Everyone has or probably has known a friend of some means that has driven to Chicago or other large city to simply shop for the day or week-end. LA-DE-DA! But, you have to go a long way to know someone who simply drives from Marshalltown, Iowa, on an over-cast Saturday in November, to simply eat at a restaurant in down-town Rochester, Minnesota to eat a Pannekoken. The stage is set!
In the early part of the week,( 11/19/11), my significant, Ilah, mentioned that the trip was something she wanted to do. Why not! In case you don't know what a Pannekoeken is-it's a Dutch Pancake. Pannekoeken is plural and they usually are larger and thinner than a normal pancake. They can be incorporated with apple, cheese, raisins, or ice-cream. It can be eaten as a main course, dessert, or just for the fun of it.
The Pannekoeken restaurant that Ilah was accustomed to going to was on Highway 63 in Rochester, just south of the downtown area. After the three hour drive straight up and arriving around noon, we were both hungry and looking forward to the "Dutch" treat. Although, I was not sure what I was getting myself into as I had only been there on one other occasion and couldn't remember what I had the time before.
As we got closer, Ilah spotted the sign. Yeh! We pulled in and the restaurant was now just a vacant spot. A smaller sign indicated the real estate was part of an adjoining bank's property. What a disappointment! Now for plan B. I suggested maybe just driving downtown and looking for a little cafe that had some comfort food. That type of restaurant had to exist, with all the old people flooding into this town daily.
After circling the block downtown just once near the clinics, there it was-A Pannekoeken Restaurant. Ilah's prayer was answered after all and life was good once again. She was not aware of the downtown location. We were told by our waitress that it had been there for at least six years. I won't bore you with the details, but, superb and giddy were intertwined.
After eating and because the weather was so poopy and with a little drizzle of rain and the temperature dropping, we decided to head south. Driving back we did stop at a couple of antique stores along the way. Heading south, it did warm once again into the 40's and we weren't too worried about freezing highways. Now we could head for my little surprise of the day. Ilah had no clue!
We were headed for Masonville, Iowa in Delaware County. The home of the "R" Place, a little cozy cafe listed in the "Iowa's Best Ma & Pa Restaurants." What caught my attention about this place was 1st) the town is only 100 plus and located east of Independence, just off Highway 20, and 2nd) the comment was that their fish and onion rings "were to die for."
We slowly zigged and zagged on black top county roads down and ever closer to Masonville and arrived in this big "burg" a little after 5 p.m. There were a few patrons but not packed. It was cozy and the food was excellent. Posted, high overhead on one wall, was just a few select comfort food items. The lady who owned it visited with us for a while and yes, it was very clean and yes, the onion rings were to die for. What a perfect ending to such a delightful day
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