Eastern Iowa Baking Co.

After several trips to the new bakery in town, I finally have the time to write out a delicious review!

   Eastern Iowa Baking Co. opened in February in the old floral shop building in downtown Eldridge (2nd & Franklin).  The building was originally constructed as a doctor's office in 1857.

photo from their FB

The bakery is cute and tiny with a small dine-in area.  The morning selection includes baked doughnuts, pastries, and sometimes quiche.  I had a horrible internship selling quiche one time.  *shudders*

I often see the owner, Rhonda Groh baking away as I run by at an ungodly hour of the morning.  She has been a certified pastry chef since 2003.  Her family has been selling her goods at the Freight House Farmer's Market for several years now and will continue to do so.   The tip jar at the bakery is always donated to a charitable cause.

Red has forgone the whole concept of breakfast and always heads straight for the baked goods they also sell daily.  She's had cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and a lemon bar.  There's no way this kid was switched at birth.

Unkempt blonde hair.  Brownie for breakfast.  Definitely mine.

"You mean people actually eat vegetables?"

Lemon bar is sort of a fruit

Richie usually chooses a big cinnamon roll and a medium roast coffee.  Every one raves about the coffee from here and by everyone I do mean several retirees who spend their days roaming around Eldridge.  They would know, dammit.

Although they receive a steady stream of business, we have never had a problem finding a place to sit.  The food is served on nice plates with real silverware.  I think they could use some jazzy music playing in the background.  Not because I like jazz, but because it seems like the right thing to do.

We've never had a bad dish at Eastern Iowa BC and we love the location.  Be sure to check it out sometime and then catch yourself some diabetes at Smilee's Ice Cream, right across the street.  The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.  I'll have to update once we try lunch there!

Sunshine Family Restaurant

On a freezing cold day in Iowa, there's really not much to do, except maybe clean your house, but who does that? Certainly not me. We decided to head North to Dubuque to visit an aquarium. But this is Iowa, so it was just filled with big ugly suckers like gar and catfish. To make up for the less than impressive aquatic displays, we decided to stop for a hearty meal. We settled on the closest place that served breakfast food.

Sunshine Family Restaurant is located in an old building on a tiny corner in downtown Dubuque. The history of the restaurant is printed on the menus but did I think to take a photo of it? Nope. It has had many different names over the years but, as I recall, it has always been a family restaurant. The restaurant has an open floor plan with booths along the walls, tables in the center, register up front, and closed off kitchen. The decor is retro, but not really in a cool way. It seems stuck in the early 80s, but at least it was clean and comfortable.

 Clearly we were moving in this pic




The menu resembled a short novel. I found the breakfast chapter and settled in. The waitress was very prompt, so I panicked and chose the meat lovers skillet, which was a good choice in the end. Richie asked for his current food infatuation, the corned beef and hash. We ordered a burger for the offspring whose tastes seem to be a perfect blend of both of us, eating only red meat and sugar. Our food came out blazing fast, which is a huge plus when you have a toddler with limitless energy

The skillet a lovely nest of freshly shredded hash browns mingling with the three little piggies, bacon, ham, and sausage. A light blanket of scrambled eggs laid on top. The meal came with a side of toast and cost less than 6 dollars.

Richie's plate could barely contain the mountain of hash and more than generous serving of potatoes.

Red's hamburger came on a soft bun and heap of thick cut french fries.

 Swimming always leaves me famished and just watching those fish must have had the same effect. We threw the food down our throats like it was our last meal.

Sunshine was the perfect place for these two breakfast loving bodies. The food left our bellies full and warm on that chilly Sunday. Hours: 6 am-9 pm daily Partial Menu

Checkers Pancake House

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Illinois is the cute little diner, Checkers Pancake House. 

It looks to be in a remodeled Wendy's building, but they did a heck of a job on it.  The whole place was extremely shiny and clean.  A busboy was walking around polishing the freaking chairs.  He was actually keeping busy instead of smoking in the parking lot and talking crap about fellow employees.  Color me impressed.  In fact, every single employee was genuinely sweet to us.  Must be something in the water...or coffee.

The menu was similar to Family Restaurant in Davenport.  Pancakes, omelets, and a few dishes with a Greek influence. I knew I wanted a big omelet and Richie wanted a lot of food so we were both pleased with the large menu.  After carefully analyzing my choices, I finally decided on the Hawaiian omelet because I have never thought to pair pineapple with egg.

Richie ordered corned beef and hash, 2 eggs, hash browns, and pancakes.  Less than ten minutes later, our food was served fresh off the griddle.

Aloha!  My ridiculously large omelet was stuffed full of goodies, including the sweet and juicy pineapple chunks.  It was kind of a different taste, not unlike that of Hawaiian pizza.  I enjoyed the salty sweet combination but the mixture of textures was off putting.  I ended up eating around most of the pineapple.
The hash browns were freshly shredded from potatoes.  Definitely a step up from the dehydrated ones that I make from the box.  Just add water.  They were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

The pancakes were thick and fluffy but the syrup had a strange flavor.  Maybe we got the sugar free kind on accident?

Richie's meal was nearly gone before I lifted my fork.  A testament to the tastiness of his meal and his amazing digestive system.  We noticed that, like the Family Restaurant, his two eggs magically became four.  Must be using chickens on some serious fertility drugs. 

Both of us left full and happy, especially after seeing our paltry bill for our bounty of food. Checkers is open for just breakfast and lunch, which is unfortunate because their food is perfect for a post midnight feast.
We will be back Checkers.  Oh yes we will.

The Family Restaurant

We shared an unexpectedly good meal on a Sunday morning at the Family Restaurant in Davenport. With a name as generic as 'Family Restaurant,' and the facade of a 1980s dentist office, it was easy to ignore its existence for all these years.

Rolling up on a Sunday morning, the parking lot was filled with Buicks and Lincolns. Walking in, the whole place was stuffed to the brim with geriatric gents. We were the youngest people there by at least 30 years. This, along with the horrible decor and fake fall flowers on the walls, worried my hungry stomach. I hoped they put more thought and care into their food.

The menu is homestyle with a small section of Greek and Italian foods. Family Restaurant was actually voted Best Greek Restaurant in the Quad-Cities because, apparently it is owned and operated by Greeks. I certainly wouldn't consider it a Greece-y joint, though they did have a few delicious offerings like Spinach Pie and Gyros.

is that a tumor on my shoulder?

 We grabbed two seats at the 4 seat counter and were immediately greeted by a server. She was hurrying about but still found time to check on us often and refill Richie's coffee.

Breakfast is available anytime of day so I was immediately smitten. I asked for a ham and cheese omelet with toast and hash browns. Richie ordered 2 eggs with corned beef hash, pancakes, and hash browns. Despite the massive grey crowd of ravenous elders, our food came out promptly.

 My omelet was a giant cloud of delight, unbelievably fluffy and filled with ham and gooey golden goodness. The toast was cut thick and the potatoes were freshly shredded and fried. They tasted like a baked potato rather than the a pile of crushed chips other places serve.

Richie's 2 egg order was magically upgraded to 4. I later found out that this their regular practice, buy 2 get 2 free.

 With their reasonable prices, I'm not sure how this place stays in business. He slammed down his 'best ever' hash browns along with everything else on the plate.

 I eyed the spinning pie rack til I was dizzy, but felt too satiated for dessert. We found a diamond in the rough in the Family Restaurant. Maybe these seniors aren't so senile after all.

Waffle House!

Well, we arrived in Florida in one piece, no thanks to our shuttle car driver and his 2fast2furious skills.  A quick search on our phone revealed that a Waffle House was just .3 miles from our lovely (cough) resort.  We stayed at the Bilmar Beach Resort in Treasure Island.  Sounds like a place full of magic and wonder, streets lined with gold.  Really, it's an anemic beach town with hotels designed after the 70's Las Vegas strip.  But, it has a Waffle House.


The Waffle House nearest my house is 200 miles south, in St. Charles, Mo.  The last time I ate at one was about 10 years ago in Phoenix, AZ.  It was a deliciously memorable experience I was more than happy to relive in FL.













The chain began in 1955 in a suburb of Atlanta.  A Toddle House manager and his neighbor decided to open a 24-hour restaurant with an emphasis on friendly customer service.  They grew to 4 restaurants and in the 60s, saw a lot of growth along highways and interstates.  Obviously they are known for their waffles (they serve 145 per minute) and breakfast foods, but their menu includes many lunch staples as well.
 
The menu can be viewed HERE

Pretty much every Waffle House looks the same.  They have the counter with an open kitchen so you can watch the workers sweat into the waffle irons.  You can also hear them yell out their diner lingo and bitch at each other.  We actually visited twice during our stay due to the lack of clean and inviting dining options in the area.  And due to our gluttonous desire for waffles.

The first trip, I ordered the ridiculously large All-Star Special.  It featured a waffle, hashbrowns, eggs, toast, and ham.  I opted for a strawberry waffle which the waitress dutifully admitted was infused with artificial strawberry flavoring.  No matter.  It had an essence of Frankenberry that took me back to my childhood.

Hashbrowns were greasy, eggs were greasy, ham was greasy.  Not complaining, just stating the facts.  I did, however, blot my eggs a little bit before I dug in and punctured the yolk.

On our second visit, I was feeling slighty more health conscious, so I ordered scrambled egg whites and chicken breast. Again, I blotted the chicken which was dewy with griddle oils.

 Richie ordered over-easy eggs, toast, a plain waffle, and hashbrowns "all-the-way."  they have many different disgustingly rich options for decorating your hash, and all-the-way includes, well, all of them.  Don't be deceived by the photo, under the  exorbitant amount of breakfast gravy and the crunchy top stratus mingled many mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, ham, and cheeses.


Both of our waffles were cooked impeccably, with nary a burnt crust or undercooked bite.







Round two:  Chili cheese omelet and hashbrowns all-the-way. He obviously likes the hashbrowns.  

I might not be so enthused on Waffle House's greasy selections if I had easier access to one, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meals.  It's a fun change of pace from the Midwest's Village Inns and IHOPs.  Plus, the waffles, though made in what looked to be a standard waffle maker, were pretty much perfect.


Oh Waffle House, I hope to rendezvous again.  Until then, we shall lust for you from afar.

Jimmy's Pancake House

The best meal of the day, by far, is breakfast.  The food is rich, heavy, and full of added sugars, but you have the whole day to work it off.  Anytime I hear of a place that serves breakfast all day, I begin to salivate and daydream of eggs, crispy bacon, and syrup drenched pancakes.  Obviously a place named Jimmy's Pancake House really got my engine running as I envisioned a flapjack heaven run by a friendly, slightly overweight guy in a paper hat.

I finally got to see what it was really like after a late morning doctor's appointment and ultrasound where I discovered that  the baby girl in my belly was craving a greasy mess.  So we headed into Bettendorf and found the small cafe on 18th street.


Jimmy's is very clean and very green inside. Like, literally, bright green.   We found an empty table and received prompt drink service. The waitresses seemed to know all of the other patrons. Pretty soon, they'll be yelling RICHIE! when we walk in and a witty exchange about HT customers will ensue.

The majority of Jimmy's menu is breakfast. That's what I like to see. At a pancake house, you most definitely want to try the pancakes, even if they make your stomach swell and arms itch. So I ordered poached eggs with ham, hashbrowns and blueberry pancakes.

Can't really complain or rave about the eggs. They always taste the same. The ham was thick cut and lightly fried. Hashbrowns were plentiful, light, and fluffy. They were a departure from the usual diner style nests of grease. However, I prefer the crispy greasy potato piles.

Richie went all out with a Mexican skillet. Covered with scrambled eggs, the skillet smuggled in chorizo, onions, peppers, salsa, and hashbrowns. Based on his empty plate,I'm going to guess that he enjoyed the spicy breakfast explosion. But no worries, he left room for the mini mound of pancakes and syrup.

So what about the piece de resistance, pancakes?! I would deem Jimmy's Pancake House to be worthy of their name. The flapjacks were classic beige cushions with a slight sweetness from a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine were delicately dotted with an ample amount of fresh tart blueberries. We both flooded our plates with maple syrup, though they may have offered other flavors, I was too enamored to ask.

The pancakes were the perfect shade of golden brown, and the texture was delicate and spongy. Pretty much what God's pancakes would taste like in heaven.

In a few years, the griddle will be nice and broken in and Jimmy's will get that homey coffee smell ingrained in the walls.  Then it will become an official greasy joint.  For now, it is a pleasant cafe with hearty breakfasts and fresh lunches.  But be prepared to wait for a table!

Country Fix'ns

Welcome to the Appalachia of the Q.C., Colona, Illinois. There is a bright spot among the trailers, barefoot children, and fishin' boats, and it's called Country Fix'ns.


Country Fix'ns is a home-style diner that fills daily with regulars. It was a small spectacle when two 20-something city boys walked through the front doors.

The interior is quite plain and unadorned, decorated only by the smell of coffee and bacon, a warm welcome for hungry men.

Being a model greasy joint, Country Fix'ns serves breakfast all day, so Richie ordered the Country Fix'ns Skillet. He may have found a match for Ross' famous Magic Mountain.

He dug right into the giant hashbrown haystack permeated with mushrooms, bacon, eggs and onions. Of course, it was generously shrouded with both breakfast gravy and melted cheese. Ridiculous. As if that wasn't gut-busting enough, Richie poured on the Sriracha!


Bateman had eyes for another greasy classic, a cheeseburger and fries. The sirloin burger was served on buttered and grilled Texas Toast.




Fries were thick cut and made from real potatoes.


The food appeared to be thoroughly greasy and made from scratch. They didn't skimp on portion sizes, so the meals were well worth the small amount of cash they charged.

If you're willing to travel through the trailer trash boonies, Country Fix'ns is a neat little place to try. Bring an empty stomach... and maybe some art for the walls.