A few weeks back I made my annual trip to Ohio and back and this year I made a point of trying to have at least one breaded pork tenderloin sandwich along the way. The BPT was created in Indiana and since Indiana's between me and Ohio...well, that's a pretty easy call. I picked The Brown House in Auburn as my first stop. It's been around since 1949 so they must be doing something right! I used my 1960ish Agfa Ambi-Silette rangefinder for this shot. It does nice work but I'

Back in the 1970s a small pizza chain called Barnaby's was popular in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, and there happened to be one about 5 minutes from my parents' house. It provided quite a few Friday night pizzas for a number of years until it closed and a different restaurant moved in. In 2015 I visited the Chicago area for a weekend and worked a visit to the Des Plaines Barnaby's (since closed and demolished) into my plans. It had been at least 35 years since I'

Recently I had a weekend to myself so I decided to explore the original route of US Highway 18 from Verona to Prairie du Chien. 18 is one of the original 1926 US Highways and while modern 18 is 4 lanes from Madison to Dodgeville its earlier alignments are pretty easy to find. I started my trip at the eastern end (terminus, in road lingo) of Verona Avenue. The northeast edge of Verona now houses a supermarket, some restaurants and other business development, but years ago it

It's been about a year since the legendary Gray Brothers Cafeteria in Mooresville, IN closed for good. I'd heard about it for years but had never visited because there was always "next time", but after learning of the imminent closure I made a specific plan to visit in March, 2025. My wife and I left Wisconsin on a Friday night with the intention of making it as far as Bloomington-Normal, IL. Why B-N? Because it's the home of Tobin's Pizza, which has been around since 1963

I sure do! But not the kind you're thinking of, so let's continue. "Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere." Certainly those of us of a certain age remember that Revolutionary War rhyme, but in the fall of 1981 it took on a completely new meaning to me. It was the start of my freshman year at Drake University in Des Moines, IA and Paul Revere's Pizza was the go-to for delivery. Sadly, when Domino's arrived in early 1982 PRP's days were n

Case in point, The Chicken House outside of Sellersburg, Indiana. It had been on my radar for years and in August, 2025 I was finally able to visit. It was a Thursday and I got there just before it opened at 11am, and I'll bet there were at least 10 other cars already in the parking lot. Did I think to inquire about the history of the original house? No, I did not. Probably because I was laser-focused on stuffing my face. I was seated in the newer part of the restaurant.

Last August (2025) I was on the way to Ohio and checked out an abandoned segment of US Highway 41 south of Earl Park, Indiana. Here's the southbound view at the end. Oftentimes a road like this will have some sort of barrier or signage where it ends but that wasn't the case. The road just ends. That's current US-41 in the distance. Earl Park can be seen to the north. Not that it's a concern these days, but no passing. I did a little research and it appears the current vers

Last March my wife and I drove to Branson, MO. Our older daughter and her family were vacationing there so we thought we'd join them for...

The tiny town of Sabula is Iowa's only island municipality; it's located in - not on - the Mississippi River just southwest of Savanna,...

...is what Charles Dickens would've written if he was searching for hamburgers in central and southern Indiana. And he probably would've...

If there's one meat closely associated with the state of Iowa, it's pork. After all, the state sandwich is the breaded pork tenderloin! ...

Green Gables Bar & Grill is just a block or so off of Lake Bloomington, north of Hudson, Illinois. It opened in 1952 and the original...

When done right, a simple grilled cheese sandwich is truly one of the finest culinary delights on the planet. And it all starts with the...

A few years back I was in the unincorporated community of Dundee, WI (north of Campbellsport on WI-67) in January and passed the...

Awhile back I had a chance to get away for a weekend, so I decided to explore the Lincoln Highway between DeKalb and Sterling, Illinois. ...

No, I didn't go to Virginia. One of the many U.S. locations named Mt. Vernon is a small, unincorporated community located southwest of...

Just north of I-80, on IA-224 at exit 173, sits the Kellogg RV Park and Iowa's Best Burger Cafe. I've driven past it for 30+ years but...

For quite a few years my friend Jeff has been recommending the burgers at Ridott Corners Tavern, located south of Ridott, IL on the...

March 25, 2022 was a dreary day punctuated by occasional snow showers; even though Daylight Savings Time was in effect the weather was...

Without a doubt, my favorite Chinese restaurant appetizer is shrimp toast. Even though the shrimp flavor is often fairly mild, shrimp...