Back to the Breadbasket!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ChiTownDiner)

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:41:58 GMT

The Triple D stills weighs heavy on my soul...amongst other body parts...

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:57:24 GMT

ann peeples

Well, I am sorry your meals in Milwaukee didnt make it in your top picks, but am so happy we met up.That, to me, was priceless after all these years. I have enjoyed your journeys, and hope to see you in the fall!!!

Ann

Not necessarily. The unusual thing on this trip is that I didn't have a bad meal anywhere, even The D & J Cafe in Springfield was "ordinary" but not bad or terrible.

Kopps Frozen Custard will likely find itself on a top 10 dessert list at the end of the year, and although it's too early too tell where it may fare at the end of the year, The Milwaukee Brat House was certainly a highlight on this trip, oh and the best coffee house of the trip (Alterra's) was in Milwaukee

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ann peeples)

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:36:46 GMT

Well, I am sorry your meals in Milwaukee didnt make it in your top picks, but am so happy we met up.That, to me, was priceless after all these years. I have enjoyed your journeys, and hope to see you in the fall!!!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (1bbqboy)

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:10:41 GMT

here's the Facebook Cheese Frenchee page

http://www.facebook.com/groups/59243013838?ap=1

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ann peeples)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:09:32 GMT

Davydd-the midwest IS intersesting!!!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:00:08 GMT

Final Comments

(Including the Big Shoulders, Beer Barrels, Beefs and Brats trip report)

Best meals

1- Gene and Georgetti's- Chicago IL
2- Redwood Steakhouse- Anita IA
3- Farmer Brown's Steakhouse - Waterloo NE/ Breitbach's Country Dining Balltown IA (TIE)

Best Pie

1- Sour Cream Raisin - Farmer's Kitchen Anita IA
2- Raspberry Pie/ Blueberry Pie- Sweetie Pies- Skokie IL

Most Decadent/Over The Top

1- Butter Burger at Solly's Grille- Milwaukee WI - this was actually a little too much for me
2- The Triple D- Wiener and Still Champion- Evanston IL
3- Cheese Frenchee- Shirley's Diner- Omaha NE

Most Mundane Meal

1- Horseshoe at D & J Cafe- Springfield IL

Favorite Coffee House

1- Alterra's on the Lake- Milwaukee WI

Favorite Tourist Attraction

1- Field Of Dreams - Dyersville IA

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (1bbqboy)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:44:41 GMT

A grilled cheese sandwich rolled in cornflakes and deep fried is really a Cheese Frenchie,
courtesy of the departed King's Food Hosts, previously discussed here and elsewhere.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (Davydd)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:55:12 GMT

You always manage to make the Midwest interesting.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:02:31 GMT

Was out of town this weekend with NO internet access. Got back late last night and just now have seen the new posts from Friday.

TTM
You're right, they probably would be closed, however I'm sure the killer clown will be waiting for you outside.

Mr. Chips-
Thanks

Miami Don

I can't tell you how anyone else would eat the cheese frenchee, but it was definitely a knife and fork meal for me.

Buffetbuster

I totally recommend Breitbach's, It should definitely be on your hit list the next time you're in the area. Truly a Roadfood treasure.

Screaming Brad

It seems that Sour Cream Raisin Pie is not a constant menu item on most menus in any of the states where you can find it. When I was in Minnesota last year, I was told its more of a winter menu item. I would think it would be more common in Eastern Iowa because it's closer to Wisconsin
Several restaurants in Eastern Iowa offer it:
The now defunct White Way Cafe in Durant had it on their menu regularly.

Last year I enjoyed it at Chuckwagon Dining in Cedar Falls

Another place I had researched , The Homestead Restaurant
in Independence lists it on their menu on the internet.

And Breitbach's does offer it- just not on the day I was there.

The irony about Shirley's Diner is that the Co Owner, Doug's wife is named Denise!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ScreamingChicken)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:30:46 GMT

Excellent report, WJ. You did a fine job of capturing a lot of what makes the Midwest (although the Dakotas are technically in the Plains) what it is.

I wonder if sour cream raisin pie is more common in western Iowa. I generally don't pay much attention to the dessert section of a menu but I don't recall ever seeing it listed at restaurants I've visited in the eastern half.

Is there a story about why "Shirley's Diner" is owned by a guy named Doug?

Brad

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (buffetbuster)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:59:28 GMT

Excellent job on this report WJ! Breitbach's has been a place on my hit list for years and it is great to read that it is still very much Roadfood-worthy. Don't they pride themselves as being the only restaurant to have both Jesse James and Brooke Shields dine there? Most likely, not together, though.

And thanks for not inundating us with photos of great looking sour cream raisin pies. I don't think I could have taken it!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (MiamiDon)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:54:20 GMT

Bacon-wrapped pork chops with cheese-smothered hash-browns. Wow.

Did you eat the cheesee frenchee thing with a fork-and-knife or by hand?

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (mr chips)

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 03:27:45 GMT

Once again, a superb report WJ. Your food finds are superb and your side excursions are always interesting. As always, thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (The Travelin Man)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 22:37:47 GMT

wanderingjew

I95

One day, The Travelin Man will walk into Shirley's Diner and then.......

Nahhh....they'd be closed.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:41:32 GMT

Paul

Yes, I was trying to figure out what joerogo
meant, thanks for clearing that up for me- it was porcine paradise- I'm going to edit that right now

I95

One day, The Travelin Man will walk into Shirley's Diner and then.......

ann

Thanks, I'm going to try to make it to the annual Roadfood Bus Tour this year- I can never get tired of Chicago or Milwaukee

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ann peeples)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:19:45 GMT

Again, WJ, fine, fine report.I have enjoyed every bit of it.
I-95, you never disappoint!LOL!!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (i95)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 20:10:41 GMT

wanderingjew

OH, MY GOD !!

On that shelf! That's the very hatchet-

wielding clown that, for the last 17 years, has

been trying to kill The Travelin Man!!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (Sundancer7)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:50:38 GMT

WJ: Great report and great pics and your expensive travels makes me very envious.

Just a question? Was it bovine bliss or porcine chops?

Thanks
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (joerogo)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:48:57 GMT

WJ, Aggressive trip to say the least. Great report!

The Iowa Chops wrapped in bacon, looks like pork?

(How did you get your hands on my camera for some of those pics?)

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:09:20 GMT

Friday June 17

My last day in Omaha began with another good cuppa java at Blue Line. Today I promise I’m really going to have a full breakfast (well not really) Yes, it’s a full meal, no it’s not really breakfast, but I did have it at breakfast time.
I missed out on trying a local Eastern Nebraska specialty, the cheese frenchee during my last visit to Omaha. I thought about going to Don and Millies but they got slammed in reviews on the internet and apparently also on a subsequent Roadfood review too.

Prior to visiting, I did some careful research and found wonderful praises about

Shirley’s Diner,

in the outer western suburbs of Omaha in a area called Millard.. Cheese Frenchies would normally not be considered a breakfast meal, therefore I called Shirley’s in advance and they assured me that it would be available for breakfast.
Arriving at Shirley’s Diner, I was surprised that it was housed in a strip mall. I was expecting a free standing building. Once again, the decor inside makes up for the generic exterior setting.

Well, I can truly say that some of my meals were truly decadent to the point of overkill on this trip.When you consider a grilled cheese sandwich, slathered in butter, battered , rolled in cornflakes and then deep fried, I believe this joins the ranks.

This was sooo good, that it was bad, but I really, really liked it, and it was served with crispy hash browns to boot. On the way out I chatted briefly, with the owner, Doug and also told him about Roadfood and the website. I don’t know what the rest of the food is like at Shirley’s Diner, but if it’s anything close to the cheese frenchee that was served to me, then I totally recommend Shirley's Diner.
Finally checking out of my hotel, I began the long 600 mile drive (including out of the way detours) back to the City of Big Shoulders.

My first stop for lunch was a 35 mile round trip detour to The Chatterbox Café in Audobon IA, reviewed by Ayersian.My GPS failed me for the second and last time on this trip, although this time it only took me to the other side of the street, I glanced and saw the the Chatterbox Café sign in my peripheral vision.

When I walked in, I found the place to be very spartan, basic although there were a few cool signs on the wall.

Well, you didn’t think I would leave Iowa without a breaded pork tenderloin, did you? I wouldn’t want to see that look of disappointment on Davydd’s face. My sandwich arrived and it was certainly no slouch in the annals of BPT sandwiches,

however it was not the best I ever had, that honor still goes to TC’s Point After in Dewitt IA. The dessert choices were somewhat bizarre, TWO kinds of apple pie and a peanut butter bar-

No Sour Cream Raisin PIE? . I asked the waitress why there were two different apple pies available and she said something to the effect that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.
I ordered the apple crumb pie versus the apple pie,

and I certainly made the right choice.....There’s no doubt in my mind why Iowa is a big pie state.

I headed back on the road. Entering the Des Moines area I veered north. As I noted previously, I had one more baseball stop to make. I’ve been wanting to come here for years, and finally arriving I had a sense of Deja Vu, hell I’ve seen the movie so many times so that’s no surprise.

The Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville IA. Everything appears exactly “as is” as it was in the movie. With temps in the mid 80's, slightly muggy, and buggy, it even felt like I was there with Ray Kinsella, Terry Mann and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

It would have been great if I had the opportunity to bring a bat and ball and knock a few out but I really didn’t think of it.

At this point I was about 20 miles from my final meal of the trip. Passing through
rolling hills I didn’t know that North Eastern Iowa coud be so scenic.

Written up in both editions of Eat Your Way across the USA, the oldest restaurant in Iowa suffered not one but two total fire losses within the last 5 years. I’m glad I finally had the opportunity to visit

Breitbach’s Country Dining.

In Balltown IA. Apparently when the owner rebuilt, they tried to duplicate the original building as accurately as possible.

Entering the restaurant this places SCREAMS Roadfood.

On Friday nights, Breitbach’s offers a buffet, however I called in advance and confirmed that I have the option of ordering off the menu. I thought the salad bar at the Danish Inn was impressive, all I can say is wow, this is probably the best heartland salad bar I’ve been too.

Pasta Salads, Egg and Cheese Salads, Three Bean Salad, Marinated Carrot Salad (which was out of this world) even cheese spread, ham salad and braunschweiger.

The beef vegetable soup the weakest part of the entire meal was pretty good too.

My main course, two small but thick cut and juicy Iowa Chops wrapped in bacon, were full of double ~~bovine bliss~~ porcine pleasure and the crispy hashbrowns topped with cheese and onions did not disappoint.

And although I had a fine cherry Pie to complete this classic heartland meal,

I was once again disappointed when the waitress recited the list of pies available and once again NO SOUR CREAM RAISIN PIE???

The meal at Breitbach's Country Dining ties for third place with Farmer Brown’s Steakhouse.

It was a long 200 mile drive back to the Windy City. First on mostly two lane highways into Rockford IL, then construction from Rockford towards the beginning of the Chicago Metro area (Elgin) and then of course typical traffic in the Chicago Metro area.

Finally arriving at my hotel a little after 9pm, I flew out on an early flight on Saturday morning and was back home by 11 AM.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:43:17 GMT

I just saw About Schmidt for the first time ever on TV a few weeks ago. I knew about the scene at Johnnys' Cafe

I met the owner of Johnny's Cafe when I was there with TTM three years ago, unfortunately the owner wasn't there on my last visit.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (The Travelin Man)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:16:20 GMT

I guess I am now too used to Facebook....I wanted to "Like" BB's comment above.

One of the things that I really like about visiting Johnny's Cafe is the interaction with the on-site owner (Sally?). I don't think I have ever been there when she wasn't there. Since I have always been in Omaha at the peak of their busiest tourist season (the College World Series), she has always asked what else we planned on doing while in town. She is a great ambassador for the city - even offering encouraging tips on where else to eat while in town, and fun things to do around the city.

As has been discussed, I wouldn't even think of making a stop in Omaha without going to Johnny's....but, I would order the hash browns! :-)

Nancy - you should have been with me when I watched "Up in the Air" in the theater. My friend kept elbowing me when I would point out inaccuracies in the airport scenes!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (Nancypalooza)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:15:29 GMT

The food looked familiar in those pictures, but the dining room at Farmer Brown's threw me off. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that stuff at the movies. :)

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (buffetbuster)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:47:55 GMT

Nancy-
It was definitely Johnny's Cafe in About Schmidt. I had one of those, "Hey, I've been there", moments in the movie theater.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (Nancypalooza)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:45:37 GMT

I have two nonfood related comments. Does anybody know if it's Johnny's or Farmer Brown's that makes the appearance in 'About Schmidt'? And the museum makes me think of 'Angels in America'--the HBO version at least.

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (wanderingjew)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:21:34 GMT

Paul

I've heard previous complaints about the sides and the onion ring at Johnny's Cafe . If I recall, Pigiron had the same issue. I believe that when some one buys the onion ring appetizer they are cooked to order but the complimentary ones which accompany the steaks have been probably been sitting around. I have a feeling if I ordered the hash browns (like I should have) I wouldn't have had any complaints.

Don
It's Omaha- what do they know!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (blizzardstormus)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:11:25 GMT

Stella's! Yum!!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (ann peeples)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:56:03 GMT

You have had wonderful trips this summer, Dale! So much fun to tag along with you!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (MiamiDon)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:45:02 GMT

Lemon peal in a martini? For shame!

Re:Back to the Breadbasket! (Sundancer7)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:42:29 GMT

WJ: I have been to Omaha dozen's of times and I have visited all those places you visited. I started two business locations there and I have been there during all seasons.

Omaha is known for their steaks and I agree that Johnny's has good steaks but it seems that their sides may have gone downhill?

Enjoyed your pics

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN