently answered my questions.  When I asked if they have a lot of people like me showing up with a camera, the one guy laughed and said that the BBC had recently been filming here.  While all this was going on, quite a few more people showed up

and they were busy the rest of the time I was here.  Seems I showed up at a good time.
 
Soon, my three burgers were put in a white paper bag

with their logo on it and handed to me. Notice the grease stains on the bag.  That is because they don't wrap them in anything,

they just set them in the bag.  This could be kind of messy if you are eating in your car.  I sat down on a nearby bench and pulled the first one out.  Here

is what the burger looks like.  The first thing you notice is that the pickles are flopping all over the place.  Wouldn't pickle chips work better?  Oh well, they have a recipe that has worked for almost 100 years, so who am I to say different.  They are not that much bigger than the typical slider.  The meat is irregular shaped, has a very crunchy exterior, with an unusual tasting inside.  In his recent trip report where he visited here, Roadfooder train described it as a sausagey taste and I would agree.  Regardless, this is a terrific burger.
 
I ate one on the bench, one in the car on the 20 minute drive back to the hotel and Emilou polished off the other one in the room.
 
Hamburger Wagon
10 E. Central Avenue
Miamisburg, OH
937-847-2442  
  
 http://www.hamburgerwagon.com/
 
Here is a link to train's trip report.
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/A-Day-in-Dayton-m524908.aspx
 
We relaxed in our room until around 9:30, when we headed out for our late dinner.
 

The link to their website wasn't working, here:
http://www.hamburgerwagon.com/index.htm

...and in the mean time, a woman stepped out of a car, got in front of me and ordered 15 doubles.  What!  Now, I'm thinking I will be here all day.

That's hysterical. Nice to see that those boys can whip 'em out quickly.

I love that slogan:
"Open pretty much all year long for lunch & dinner.
Doesn't matter what the weather conditions are!"

Awesome! George Motz has never steered me wrong. Those dog ear of pickle slices look great

Is that the Bockscar?!? That's crazy...and kind of eerie. Also that stealth is amazing. Do you have any idea what it is exactly?

buffetbuster, Excellent pics from Wright-Patterson.
 
Burgers deep fried in lard.....does it get any better than that?

joerogo

Burgers deep fried in lard.....does it get any better than that?

No my friend, no it does not!
 
ETR-
Thanks for making me aware of the broken link and it has been fixed.  Yes, that is the Bocksar, that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki to end WWII.  There is a lot of history in that building.

This is where the Enola Gay is now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_F._Udvar-Hazy_Center

NYPizzaNut-
I don't believe it is, since we never saw it.

I knew that but had a senior moment lapse methinks - my dad was on Tinian in support of the Hiroshima mission.

If you want to walk through some WW II history online this was his unit:

http://www.25thasg.org/

What a fun report! I reaslly enjoyed it.  I'm from Ohio and the title of Main Street Ohio was apt.  I'm craving a good hamburger or tenderloin now.  Excellent report.

I looked into that stealth...It's the Northrup Grumman designed B-2 Spirit (Stealth Bomber) and it's the only one on permanent public display. It was probably built around 1997 and cost roughly $750 million at the time (close to a billion per plane including all retrofitting, spare parts, software, etc.). That this is gorgeous!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-2_Spirit

Look at this little tidbit:

Noshir Gowadia, a design engineer who worked on the B-2's propulsion system, was arrested in October 2005 for selling B-2 related classified information to foreign countries. His trial was initially scheduled for 12 February 2008, but he received a continuance.

Sorry for the digression...now back to your regularly scheduled food-related trip reports...

buffetbuster


  And then they have quite a few specials, too.

I just want to add that this is some fine penmanship.  You just don't see that much anymore, given the ease with which one can produce computer-generated lists.

Oh...and I want some of that chocolate cake.

Besides the museum, the next great reason to visit Dayton is for dinner at the Pine Club,

one of the great Roadfood steak houses.  This place can get very crowded and they don't accept reservations, so if you don't like to wait, you have to go either early or late.  Knowing that they are open until 12:30AM on weekends, we decided to go late.
 
We walked in just about 10:00PM and were immediately seated at a booth to the right.  Despite the late hour, they were still probably 90% full.  If you have never been to this place before, it is the darkest restaurant I have ever visited.  Seating is at big, burgundy naugahyde booths on both sides of the popular bar.  The walls are lined with pine, giving the place its name.  Pine Club is pure Midwest supper club.  Here is a photo I took of the inside with the flash,

but it really looks more like this one I took without the flash.

Despite the fact that this place feels like money, I called ahead to check the dress code and we were just fine in jeans and nice shirts.
 
The focus of the menu

is on steaks, which is good news for the ladies because they both are steak lovers.  The first food brought to our table was the bread basket,

with some unusual pieces in there.  Not being much of a bread eater, I let the women tear through this.  Next came the salads.  The salads here are nothing more than cold iceberg lettuce covered with some their homemade dressing.  Both Mariton and Emilou went for the house vinaigrette and gave it a thumbs up.  I got one of the specialties of the house, the red & bleu dressing. 

This is the wonderful combination of French dressing and crumbled blue cheese.  I'm not one who likes a lot of things in their salad and this was just about perfect for me.  I could have easily eaten several bowls of this salad.
 
Soon our dinners were coming out.  Emilou got the smaller filet, while Mariton got the extra heavy filet, which the waitress told us was about two ounces more.  Here is Mariton's steak,


which automatically comes with the wispy onion rings and your choice of potato.  In this case, Mariton had the Lyonnaise, which is like a thick pancake, with onions.  The steak had a nice charred outside, was moderately seasoned and a lovely pink interior, cooked perfectly to our medium request.  All three of us swooned at the flavor of these steaks.  Emilou ate all of her steak and onion rings in record time.   Pine Club does have their own brand of steak sauce,

but the steak was so good, I never tried it.
 
My entree was the cheeseburger.  It was hard to pass up getting a steak, but I knew I could get plenty of bites of the ladies steaks, although they ate much more than I anticipated.  How dare they!  The cheeseburger


was also cooked medium and could have been a little pinker, but this was still a high quality, flavorful piece of beef.  
 
Side wise, I ate most of Emilou's creamy spinach

and the mashed potatoes,

which had plenty of big spuddy chunks.  Unfortunately, asparagus (here in Hollandaise sauce)

is Mariton's favorite food and it disappeared seconds after I took this photo, so I missed out on trying it. 
 
Our bill came to just under $90.00, which for food of this quality, was well worth it.  Thanks to the Roadfood review, we knew ahead of time that they don't accept credit cards, so we had plenty of cash.
 
All three of us walked out thrilled with our meal.  We went back to the hotel for the night.
 
Pine Club
1926 Brown Street
Dayton, OH
937-228-7463
 
http://www.roadfood.com/R...view/608-608/pine-club
 

Those mashed potatoes look amazing...as does that steak. That is one of the best looking bread baskets I've ever seen..I almost wouldn't need to order food...almost.

Their appetizers sound great...marinated herring in sour cream, broiled lobster, fried blue point oysters...

No dessert, huh?

I'll say that for a meal like that for 3, $90 isn't bad.

ETR-
Thanks very much for the plane info.  That is really interesting stuff.  And no, they do not have dessert at Pine Club, although it was hardly missed.

Those burgers from the Hamburger Wagon, and the way they cook them, remind me a lot of Crabill's in Urbana, Ohio. And Crabill's puts their to-go burgers directly into the bag without wrapping, too.

Michael-
As we were driving on I-70 from West Jefferson to New Carlisle, I saw the sign for Urbana and was so tempted to head to Crabill's instead.  But since the ladies had already read the review and were looking forward to Mel-O-Dee Restaurant, I didn't think it would be fair to deviate from the plan.  No doubt they would have liked Crabill's, too.  I know I sure do!

Ohhh, Lyonnaise potatoes, and another beautiful (like the Peter Luger) burger.  No, I would say $90 was a good deal for your meal.  Glad the ladies liked it too.

The museum is super cool.

For some reason, the girls thought that sleeping was more important than getting up at 5:00AM to go out for doughnuts.  So, I made my way down to Centerville and Bill's Donut Shop by myself.  I had in mind ahead of time what the place would look like, but instead it was a nice place, that had a roomy interior,

and was just off the main business area of the town.  Bill's is open 24 hours, which is convenient for early birds like myself.
 
As soon as I walked in, the young lady asked for my order.  When I told her to give me a minute, since it was my first time here, she acted genuinely shocked.  She said, "This is your first time here".  I said, "Yes".  She said, "Are you kidding me?"  "Uh, no".  She then called over the rest of the women working and whispered, "He says he's never been here before."  At this point, I'm thinking I am about to be run out on a rail.  Once they got over the shock, they actually very nice, but that was still a very weird minute or so.
 
They have multiple display cases full of goodies. 

In fact, this might be the biggest array of donuts I have seen.  I grabbed a half dozen and took them back to the hotel.  Here is the box.

And my half dozen.

Clockwise from top left: apple sauce on top of a chocolate cruller, coconut, cream filled bismarck, glazed pretzel twist and a devil's food.  These were fine, fresh tasting donuts and I especially enjoyed the crunchiness of the cruller, while the girls ate the twist and the coconut.
 
Bill's Donut Shop
268 N Main Street
Centerville, OH
937-433-0002
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/6601-6899/bills-donut-shop

buffetbuster


Michael-
As we were driving on I-70 from West Jefferson to New Carlisle, I saw the sign for Urbana and was so tempted to head to Crabill's instead.  But since the ladies had already read the review and were looking forward to Mel-O-Dee Restaurant, I didn't think it would be fair to deviate from the plan.  No doubt they would have liked Crabill's, too.  I know I sure do!

I love that place -- Crabill's. I try to get there every month or so.

buffetbuster

...And no, they do not have dessert at Pine Club, although it was hardly missed.

Seriously?!? Like nothing....not even a mint? I don't know if I would be able to cope with that.

You certainly made up for it in the AM...I would have gotten a similar spread. I love to coconut and the Devil's food.

EatingTheRoad

buffetbuster

...And no, they do not have dessert at Pine Club, although it was hardly missed.

Seriously?!? Like nothing....not even a mint? I don't know if I would be able to cope with that.

You certainly made up for it in the AM...I would have gotten a similar spread. I love to coconut and the Devil's food.

 
NEVER question the BuffetBuster on his decisions! He is the King of Real Roadfooders and my HERO!

ETR-
Their is a Baskin-Robbins next door to the Pine Club, but it was closed by the time we left the restaurant.  Truthfully, we didn't miss dessert at all that night.

Foodbme

EatingTheRoad

buffetbuster

...And no, they do not have dessert at Pine Club, although it was hardly missed.

Seriously?!? Like nothing....not even a mint? I don't know if I would be able to cope with that.

You certainly made up for it in the AM...I would have gotten a similar spread. I love to coconut and the Devil's food.

 
NEVER question the BuffetBuster on his decisions! He is the King of Real Roadfooders and my HERO!

He must travel via El Camino De Real!

Buffetbuster...
On every continent in the world, there is a sandwich named after him.
His tastebuds alone have experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body.
When he orders a salad, he gets the dressing right there on top of the salad, where it belongs…where there is no turning back.
He’s an eater, not a fighter, but he’s also a fighter, so don’t get any ideas.
Respected archaeologists fight over his discarded apple cores.
His organ donation card, also lists his tastebuds.
He has never lost a sock...or missed a meal.
His bear hugs are actually hugs he gives to bearclaws.
His cereal never gets soggy. It sits there, staying crispy, just for him.
If he disagrees with you, it is because you're wrong.
...he is the most interesting man in in the world...stay hungry my friends.

While we were dining at the Pine Club, we were chatting back and forth with the gay couple at the booth next to us.  The more talkative guy heard me mention my morning plans to go out for doughnuts and asked which one.  When I told him Bill's, he knew right away it was in Centerville and that it was good.  But, he said there was a much better donut shop in Springfield, OH called Schuler's, which he said would be on the way home, since he knew we were headed back to Pittsburgh.  From our conversation, I had a good feeling that he knew what he was talking about and to take his advice seriously.  When I got to my room Saturday night, I googled Schuler's and found rave reviews for the bakery.  He also said there was an even better place if I was headed west towards Indy, but I foolishly never asked him what the name of it was.
 
I had hoped to get the girls up and moving in time to hit Schuler's on the way to our breakfast stop near Columbus.  But after the late night, we left the hotel later than we had hoped, so we had to skip Schuler's.  Anybody ever been there?  I plan on stopping my next time through.
 
Breakfast was to be at Starliner Diner in the western Columbus suburb of Hilliard.  They open at 9:00AM on Sundays and being aware that they can get very crowded, I wanted to be there when they opened.  Luckily, arriving at 9:15, we only had a few minute wait.
 
Starliner Diner is rather ordinary looking on the outside,

but has a funky, hip feel about the inside.  Here are parts 


of the large mural on the main dining area wall.  The menu has a strong Mexican and Cuban influence to it.  Here is the regular breakfast menu

and a very poor photo of the specials.

 
As the waitress read off the specials to us, we were all looking at each other like we should order one of everything.  It all sounded so good!  Emilou and I went for the roast pork omelet,

which comes with a side of black beans.  Bread-wise, Emilou went for standard toast, while I was happy to get some slices of the thick, buttery Cuban bread.  The garlicky roast pork made this a fine dish, that both Emilou and I enjoyed, but Mariton's crab enchiladas

were clearly the best meal on the table.  Full of peppers, onions, scrambled eggs, two kinds of cheese, plus real crab in a spicy sauce, this was a fantastic breakfast. 
 
On my previous visit to Starliner Diner, I had a mediocre dinner.  But I will absolutely come back here again for breakfast.
 
Starliner Diner
5240 Cemetery Road
Hilliard, OH
614-529-1198
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/4180-4109/starliner-diner
 
We tried to stop at the ladies favorite Japanese grocery store, but it was too early and they hadn't opened yet.  It was also too early for either Graeter's or Jeni's for ice cream.  After a brief stop at the Ohio State University bookstore so that Emilou could buy a sweatshirt (I'm a bad influence on her, obviously), it was straight home. 

I totally agree about Starliner Diner.  The first time I went there it was for dinner and I really wasn't too impressed.  So it took me awhile to try it for breakfast but that is clearly where they shine.  I usually just get the breakfast burrito and cuban toast but everything I have tried is good.  I haven't had it in a long time but I think the french toast is made with the cuban bread and is deep fried.  Very good to get for the table to share.  And you're right about the wait on a Sunday.  Good idea getting there right after 9:00.

I'm also thrilled to see that someone from PA has taste and got a Buckeye sweatshirt :-)

That mural is too funny...what with the flying saucer (and cup), floating watermelon, astronaut, UFOs and the Enterprise.

You breakfast omelets sound wonderful. That's not something I'd normally eat first thing in the morning but your description makes me want to try it. Wow, hatteras04, French toast with the Cuban bread deep-fried sounds like it would be terrific.

Too early for ice cream...did you not see this?
 http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/fb.ashx?m=555105

ETR-
Obviously I didn't state that as clearly as I should have.  It is NEVER too early for me to eat ice cream.  But neither Graeter's or Jeni's opens until noon.  And thanks for the laugh on the previous post.

hatteras04-
I am so glad I gave Starliner Diner another shot.  Do you remember what you had for dinner that you didn't care for?  My meal was the Cuban sandwich and the fried plantains.  Good milkshake, though.

It is NEVER too early for me to eat ice cream. But neither Graeter's or Jeni's opens until noon.

buffetbuster


hatteras04-
I am so glad I gave Starliner Diner another shot.  Do you remember what you had for dinner that you didn't care for?  My meal was the Cuban sandwich and the fried plantains.  Good milkshake, though.

It was some kind of chicken dish that came with black beans.  The beans were ok but the chicken was kind of flavorless and dry.