We have
learned that although the speed limit is a little lower, this route is just almost
as fast as it is taking I-70 across Missouri to Kansas City, fighting our way
through traffic there and then heading north. With light traffic and relatively few trucks,
this route is pretty much stress free…
We left
fairly early but by the time we neared Chillicothe Missouri, we definitely
needed a break…and lunch too!
The first
time we stopped in Chillicothe we didn’t look around and we just settled on an
Applebee’s. This time we did a little
research and decided to try this little local restaurant that is located a
couple of blocks off the town’s main street… The location itself would be a
business ‘challenge’ for most businesses, much less for a restaurant! This is Nico’Z Catering and Eatery…
The
dining area inside Nico’Z Restaurant is compact but warm. There are a few tables to the left of this photo at the front. The staff was warm and friendly. The patrons that came in and out when we were
there were regulars. Nicole Booth (the
owner) and her staff must be doing something right because this will be their
tenth year in business!
Laurie
ordered “The Italian”. ($13.00) Ciabatta bread was toasted and layered
with salami, melted mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil pesto and
pepperoncini. For her side Laurie chose
the homemade dill potato salad. (Note: This sandwich normally comes with roasted
red peppers but Laurie had them left off her sandwich)
In any
case, Laurie really liked her sandwich and she thought that the potato salad
was excellent!
Considering
that Nico’Z is only open for lunch from 11 AM until 2 PM Tuesday through Friday
and only open for dinner on Friday from 5:30 PM until all reservations are
handled, their lunch menu is pretty impressive!
There was a special, the sandwiches, appetizers, salads and Nico’Z
Specialties. Two examples of the latter
are an 8 – 9 oz. serving of Grilled Prime Rib with a loaded baked potato or a
Plain or Sweet Chili Glazed serving of Salmon with Brussel Sprouts and either
an Italian or Caesar Salad...
For my
luncheon entrée I ordered the “BCP”. ($10.00) It consisted of a juicy chicken
breast with bacon and cheese topped with peppercorn dressing. For my side, I choose the corn chips
and salsa. I don’t care for potato salad
and I would have preferred potato chips or something else with my sandwich.
Nevertheless,
the “BCP” was a very tasty sandwich and I’d order it again…except the next time
I think I’ll do the prime rib and baked potato…and then let Laurie drive before
I doze off…
Nico’Z is
open Wednesday evenings from 5 PM to 7 PM, for what she terms HDHH (Hump Day
Happy Hour) Wednesday evenings it’s all about your choice of 10 different
specialty pizzas…plus they do serve beer and wine.
Given her
limited hours, Nico’Z must be really busy with her catering business! Very impressive since Chillicothe has a
population of only about 9,700 and Livingston County only has 15,200 residents…
Nico’Z
Catering and Eatery is located at 612 2nd Street in Chillicothe
Missouri. Phone: 660-707-0868. Check out the website and the rather eclectic
menu at https://www.nicozcatering.com/.
We headed
north on I-29 once we came to St. Joseph Missouri. As we neared the Missouri – Iowa state line
we began our drive north on the only dry land in the wide Missouri River bottom…
At one point in late April, I-29 north was closed as were most of the
subsidiary roads in Missouri.
To see
some flood photos showing road damage, you can just go to https://www.modot.org/2019-northwest-missouri-flooding.
To be
honest, the extent and severity of the flooding was a bit mind boggling as well
as depressing. You have to feel for the
farmers and others whose livelihood and homes were inundated when the
Mississippi River dikes gave way… The worst of the flood had already receded as
we made our drive.
Later we
learned that I-29 had just been opened for traffic a day or so before we made
our trip north. Even so, for several
miles it was single lane traffic in either direction… There were no services
available for motorists or truckers for miles in either direction.
The
losses for farmers, support businesses, rail lines, truckers and residents has
to be crushing. I saw estimates that
places losses in Nebraska at $1.4 billion and in Iowa at $2 billion.
For part
of the route north, I-29 is accompanied by the Burlington Northern – Santa Fe
Railroad. Repairs to the rail road bed
were underway in several locations.
Tracked Dump
trucks were shuttling in loads of gravel and equipment from the R.J. Corman Railroad
Group was in service rebuilding whatever was needed. This Kentucky based corporation does
construction for all major Class 1 railroads in the USA and they have emergency
response and track material logistics operations. To learn more about this company, go to: https://www.rjcorman.com/.
What a
waste! As the water rose, it seeped
inside silos/corn storage facilities ruining the grain. As the grain absorbed the flood waters, it
actually blew out blowing out the sides of many storage structures…grain and
storage units…a double loss!
This was
one of the sadist photos we took… Someone’s home and truck sitting in the
floodwater, ruined, isolated and forlorn.
Amazingly,
due to additional flooding and parts of I-29 being underwater again, as of
5/29/19, the Interstate was closed once more.
We had made it home by then…
To view
I-29 as filmed from the air, you can go to the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzqXSgBsgg0.
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them...
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
It's sad to see the flood devastation
ReplyDeleteThat's horrible for all those involved. I remember when Mom and Dad had our 200 acre farm in Ohio, and my grandparents owned the same amount on the other side of the road. It seemed they were forever talking about the weather and crops, I finally got it, years later. Farmer's are late getting their crops in here and gardens don't look so good either. Chilly and rainy here, heat on more than a/c, while our grandson and his family are sweltering out west in Scottsdale.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great, but that is a very depressing ride! Have a good rest of the week, Dave!
Lovely post, friend David. Thank you. Lovely food choices as well … minus the bread and potatoes … smiles … and regarding the flood images … I know about that as well as Spring runoff can be bad as we live in the Medicine River Valley … Luckily our farm has 2 drive ways, one of which was still somewhat functional thanks to the tractor, 4 wheel drive truck and rubber boots. Love, cat.
ReplyDelete