Village Inn

107 S. Main St., Middlebury, IN - (574) 825-2043

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Posted By Michael Stern on 10/29/2001 3:38:00 AM

The town of Middlebury is where Amish farmers come to shop for dry goods and hardware. When it is time to eat, they crowd into a town lunchroom called the Village Inn for plowman's meals served by Mennonite girls in organdy caps.

How about a huge plate of cornmeal mush, accompanied by head cheese, for breakfast? There are ordinary egg breakfasts, too, but even they seem twice as hearty as anything you would get in an ordinary diner. Lunches are even bigger: chicken and noodles or meat loaf or beef stew and mashed potatoes, smothered steaks and stuffed peppers, all served with plenty of richly-dressed slaws and salads and well-cooked vegetables enriched with breadcrumbs, butter, and cheese.

Amish country is pie country. It has long been a tradition among “the plain people” to make spectacularly unplain pies; and town cafes in the Amish parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are terrific places to stop for pie breaks while traveling. They offer about a dozen different kinds of pie every day at The Village Inn, for well under $2 per slice. Varieties include blueberry (from locally-picked berries), lattice-topped raisin, and the pie known among Indiana farm folks as O.F., meaning “old fashioned”: little more than sugar, eggs, and cream, whipped into a jiggly custard perched atop a flaky pastry crust. Whole pies can be ordered in advance, to go.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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"Old fashioned cream is a dense, rich custard pie made with heavy whipping cream. Delicious!"
Cliff Strutz

"Peanut butter pie would not be our first choice in an Amish restaurant, but with the terrific flaky crust and subtle pb flavor, this is still a fine slice of pie."
Cliff Strutz

"When the young waitress read off the roster of available pies, three of the first four were ones we had never heard of before. This Bob Andy pie is a custard pie, with cinnamon and cloves added. Delicious!"
Cliff Strutz

"When the Village Inn uses the word fresh in the name of this pie, there aren't kidding. The peaches tasted like they were picked just an hour before. This was a fantastic slice of pie!"
Cliff Strutz

"Expect odd, random coffee cups, most of which were given to Village Inn by loyal customers. Our loquacious waitress told us she tries to match up the cups to the personalities of the customers. We found this very amusing, despite the coffee cup we were given."
Cliff Strutz

"Next to the Village Inn, Gohn Brothers is a dry goods store that specializes in clothing for "The Plain People," i.e. pants with buttons instead of zippers, serious black hats, and sturdy work shoes."
Michael Stern

"Although this photo was taken elsewhere, the neon sign perfectly expresses the value of the Village Inn."
Michael Stern