"If You Bake It, He Will Come"

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (mr chips)

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:06:25 GMT

BB, another great report. Incidentally, Herbert Hoover spent his teen-age years after his parents died in Newberg, Oregon living with his uncle. The house is open on the weekends. it also happens to be about 10 miles from my boyhood home of Carlton,Oregon.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (syrupmi)

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:54:34 GMT

Did you make to Riverside, future birthplace James Tiberius Kirk?

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:26:14 GMT

icecreamchick-
Very much looking forward to your report on Wilton Candy Kitchen. I have had the pink lady before and it is a really good drink.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (icecreamchick)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:31:37 GMT

I had a Pink Lady at Wilton's too, and it was delicious!

I never knew Hoover was such a famine relief champion, and I'm glad to know it now. That was a "if only we had more time, we'd stop there" place for us this time.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:33:57 GMT

Monday July 2, 2012 (cont.)

It is hard for someone who loves history as much as I do to drive past the West Branch, Iowa exit of I-80 and not stop in at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum.

Even though I have been here three times previously.

This is one of the more interesting presidential museums, since so much of the focus is on what he accomplished before he became president. Here is a photo of him

as a recent Stanford graduate and working as a mining engineer. That's him on the bottom left. This World War I poster

reminded me of the George M. Cohan song. Hoover became a famous world wide figure because of his efforts in famine relief. He is credited with saving countless lives throughout Europe and elsewhere. One of my favorite things on this visit was the decorative flour sacks on display.

As a thank you for all the food sent over, the Belgians created designs on the flour sacks and sent them to Hoover and the Commission for Relief in Belgium.

I probably spent about an hour walking around the museum, another half hour watching the movie, before deciding it was time to move on for lunch.

The obvious close place for lunch was Joensey's in Solon. This place used to get great reviews, before falling on hard times and apparently was even closed for a while. Curiousity got the best of me and I soon found myself outside a building with a sign

advertising that Joensey's is home to the biggest and best pork tenderloin in Iowa! The front of the menu

shows a hungry pig, with knife and fork.  Besides the breaded pork tenderloin, the menu also offers a grilled tenderloin and a hot tenderloin. I am kind of curious what the hot tenderloin would be. Are there referring to a spicy tenderloin? I should have asked while I was there.

And here is there BPT.

As you can see it is quite large. You could probably fold it in half and still have it sticking outside the bun on the two ends. I thought it was a little on the thin side and it did have a crunchy exterior.  It wasn't particularly juicy though. Truthfully, it was better than I thought it would be and I had no trouble eating the entire thing. There just isn't enough flavor to rank it as a really good one. Surely, there are much better BPTs out there. Neither the cole slaw or french fries made much of an impression.

There was only one person working, as he was doing all the cooking and taking care of the tables. And when he wasn't doing that, he was sitting and chatting with a group of locals. A nice guy, he took good care of me.

Joensey's Restaurant
101 W. Main Street
Solon, Iowa
319-624-2914

I continued on west towards to Des Moines.

Much more to come.....

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:35:19 GMT

Louis-
I'm glad that you brought those questions up. Since George obviously created and named the hadocal, I wasn't sure if the other drinks were his own or fairly standard across the fiz biz. BTW, every other customer who came in ordered pink ladies, including two teenage girls who were on their way to the local swimming pool.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (Louis)

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:43:47 GMT

Buddy, Ralph, Ann, thanks for the explanations and the link. I am a little smarter today thanks to all of you. I appreciate it. Better get back to BB. I don't want to veer away from the focus of his trip.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (ann peeples)

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:09:31 GMT

Buddy-you have the suicide mix correctly!!!!!! At the soda fountain these days, kids mix so many flavors. We at Target, have an "Icee Machine" with four flavors:Cherry, lime, blue raspberry and strawberry lemonade. They mix them all....

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (Ralph Melton)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:51:42 GMT

It does say "Hadacol". From http://www.roadfood.com/R...1/wilton-candy-kitchen : "You can also get a hadacol (root beer and cola), the name of which George Nopoulos explained: “They ‘hada call’ it something.” "

The same link explains the Odd ball as strawberry and vanilla.

Thelma told us that the dipsy doodle was all the fruit flavors, plus vanilla.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (BuddyRoadhouse)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:35:14 GMT

Back in the "old days", according to my Dad, who actually worked as a soda jerk once upon a time, a "suicide" is what you get when you mix all the flavors of your fountain drinks together in one glass.

I've also heard the term used by bartenders. It's when you take those knobbly rubber mats they have behind the bar, the ones they place the tumblers on when they mix cocktails, and you take all the liquid--liquor and mixers alike--that's collected in there and pour it into a glass and drink it.

So there ya go.

Buddy

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (Louis)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:57:26 GMT

At Wilton Candy Kitchen, what does it say on the mirror in the lower right-hand corner, just above "Suicide"? Does that say "Hadacol"?

And someone tell me what a "Suicide" soft drink is; I've heard of them, but I don't know what they are. I'd also like to know what an "Odd Ball" drink is? Never heard of that one.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (ChiTownDiner)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:19:04 GMT

Two of my favs...my son and I did the same 2-step tango, just in the reverse order as we were heading back to Chicago. George makes a mean sundae which I am sure you experienced on previous visits.

Separately, I am a more than a little concerned about the following line..."Now, I love ice cream, but three times in one day can be a bit much."

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:08:47 GMT

Monday July 2, 2012 (cont.)

I have written about the Wilton Candy Kitchen

previously and have had a few of my very favorite all-time Roadfood experiences here. This ice cream parlor just may be the oldest one in the country. It has been in the Napoulos family since 1910 and is currently run by 92 year old George Napoulos.

Besides being an expert mixologist and making all the ice cream himself, George is also well known as a natural entertainer. One of my very favortie places to be is sitting here at the counter, listening to George tell stories.

When he found out I was from Pittsburgh, he told me about coming through the city on the train, headed for New Jersey, during World War II. How many WWII veterans do you think are still working? I bet not many. He also showed me a newspaper article from when he was honored by the governor

at the Iowa state capitol building. Not only is he a local treasure, but a state-wide one, too. This photo

shows George's beloved wife Thelma putting an apron on Governor Branstad and putting him to work inside the parlor!

Business was kind of slow, so George had plenty of time to chat. But, he did warn me that he was closing up at 12:30, since he had a doctors appointment. He also told me that Thelma recently took a nasty spill right on the front steps of the store. He then spent the next ten minutes complaining about doctors! We also spent some time talking about how hot it had been lately. He pointed out to me that he has had to cover up the chocolates in the candy case

to keep them out of the hot sun.

Enough chit-chatting, it was timefor me to order something. At this point, I was ice creamed out, soI went with one of the mixed sodas. And as you can see from the list on the mirror,

there is lots to choose from. When I asked him what was in a dipsy doodle, he replied it was just a mixture of a whole bunch of different syrups. "Whatever I feel like putting in it", he told me. Sold! Here is the dipsy doodle,

which had a real nice fruity flavor. And I have noticed that he now puts everything in paper cups and bowls, to save from doing dishes, undoubtedly. He told he gave me two straws, "Because he liked me". The feeling is definitely mutual.

Wilton Candy Kitchen
310 Cedar Street
Wilton, IA
563-732-2278

In all, I spent about an hour at Wilton Candy Kitchen.

Much more to come.....

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (icecreamchick)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:53:09 GMT

Wow, that sundae looks fantastic! I'll have to remember that place for the next time we visit the Midwest!

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (love2bake)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:39:32 GMT

Wow--gorgeous interior. I'd have been a very happy girl with the hot fudge pecan sundae.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 08:57:40 GMT

Monday July 2, 2012

One of the tough things about visiting the Quad Cities area is that there are three different ice cream places nearby that I like to visit. Now, I love ice cream, but three times in one day can be a bit much. Which is why it helped getting Whitey's out of the way the previous night. Because I knew my first stop of the day was going to be at Lagomarcino's, just over the Illinois state line in Moline. There is a Lagomarcino's in Davenport, but the Moline location is the original one and this is definitely the one you want to visit.

Lagomarcino's has been in business since 1908 and they have a terific neon sign out front.

Even though there is no review on the website, they have been in the Roadfood books many times. On my last visit here two years ago, the entire street in front was torn up and closed. It was a mess. Luckily, it is open now and I snagged a parking spot right in front.

The inside is gorgeous! There are rows of mahogany booths,

plus each booth has it's own Tiffany lamp.

By the front entrance is the well stocked candy cases, including their own handmade chocolates.

Besides the ice cream, they are also well known for sandwiches on their homemade rye bread.

Multiple loaves of freshly baked bread were sitting on the counter. I ordered the baked ham and swiss,

which came with lettuce, tomato and mayo, plus pickle chips on the side. Other than the soft, chewy rye bread, no single ingredient to this sandwich was a standout, but there is something about eating it in this setting that elevates it. Feeling very hungry, I also got a side of the ordinary potato salad.

To drink, they have all kinds of concoctions they can mix up for you,

including phosphates, flavored colas, green rivers, fresh lemonade or even an egg cream. Wanting to try something different, here is what is known as a Lago,

a mixture of several fruit flavored syrups. To me, it tasted like an especially fruity Dr. Pepper.

Saving the best for last, it was finally time to order ice cream. And they have a daunting selection of sundaes. But, there was no thought given to ordering anything but the hot fudge sundae. They even quote Jane & Michael Stern right on the menu,

calling it "The best hot fudge sundae in this solar system or any other!". Who could resisit that?

The vanilla ice cream that comes with this sundae is made in house and is fine. In fact, it is quite good. But, the reason this sundae is special is the hot fudge. It is dark, deeply rich and thick. And they put it on the side so that you can pour it on when needed.

Trying to pour with one hand while taking a photo is not the easiest thing to do, because the most important thing is not to spill a single drop.

One funny thing happened during my visit. While I got up to take some interior photos, I noticed a man staring down at the booth I was sitting at with a puzzled look on his face. I asked him, "Can I help you?" He apologized and then sat in the next booth down. It took me a minute to figure out that he must be a regular and I was sitting in his booth. I got back up and asked him if he wanted to switch booths, but he laughed and said that wasn't necessary. Soon, two other men joined him for coffee and the first thing both of them said was a remark about not getting their booth!

Lagomarcino's
1422 5th Avenue
Moline, IL
309-764-1814

I crossed back into Iowa, heading for yet another ice cream parlor.

Much more to come.....

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:26:48 GMT

trzhotel-
Thanks so much for the photo of the loaded Gunderburger. If mine had looked like that,I wouldhave been much happier. That is a gorgeous burger!

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (love2bake)

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 18:32:26 GMT

Mmmm... I've been to this Whitey's and can recommend the black raspberry milkshake!

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (love2bake)

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 18:27:52 GMT

Hahaha--that burger is hilarious! And here I thought Iowa was all about pigs, not cows... :)

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (lleechef)

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:42:27 GMT

That Gunderburger looks fabulous. Almost identical to one I had in Martinsburg, Nebraska (pop. 93) a few years back.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (Louis)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:58:09 GMT

Looking over those flavors at Whitey's Ice Cream, most of them I have tried at one time or another. Cancun Coconut sounds interesting, as does Red Velvet Cake, but I think I would have gone with Salty Caramel, just to see how much salt was on it.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (trzhotel)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:01:01 GMT

Loaded Gunderburger:

I'm not exactly mr-burger-lover, but I thought it was good. Huge portion of local beef, nearly zero seasoning, grilled toppings. They go through several hundred pounds of beef every week at the Irish Shanty.

Gunder with census figures from a few decades ago:

I think there are less than 20 people in the community now.

1-R's is named for the owner operator named Lary, spelled with one letter R. He did a massive remodel of the place after taking over. Its amazing what new furniture and paint can do for a small town dive bar.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:58:37 GMT

Thanks to Michael Hoffman and drummagick for the info on black caps. I had heard of them before, but didn't make the connection at first. It proved to be a great topping for that kind of pie.

trzhotel-
Thanks for the reply! If you have a photo, I would love to see what the loaded Gunderburger looks like.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (wanderingjew)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:58:09 GMT

buffetbuster

CTD wouldn't be impressed unless I ate the large pizza at Mabe's, a loaded Gunderburger and the Big One BPT. Of course, I would be dead, but he would be impressed!

True, but imagine the legacy you would have left!

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:53:46 GMT

ChiTownDiner

Were the cheese curds anything like the god ones inWisconsin?

Naw, the best ones in Wisconsin are fresh and squeaky. But like I said, how could fried cheese ever be bad?

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:50:39 GMT

Birdhunter

If you going to Gunder for lunch, split the burger and from there go to the St.Olaf Tap in St.Olaf, Iowa which is just down the road from there and split there 16 ounce tenderloin sandwich. Being this closed it's a must stop at both.

You were way ahead of me! If I had someone to split those sandwiches with, that is exactly what we would have done.

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:47:08 GMT

CTD wouldn't be impressed unless I ate the large pizza at Mabe's, a loaded Gunderburger and the Big One BPT. Of course, I would be dead, but he would be impressed!

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (ChiTownDiner)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:43:38 GMT

Very much so...

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (wanderingjew)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:26:27 GMT

buffetbuster

There was a decent amount of other items on the menu, but the idea of getting anything other than a breaded pork tenderloin was not a consideration. I would have loved to have gotten the big one, but there was no way I could have tackled it, especially after eating most of a Gunderburger just a short time before. So, I settled on the medium, figuring that would probably be a regular sized BPT at most other places.

I think my Roadfood radar picked up a groan coming out of the Chicagoland area that day....

Re:"If You Bake It, He Will Come" (buffetbuster)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:06:14 GMT

Sunday July 1, 2012 (cont.)

Next up was the short drive to St. Olaf, IA, to visit St. Olaf's Tap.

Now,the town of St. Olaf is small (population of 108 according to the 2010 census), but it feels like Des Moines compared to where I had just been in Gunder. St. Olaf's Tap claims to be the Home of the World's Largest Tenderloin.

The motto on the sign says "Put Something Big Between Your Buns".

As soon as I walked in the door, there was only one other person in sight and it was a woman playing darts. Assuming she would greet me and tell me where to sit, I stood just inside the door for a few moments. She eventually looked at me and then went right back tothrowing darts. Awkward! Turns out she was a customer. The inside was so dark,

there was no good place to get photos using natural light, so I plopped down at the nearest booth. A man in his 30s wearing a St. Louis Cardinals hat came out of the kitchen and brought me a menu and soon after, a glass of 1919 root beer

from the tap in a frosted mug. Very nice!

There was a decent amount of other items on the menu, but the idea of getting anything other than a breaded pork tenderloin was not a consideration. It was just a matter of how big.

I would have loved to have gotten the big one, but there was no way I could have tackled it, especially after eating most of a Gunderburger just a short time before. So, I settled on the medium, figuring that would probably be a regular sized BPT at most other places.

And that turned out to be an accurate assessment.

It was still much bigger than the bun, extending out on all sides. Sitting on a plate, the size can be deceiving, so here it is in my hands.

Not a monster, but still a substantial sandwich. And to think, this is only the medium! The breading was crispy, with a thin coating. The one complaint, it was salty. Not too much that I didn't finish it, but I am sure there are better BPTs out there.

The man running the place was a nice guy, trying to take orders and do the cooking at the same time. Halfway through the meal, two couples walked in the door, but he turned them away, saying they were closing in just a few minutes and the kitchen was closed. As he walked past, he told me, "I hated to do that, but I have to spend some time with the family this weekend." That is life as a small restaurant owner, isn't it?

St. Olaf's Tap
106 S. Main Street
St. Olaf, IA
563-783-7723

After three food stops in such a short amount of time, I needed a long break. The plans were to spend the night in the Quad Cities area, so I drove straight to the hotel in Davenport. After relaxing for a while, I was ready to go back out. There was a Machine Shed a very short distance down the road, but all I needed was some ice cream. My friend cecif has been telling me about Whitey's Ice Cream,

a popular local chain for years, so I found one not far away. With this being a humid Sunday night, the place was packed. Looking over the available flavors,

I settled on a scoop of black raspberry chip and a scoop of chocolate.

Both very good, it was a perfect way to finish off a Summer evening. But, I apparentlymight have made an error in ordering. Waiting for my ice cream at the register, I noticed just how many of the servers were busy making milkshakes.

When the young girl came over with my ice cream, I asked her about it. She told me Whitey's is best known for their excellent milkshakes. Okay, so next time I will know what to order.

Whitey's Ice Cream
2419 E 53rd Street
Davenport, Iowa
563-359-0001

It was back to the hotel for the night.

Much more to come.....