Catching up on home cooked food

Rudy’s DinerGood home cooking continues to be found as we put the Midwest behind us. To celebrate paying off our trailer at a US Bank branch in Sheboygan, WI and to put a couple persistent hangovers at ease after way too many with the Schwabenlanders, we stopped in Brillion, WI for fuel and decided to grab lunch somewhere.

There was Mom’s Place Family Restaurant in a plain building with laundromat next door. And there was an authentic looking roadside diner with Rudy’s written in neon and a sidewalk sign promoting the daily special of Roast Chicken. The choice was simple.

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No Tolerance for Lactose Intolerance in Wisconsin

Pie and Ice Cream in Wisconsin

Yesterday, I forgot what day of the week it was. I honestly couldn’t remember if it was my birth DAY or not! Or maybe I was in denial. But once I realized that it was the 8th, and I was another year wiser, I committed to celebrating the big day.

So, we indulged on awesome grub. On my birthday, I was going to eat and drink whatever I wanted and enjoy it without guilt! We were in Wisconsin, so what else could we eat, but dairy! Lots of it!

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Minnesota Milk Shake Goodness

The Discerning Ice Cream CriticI know what you’re thinking … This long on the road and you haven’t reviewed any ice cream joints! So that may not actually be what’s on your mind, but for the record, no parlour has yet been worthy. OK, the real truth is, we haven’t gone out for ice cream since we’ve been keeping some on hand in our RV fridge. After long days on the road the soft serve treatment is delicious!

There was that pretty good milk shake in Bridgeport at the roadside burger joint of which I can’t remember the name. And then there was the fast food “milkshake” we just had to get at a drive thru in Spearfish, ND because we were starving and it was nearly 100 degrees out. Then there was the cone we shared like two teenagers in love as we watched the drunks stumble around downtown Deadwood. But none can compare to the real thing directly from the source.

During our visit to the Crow Wing County Fair in Brainerd, MN we enjoyed one of the best chocolate milkshakes ever – sold by actual local farmers outside the cattle barn. But the farmers must have been busy milking because their kids were doing the serving. And yes they had a variety of flavors to choose from, but for the purpose of this review we chose the favorite old standby.

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Road crew tip takes us to Hoven

Henry Huft sends us to Hoven, SDI think one of the hardest things about this trip will be trying to remember everything about all of the interesting places and colorful characters we are meeting along the way. There’s simply not enough time nor photos to tell this whole story.

For instance, we had planned to stay at Cow Creek campground one evening along the banks of the Mighty MO on our way to Fargo, ND. When stopped by road construction, the flagger walked up to ask about our truck and we ended up chatting for a bit. That’s whatchya do in these parts donthchyaknow.

By the time he waved us on, good ol’ Henry Huft had told us that he will never where a hat – though it was 106 degrees out – because he was born without a hat, and he’ll stay that way. He also told us that we just had to go on to Hoven for a steak at Boone’s Bar and Grill, and that for vegetarians they had big shrimp and a salad bar.

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Biscuit Review: The Coffee Pot – Sedona, AZ

I gotta give Raul an A for Effort for the biscuits and gravy he made us yesterday. After all, they were the first thing ever cooked in our new fifth wheel’s little oven, he used Rene’s homemade “Bisquick” mix, and the gravy was from Tony Chachere’s Southern Pantry White Gravy Mix – a decent standby for quick homemade biscuits and gravy. But I must say …

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Terrible’s Terrible Biscuits

Feeling nostalgic after our trek across Death Valley, we just had to stop at Terrible’s Town which was the only thing in Pahrump 12 years ago. Now the town has sprawled out in a scary way and there is a big Nugget Casino next door. Hoping to find the clean and quaint Kenny Rogers Café inside, we were overwhelmed with all the additional casino fare …

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Breakfast Review: Marlene & Glen’s Diner

Marlene and Glen’s DinerI’ve been trying hard to remember that restaurant south of Salem, Oregon with the big fluffy biscuits and great pancakes but just can’t put a name to it, so this will be the first installment of our quest to find the best biscuits and gravy in America.

Marlene and Glen’s Diner in Plymouth, CA is an adorable place in true diner style with a red and black tile floor, jukebox, and swivel stools at the counter. The staff is as friendly as one would expect in this (very) small town along highway 49 and the walls are accentuated with Coca Cola memorabilia and old record albums from the 50’s and 60’s. Nobody seemed to know the true story behind all the dollar bills pinned to the wall but the owner said it was her retirement fund.

The first indication of a good breakfast joint is the coffee, which was brought fast and hot – not too weak and not too strong. The gentleman who looked like he could’ve been Glen from the caricature on the Dead Fly Diner mugs said they call the gravy here “White Gold”. That made the decision simple, and from the looks of one patron’s plate, a half order would definitely suffice.

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