Machine Shed

Posted By Michael Stern on September 10, 2011 12:05 PM

There are eight Machine Shed restaurants in the heartland. The Urbandale branch on the outskirts of Des Moines adjoins Living History Farms, a celebration of rural life in the form of restored log cabins, Native-American crafts displays, and a whole small town built to look like it did in 1875. The location is significant because the Machine Shed is a culinary ode to the old-fashioned American farmer.

"Farming is everyone’s bread and butter," announces a sign on the way into the big, sprawling restaurant. Dining room walls are crowded with turn-of-the-century farm implements, seed bags, and vintage advertisements for country-style products. The staff dresses in clean farm-hand attire (although a diamond earring on one guy made it a bit difficult to suspend disbelief). Although the menu has something for everyone, its highlights are meat-and-potatoes meals big enough to fuel an honest day’s work.

Breakfast is especially impressive, featuring fruit-filled sweet rolls scooped from the pan dripping with frosting and cinnamon rolls as big as a bread box. There is a vast selection of sausage, bacon, ham, and pork chops to accompany eggs; and the flapjacks are Frisbee-sized.

Hamburgers are a half-pound each; and the chicken pot pie is a beauty; but the one meat to eat in this place is pork: crisp-fried tenderloins made into sandwiches, stuffed loin of pork, and best of all, the Iowa pork chop. Iowans make an issue of pork chops, differentiating between ordinary pork chops and Iowa chops, the latter cut so thick that the meat takes on the character of a roast. At the Machine Shed, we ate the thickest pork chop we have ever seen … and topped it off with mighty hunks of pie and cake.

Unlike most Roadfood restaurants, the Machine Shed is a highway-exit tourist attraction with an entire front room full of rustic-themed souvenirs. Don’t expect small-town charm. We think of it like a Cracker Barrel, but with good food.

Iowa pork chop

cinnamon roll

Iceberg Lettuce Salad

Stuffed Pork Chop

Pie

Posted By ann peeples on May 21, 2011 7:17 AM

We love the Machine Shed just off the highway in Waukesha County, WI. Bob loves the breakfast buffet, not so much for the eggs, but because they really know how to make excellent bacon. It's just this side of done, smoky and with a bit of chew. I have never seen anyone eat that much bacon in one sitting.

My experience, and happiness, was different. We went there for dinner with our family, and ordered pot roast and fried chicken. The sides, served family-style, were excellent: baked beans, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes withgravy, and green beans. The pot roast was as good as I could make it, and the fried chicken was outstanding, glistening and right out of the fryer, and refilled as often as we liked.

Bob is a joker, and it happened to be my birthday, so he told the staff and they came over and sang me a silly song. I hate that. But it's not their fault. All in all, excellent food.