Roadfood_ Revised Edition - Jane Stern [153]
No matter what meal you eat, or what time of day you eat it, you must have pie at the Coffee Cup Café. Iowa is major pie country, and it is in just such inconspicuous small-town cafés that some of the very best are eaten. Looking for a good cream pie? Have a wedge of Coffee Cup banana cream. It quivers precariously as the waitress sets it down on the table, the custard jiggling like not-quite-set Jell-O, the foamy white meringue on top wafting like just-spun cotton candy. Below these ribbons of white and yellow is a thin, tawny crust that doesn’t break when met with a fork; it flakes. The whole experience of cutting a mouthful, raising it to one’s lips, and savoring it, is what we imagine it would be like to eat pastries on the moon or some planet where gravity is only a fraction of earth’s; for the word “light” barely does justice to the refinement of this piece of pie.
Darrell’s Place
4010 1st St.
712–563–3922
Hamlin, IA
LD | $
Darrell’s Place looks more like a large utility shed than a restaurant, but aficionados of the tenderloin know that it is a culinary gem. Winner of the 2004 Iowa Pork Producers Association award for the best tenderloin in the state, Darrell’s serves tenderloins that are thick and juicy, enveloped in a crisp, fine-textured crust that is more crunch than breading. The ribbon of meat is a good half-inch thick, making for an ultra-opulent eating experience. And while it is a very large sandwich, the crisp-edged patty extends only a bit beyond the bun, not outrageously far, meaning you can easily pick it up, even with one hand.
Hamlin is a tiny town with a population of less than three hundred. It’s a charming place in the heart of farm country and seems light-years away from civilization. And yet it is just fourteen miles north of I-80, a supremely convenient detour for interstate travelers in the west of the state. While visiting, you might consider visiting Nathaniel Hamlin Park, home of the world’s largest collection of nails.
Grove Café
124 Main St.
515–232–9784
Ames, IA
BL | $
When you order a pancake at the Grove Café, the word will take on a new meaning. In this place, a pancake truly is a pan cake—a good-size layer of cake that has been cooked in a pan, or in this case, on the grill. Nearly an inch thick in its center, it is wide as its plate—a round of steamy cooked batter that has an appealing orange hue. It comes with a couple of pats of butter and a pitcher of syrup (all of which this cake can absorb with ease). With some peppery Iowa sausage patties, one of these cakes is a full-size meal. Two of them, listed on the menu as a “short stack,” are a breakfast for only the tallest of appetites.
Grove Café also offers omelets with hash browns and happy little slices of French toast for breakfast, as well as hamburgers, hot beef, and meat loaf at lunch. But to many of its longtime fans, including hordes of Iowa State alumni who have consumed tens of thousands of calories in these bare-tabled booths and at the low stools of the counter, pancakes are all that matter. To its most devoted fans, Grove Café is a pancake parlor.
Located in the old business district, it has a weathered character with faded cream-colored walls decorated with photos and mementoes from the riding exploits of the proprietor. Among them is a blue ribbon he won at the state fair showing Appaloosa horses. A large sign painted on the wall above the grill jokes, “Just Like Home: You Don’t Always Get What You Want.”
In’t Veld Meat Market
820 Main St.
641–628–3440
Pella, IA
L | $
Most customers come to In’t Veld to shop for meat rather than to eat, and even those of us who are just passing through will find such good travel companions as summer sausage, dried beef, and wax-wrapped cheeses. For those