Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Four meals in Iowa and Nebraska



1. Tastee Inn N Out (Sioux City, Iowa).  The eatery's specialty is the Tastee loose meat sandwich.  Think of a Sloppy Joe (crumbled ground beef sandwich), but without the sauce.  The relatively small sandwich was delightful.  It was a bit tangy from the light mustard and pickle slices.  The Tastee was accompanied by onion chips, which are heavily battered and deep fried pieces of onion.  The creamy dip for the onions was as thick as wet concrete.  You can get whatever type of "pop" (soda) you want, as both Pepsi and Coke products are sold.  You can only order the food to go, as there is no dining area inside the restaurant.


2. Sioux County Livestock Company (Sioux Center, Iowa).  In this small farming community, this neat restaurant is the place to go for a satisfying, hearty meal.  I got the Karate Chop-- 8 oz. boneless pork chop topped with thin shavings of Swiss cheese topped with French fried onions (batter was almost non-existent).  The meal also came with mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet corn, and Texas toast.  The pork was tender, juicy, and sweet and possibly the best I've ever had.

Tirezilla in Omaha's Old Market district.

3. Stokes (Omaha, Nebraska).  This hip Southwestern themed restaurant in the trendy Old Market neighborhood was a surprise.  The Happy Hour specials were insanely cheap.  Although I am not a fan of Corona beer, I had to partake when they cost just $2.50 a bottle.  We split a taco salad, nachos with a curry sauce, and a Sonoran hot dog-- an unnaturally red concoction wrapped in thinly sliced bacon.


4. Lisa's Radial Cafe (Omaha, Nebraska).  This "Aston Martin" was parked in front of our breakfast venue.  To snobs, this restaurant is sketch.  The dining area was full so we were whisked off to a windowless storage room, where you could wait and help yourself with free coffee.  With everyone seated against two walls, just a few feet apart, I felt like I was in a cattle car.  The wait was worth it.  I got a t-bone steak that had been ground to the size of two large hamburger patties.  The meat was topped with a mushroom and onion sauce.  The eggs and hashed browns that accompanied the hamburger steak were perfect.  I did not have enough room in my stomach for the four slices of toast that also came with the meal.  *Burp*

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