Following the Tracks Eastward…

In June following our visit to our son and his family in the Omaha area, Laurie and I took the 2 lane highways across Iowa, part of Illinois and Indiana as well as through Kentucky.  Wherever possible, we basically followed the highways that ran parallel to the rail lines… 

I’d located a number of old railroad depots along the way and we searched out as many of them as time allowed.  Our little side trips keep the drive more interesting…

This is one of 2 depots in Charlton Iowa.  We didn’t locate the other one… This restored Chicago, Burlington and Quincy freight depot was built in 1904.  As you can see, it was restored and most recently it has been used as an arts and cultural center and rental hall.

Charlton has a population of about 4,300 and it is the county seat for Lucas County Iowa.  The town was first laid out or platted back in 1850.

Factoid:

·       Controversial labor leader John L. Lewis, who was the President of the United Mine Workers Union from 1920 to 1960, was from Lucas County.  He was instrumental in the re-election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936.  However, during WWII he led strikes against the coal mining companies and the Federal Government which hampered the war effort.  He was a hero to coal miners across the USA.

This is one of the 2 depots that we found in Veedersburg Indiana.  This combination depot at 116 East 1^st Street was built ca. 1880 by the Peoria and Eastern Railroad.  One wing of the depot has reportedly been removed…

The Peoria and Eastern Railroad’s route ran from Peoria Illinois to Indianapolis Indiana.  This railroad was ‘born’ in 1866 as the Danville, Urbana, Bloomington and Pekin Railroad.  When it merged with an Indiana line, the name changed to the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Railroad.  (It was fondly referred to as the “I Better Walk” Railroad)

This former depot now houses the Fountain County War Museum.  The museum features donations from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm.

The second and very colorful Veedersburg passenger depot on US Hwy. 136 was built by the Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad in 1903.  Veedersburg currently has a population of about 2,100…

  

Factoid:

·       In 1909 brickyards helped to support the town’s 1,757 residents.  The Wabash Clay Company (Culver Blocks and The Veedersburg Paver) in Veedersburg had the contract to supply 3.2 million bricks for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Due to the large number of bricks and short time to deliver, 4 other brick yards were subcontracted to fill about 10% of the contract.

That’s about it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by to check out the depots we viewed along the road…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

‘Adult Time’ at an Adult Establishment

Back in June while visiting our son and his family in the Omaha area, David II and Amy took us with them to their local ‘adult time’ escape establishment…leaving the grandsons at home!

This is “brix – A wine and spirits experience”.  There are 2 locations in Omaha…and only in Omaha.  This is a truly different liquor store/restaurant/bistro, unlike anything that we’ve ever seen before.

We neglected to take an exterior photo of Brix so I had to ‘borrow’ this nighttime photo from the Internet…

The Brix retail store brings together a huge selection of wine, craft beer, premium liquor, specialty foods and accessories.  Free product tastings are conducted and, if you’ll note the tables and chairs, customers can drink and eat in the retail portion of the store. 

The bistro at both of the Brix locations offers 64 wines served by the ounce or by the glass.  Brix has a broad martini and craft cocktail menu, plus they serve lunch and dinner. 

This is not a photo of the bistro portion of Brix!  This is the retail side of the business, and we were there for “Happiest Hour”.   During “Happiest Hour”, drinks of all sorts as well as a variety of appetizers and snacks are served to patrons of this unique place. 

While the selection of gourmet foods available for retail buyers isn’t huge, there is plenty of variety and the brands/quality appears to be top notch.

The beer wall is colorful and impressive to look at!  Brix features 700 different beers!  It has the largest selection of brew west of Chicago and east of Denver.  They feature craft and specialty beers from around the world with a special emphasis on Belgian Ales, German, English and American Craft beers.  There are more than 100 different styles of beer from 25 different countries.

These photos don’t do justice to the immense collection of wine available at Brix.  The walls of the retail portion of the store are lined with display shelves and there are ‘islands’ of wine displayed throughout the store.  These stores feature over 1,200 different varieties of wine and Brix staff is said to be constantly seeking new sources from wineries around the world.  The selection is categorized by wine type, country of origin, special values, and award winners. 

The second photo above shows one of the climate controlled wine ‘cellars’ which is located right off the main retail sales floor. 

We enjoyed a variety of adult beverages… Yes, we did have a designated driver!

The big winner was the chocolate martini!  

No, it’s not all about beer and wine!  Brix claims to be the place for hard-to-find single malt scotch, small batch bourbon, vodka and rum.  They offer over 200 brands including the most popular labels of tequila, gin, and specialty liqueurs.

Of course we had to have some ‘snacks’ while imbibing… The top photo was the Cheese and Charcuterie Plate…assorted cheeses and meats chosen daily by the chef.  The second appetizer was the Cheese Curds…Wisconsin cheese curds fried in IPA beer batter and served with buttermilk ranch dressing with red pepper aioli.  Very tasty!

I didn’t even take a look at the bistro side of Brix… They are open for lunch and dinner.  The dinner menu features enough variety but it isn’t huge.  It features 9 appetizers, 7 sandwiches and 7 entrees as well as a couple of soups and a choice of 4 salads with or without meat.  Maybe we’ll pay the bistro a visit on our next trip to Omaha…Laurie says there is no 'maybe'! We will return on our next visit!

This particular “brix – a wine and spirits experience” retail store and bistro is located at 225 North 170^th Street in Omaha.  Phone: 402-991-9463.  The Brix website is at http://www.brixomaha.com/wine-lounge/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

A Leisurely Drive Toward Home

Back in June, after leaving our family’s home in the Omaha area, we crossed the Missouri River at Bellevue Nebraska.  As is our preference, we avoided the Interstate Highway System, opting to follow US Hwy. 34 east across Iowa. 

I had noted and located a number of railroad depots along the way so we had periodic exploratory side trips planned for various towns along our route.  

This old Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway Depot was our goal in Corning Iowa… This photo was borrowed from the dynamic depot map for Iowa as developed and maintained by www.depotmaps.com.

DepotMaps.com provides a map showing the location of the depots listed as well as a photo of the depot.  I followed the map to the tracks…looked both ways…and there wasn’t a depot in sight!  I guess that the black frame around the original photo of the depot from DepotMaps.com is appropriate.  Apparently this old depot no longer exists… My photos and the view we had of downtown Corning confirm that this was where the depot used to be… Another one bites the dust!

Timing is everything… The lack of a depot was temporarily offset by a thundering freight train roaring by on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainline…

Our next ‘off road’ experience involved a stop in Creston Iowa.  This building is a Burlington Northern Santa Fe office and it also serves as an Amtrak Station…sort of… There isn’t a waiting room or available restroom, just an outdoor shelter and boarding platform.

Creston is served once daily in each direction by California Zephyr Amtrak service to Chicago and California.  In 2013, a total of 4,621 passengers utilized this ‘station’.  Creston is the County Seat for Union County Iowa with a population today of about 7,900.  It has a long railroad history and it is a BNSF crew station and has a sizeable active rail yard today.  

Creston was originally settled in 1868 as a survey camp for the workers with the Burlington and Missouri Railroad.  The campsite was on the crest on the railroad line between the Missouri and Mississippi, hence the name "Creston."  Early on, Creston was chosen as the division point for the railroad, which originally built machine shops, roundhouse and a construction camp at the new town. 

This “new” and handsome French Provincial Style railroad station was constructed by the Burlington Railway in 1899.  This building served passengers for 69 years.  It was renovated in 1978 to serve as a municipal building for Creston.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The other old railroad buildings in town were either destroyed by a tornado or they burned down.   Various community organizations occupy the first floor of the depot today and city government occupies the second floor.  Fittingly, one of the occupants of the first floor is the local Model Railroad Club.

Factoids:

·       Marcia Wallace, the actress who played Carol Kester on the Bob Newhart Show and who later was the long term voice of elementary teacher Edna Krabappel on The Simpsons was from Creston.

·       So was Walt Cunningham, one of the Apollo 7 Astronauts.

·       Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum was born here. 

This Prairie Style depot and current Amtrak stop is located in Osceola Iowa.  It was built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad back in 1907.  A lot has been done to maintain this facility and as you can see additional improvements were being made when we drove through town.  The city’s goal is to create an intermodal transportation hub (train and bus) centered on the depot.   

Part of the reason that this depot is so well maintained is that it is the closest passenger railroad depot to Des Moines, the largest city and capital of Iowa. Actually, Osceola is considered a “gateway” for rail passengers from both Des Moines and Kansas City who are headed west to Denver and California by way of the California Zephyr.  It is the busiest Amtrak stop in Iowa with 14,799 passengers using the depot in 2013.  It isn't staffed but it does have a caretaker who opens the waiting room for the two daily arrivals of the train. 

That’s about it for this edition… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Chances R Restaurant – York NE

During our late May/early June visit to Omaha Nebraska, the family drove out to York Nebraska for one of David III’s soccer games.  After soccer, it was time for dinner and we had talked up a restaurant in York that Laurie and I had enjoyed during our previous visit in September of 2014…

This is Chances R Restaurant and Lounge in downtown York Nebraska.  I previously posted a very positive write-up about this restaurant Monday, October 27, 2014.  I’d entitled it, “A Winner…from “Off the Beaten Path – Nebraska”.  To check out that review and compare it to this one, anyone just go to http://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-winnerfrom-off-beaten-path-nebraska.html.

Emmett doesn’t look too happy…

The first ‘downer’ was that we were seated on the ‘diner’ side of the restaurant.  The larger portion of the restaurant is decorated in mid-range upscale old school plush.  I didn’t ask why they didn’t seat us on the other side but assumed that they weren’t serving over there at the time.  Still, it was an OK space but not what we expected to show the family…

The same family has owned this restaurant since 1957.  When they bought it they had a maximum seating capacity of 50 diners.  Chances R today has a seating capacity for 550 patrons!  They are open 7 days a week and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner… They have to be doing something right!

David II and I always seem to enjoin in an ‘eating contest’ when we’re together.  Add a 14 year old teenager to the mix and we always seem to order a lot of food.  One of our appetizers was this generous order of fried zucchini. ($6.45) They were pretty tasty…

The second appetizer was this order of Jalapeno Poppers. ($6.45) They were OK too…maybe not the best ever, but good nevertheless.  I didn’t care for the sweet dipping sauce as heat is my preference. The waitress did bring some Tabasco at my request.

Laurie ordered the Chances R version of French Onion Soup. ($4.95) It was unlike any French onion soup that she’d ever had…and she wasn’t crazy about it.  As a matter of fact, she didn’t finish it.

I ordered the Pork Chops with a side of Hash Browns and a small cup of cooked apples. ($14.95) The hash browns were nicely cooked (browned) and the breading for the chops was just fine.  However the pork chops were a bit tough…dry…overcooked. 

This was the Beef Sourdough Melt. ($8.75) Again, it was OK…but it didn’t wow our son who had ordered it.

This was the Sunday special…($9.45) Laurie ordered this after it was described to her by our waitress.  Laurie heard cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham with a side of greens.  She expected scalloped potatoes with the ham cooked in it as part of the dish, not a slice of ham with sweet sauce next to a pile of cheesy potatoes.  In any case, she was disappointed with her meal.

Both of the boys had cheeseburgers with French Fries and they were OK… No complaints there…

The result of our stop at Chances R was that our family didn’t understand how we could have thought so highly of this restaurant in the first place.  The food was OK at best and our overly friendly waitress was also forgetful and not very efficient.  I do believe in the adage that you just can’t go back and recapture the experiences of the past…but it had only been 9 months since the last visit!  I can’t explain the negative experience this time vs. the last time we dined here…

Chances R Restaurant and Lounge is located at 124 West 5^th Street in York Nebraska.  Phone: 402-362-7755.  You can find this restaurant’s Website at: http://www.chancesryork.com/home. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Moving On Down the Road

As I try to provide a little variety with my postings, I’ll be rambling back and forth from dining with the family in Nebraska to beginning our relatively slow paced ‘back roads’ drive from Omaha back to East Tennessee.

We were in Seward Nebraska in September of 2014…but this time we went through Seward with the family after David III finished a soccer game in York Nebraska.  Laurie and I didn’t spot this old railway depot the first time around but this time I was armed with a photo and an address.

 

Although it’s been significantly modified, the roof line alone should have given this structure away during our previous visit.  I wasn’t able to determine the date that it was built, but this former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad combination freight and passenger depot makes for an interesting looking home.  The structure has been moved about a block from its original location…

This was the first of several depots that we searched out during our drive from Omaha back to the Knoxville Tennessee area.  The former Glenwood Iowa Chicago, Burlington and Quincy depot is still being used by the railroad…in this case it’s now the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe.

Glenwood was established by Mormons in 1848.  They named it Coonsville. The town prospered during the California Gold Rush largely due to a nearby grain mill.  A bit later, Coonsville was the scene of anti-Mormon mob violence.  It became the county seat of Mills County in 1851, and was renamed Glenwood after most of Mormons left for Utah in 1852.

Factoids:

·       Evangelist Billy Sunday was from Glenwood, growing up in a local orphanage.

 

·       Don Hall, film maker and Oscar Winner for the 2015 Disney movie “Big Hero 6” is from Glenwood.

The former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Depot in Red Oak is located at 305 2^nd Street.  This depot which was built in 1903 is now a museum that commemorates the community's significant military heritage and its disproportionate number of casualties in the Civil War and in WWII. 

In the Battle of the Kasserine Pass on February 1943, 45 soldiers from Red Oak were captured or killed.  At the time more than 100 telegrams arrived in Red Oak saying that its soldiers were missing in action!  Red Oak’s population in 1940 was about 5,750… To learn more about this museum, go to http://depothill.net/.

In 1869 the town was officially founded when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (called the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad at the time) arrived.  The community was originally named Red Oak Junction by the railroad. 

The Montgomery County Courthouse in Red Oak Iowa is a massive structure!  With all of the trees around it, we had to take 2 photos to capture the whole building including the huge clock tower.  Construction on this Romanesque Revival style building was completed in 1891 at a cost of $100,00.  Montgomery County was named after American Revolutionary War General Richard Montgomery who was killed while trying to Capture Quebec City in Canada.

Factoids:

·       Clyde Cessna, the founder of Cessna Aircraft was from Montgomery County.

·       So was renowned Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson…

That’s about it for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

The French Market Creperie – Farragut TN

We’re always looking for something new when it comes to dining options.  However, variety doesn’t run rampant when it comes to different types of food/ethnic cuisine here in East Tennessee.  However, there does seem to be improvement in the last year or so…

Recently we visited a wine and craft beer lounge… Next we were off to experience a type of cuisine that we haven’t had in years!

This is the French Market Creperie and Café in Farragut Tennessee.  For those who live in East Tennessee, this eatery is in the Kroger Shopping Center just east of Campbell Station Road.  There is another location in downtown Knoxville.

The extensive menu is listed on boards behind the counter.  Customers order at the counter and a server brings your food out to you at your table when it’s ready.

The French Market offers sweet and savory French crêpes, as well as baguette and croissant sandwiches along with a choice of soups and salads. Their crepes are created using both traditional and buckwheat flour, which are imported directly from France. 

The restaurant is charming country French with sconce and chandelier lighting, giving patrons a nice warm feeling.  Lots of the food and nick knacks that you can see scattered around on shelves and display cases are for sale.

So we studied the menu boards and after asking advice…followed by a lengthy deliberation, we placed our order.

Laurie started out with one of her favorite hot beverages, a latte. ($3.50)

Other coffee related offerings include expresso, macchiato, cappuccino, café au lait and the Americano (Coffee with a double shot of expresso!) Other beverages include hot chocolate, sparkling water, chai tea, Orangina from France as well as a variety of imported beers and cider.

We each ordered a savory crepe for our entrée and we also ordered a sweet crepe for dessert to share.  Sometimes you do get lucky though…

This Chocolate Crepe made with buckwheat flour was a special (free!) treat… Free is always good.  Apparently the chef made a mistake and made up the wrong crepe for some reason.  A server brought it out to us and asked us if we’d like to have it… Silly girl!  Of course we wanted it!  It was very good even though it was kind of a ‘reverse’ appetizer…sweet before savory. (Normally this crepe would cost $4.50)

There are 17 different dessert or sweet crepes featured on the menu.  They are served with the traditional crepe with buckwheat versions costing 50 cents more.  Prices for the sweet crepes run from $3.50 to $7.45 if the buckwheat versions are considered.  The exception is the Crêpes Suzette. ($8.95 or $9.45) These traditional French crêpes are made with an oz. of Grand Marnier Cognac, butter, sugar, caramel and whipped cream.

For my savory crepe I stuck with the basics… This is the Parisian Style Ham and Cheese on buckwheat with butter. ($7.50)  It was very nice indeed!  This was a large crepe and it was full of flavor…and it was very filling.

Other crepes that I considered included a couple of roast beef and cheese crepes and another one featuring salmon, cream cheese and capers.  You can also add other ingredients to your crepe.  Prices for add-ons run from $1.00 to $4.50.  My favorite add-on, which would go well with what I ordered or with either my roast beef or salmon option, would be a fried egg over the top of the crepe. 

  

Laurie decided that she’d try the Turkey Breast, Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Crepe on a traditional crepe. ($8.95) She really enjoyed it!  As you can see, it was just stuffed with ingredients…

There are 15 standard savory crepes on the menu plus 17 optional items that you can or mix and match on the crepe of your own design. 

Did you remember that we’d ordered our own sweet or dessert crepe?  We were stuffed already but what the heck, we could just eat a piece of fruit for dinner...  This is the Salted Caramel Crepe. ($5.95) This buckwheat crepe is made using imported French caramel with sea salt from Brittany and butter.  It was a bit too salty for us but it was very nice!

We really enjoyed our visit to this restaurant!  We’ll have to return to the French Market Creperie for breakfast sometime in the not too distant future.  There is an extensive and interesting looking breakfast menu featuring crepes and omelets.  On the other hand we haven’t tried the croissant of baguette sandwiches yet either…

This location for the French Market Creperie and Café is at 161 Brooklawn Street in Farragut Tennessee.  Phone: 865-288-7912.  Website: http://www.thefrenchmarketknoxville.com/.

Just click on any of the photos of deliciousness to enlarge them!

Thanks for stopping by to check on how we’re doing on our diet…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave