A Day in Downtown Rapid City

Connie Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Shopping, South Dakota June 6, 2015April 2, 2018Art Alley, Black Hills Bagels, Downtown Rapid City, Firehouse Brewing Company, Firehouse Wine Cellars, Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza, Hotel Alex Johnson, Journey Museum, Prairie Edge, Rapid City, rapid city attractions, Rapid City restaurants, Rapid City SD, Rapid City South Dakota, Sanfords Grub n Pub, South Dakota, South Dakota attractions 18 Comments

Traveling to South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and all the natural beauty in the Black Hills and Badlands, you’ll most likely fly into or drive through Rapid City. The walkable downtown area of Rapid City itself is worth a visit, whether you spend a day at the beginning of your trip or take a break from Mother Nature mid-trip. Read more

Where to Eat in South Bend-Mishawaka, Indiana

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana April 9, 2015January 8, 2018Cafe Navarre, Evin Czech Brewery, Fiddler's Hearth Public House, Jeannie's House Diner, Restaurants in South Bend, South Bend Chocolate Cafe, South Bend restaurants, Tippecanoe Place 5 Comments

A salad of crisp mixed lettuces tossed with golden and red beets, all locally grown. A diner so small it has room only for a counter and a few tables. A Celtic public house where fish and chips are served wrapped in newspaper. Sunday brunch in a mansion. South Bend and neighboring Mishawaka don’t lack for dining options. With more than 400 restaurants in the area, you have plenty to choose from whether you’re looking a simple, casual diner or a more upscale fine dining establishment. Here are several South Bend restaurants that we tried during our three-day visit to the area. Read more

The Pantry, Tuscola Illinois: Trendy Bakery and Café with Home Baked Flair

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois March 27, 2015May 14, 2015Restaurants in Tuscola IL, The Pantry, Tuscola IL restaurants, Tuscola Illinois restaurants 0 Comment

Oozing with sweet blackberry filling spread over a layer of cream cheese, the blackberry stuffed French toast was the tastiest I’ve ever eaten. A crispy coating (I’m not sure what it was—they said it was secret) contrasted nicely with the filling. Read more

Branson: Where to Dine after the Shows

Connie Food & Drink, Missouri March 25, 2015May 14, 2015branson best restaurants, branson missouri restaurants, Branson MO, branson mo restaurants, Branson restaurants, branson restaurants open late, restaurants in branson, Shorty Small's 0 Comment

It used to be if you didn’t eat dinner before going to an evening show in Branson, you were out of luck. The sidewalks pretty much rolled up just before or as the shows ended. Not so anymore. More restaurants are staying open until at least 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 p.m. weekends. Here are three of our favorites located right on the strip, Highway 76, near most of the theaters: Read more

Dine in Bette’s Kitchen—Literally

Connie Food & Drink, South Dakota March 5, 2015Bette's Kitchen, South Dakota, Western South Dakota Restaurants 0 Comment

If not for the sign out front, you might think you were pulling up to someone’s home. Actually, you are. The family dog may greet you and escort you to the door of the manufactured home set on a hill overlooking a lush pine valley.

Inside, you may be seated next to the fireplace in the dining room. Family photos fill the walls, including photos of Nicolas Black Elk, medicine man and warrior of the Native American Oglala Lakota tribe, who was restaurant owner Betty O’Rourke’s great-grandfather.

Bette’s Kitchen’s menu includes fare like fried chicken, burgers, BLTs, chef’s salad and soup. However, for our group that Betty hosted, she put out a huge spread of chicken, beef, chicken noodle soup, salads, baked beans, fresh watermelon and cupcakes frosted in vivid colors, punctuated with colorful sprinkles. The meal was served buffet style with paper plates from a folding table in Betty’s kitchen, an experience much like a family picnic.

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In fact, you can savor your meal picnic-style while enjoying the beauty of the South Dakota scenery in the tented outdoor seating area if you prefer.

Betty’s cooking is like that of your aunt or grandmother, down-home deliciousness. The soup was chock full of thick noodles, the chicken crispy and juicy, the beef tender and flavorful. It’s no wonder that Betty served over 2,000 people last summer. Besides local regulars, it isn’t uncommon for Betty to serve busloads that stop in for lunch in the remote location.

Chicken Noodle Soup Bette’s Kitchen is located at 111 Black Elk Road, one mile north of Manderson in western South Dakota. Phone (605) 867-1739.

Disclosure: My visit to Bette’s Kitchen was hosted by the South Dakota Department of Tourism and Bette’s Kitchen. However, all opinions in this article are my own.

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Special Treats a Tradition at Lou Mitchell’s, Chicago

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois February 20, 2015Lou Mitchell's, Lou Mithcell Chicago, Route 66 Illinois, Route 66 Restaurants 0 Comment

Sometimes it’s the little extras that make a place memorable. Lou Mitchell’s is memorable for several reasons. As you begin Route 66 from the eastern terminus in Chicago, it’s the first diner you reach that has been around since before the route was commissioned. Foods that other restaurants prepare from mixes or purchase ready-made, Lou Mitchell’s makes from scratch. However, the special sweet treats are what most people best remember.

In the Greek tradition of offering a sweet treat as a welcome greeting, you are offered a donut hole as you are seated.

All women and children receive a snack-size box of Milk Duds, as well.

Milk Duds were originally made in Chicago. The candy company owner was a personal friend of Lou Mitchell and a regular restaurant patron. “Uncle Lou” started the tradition of giving all women and children a box of the candies, and both the donut hole and Milk Duds traditions have stuck.

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Lou Mitchell’s doesn’t take short cuts with the food preparation. Their orange and grapefruit juices are both freshly squeezed, and vats of freshly made orange marmalade are on the table.

I ordered a ham and cheese omelet, and Skip ordered eggs Benedict. Both came with hash browns that were really American fries sliced remarkably thin. If fried just a little more, they’d be potato chips. My omelet was so large I could only eat half of it.

Skip claims his eggs Benedict was the best he’d ever tasted. It’s not surprising, since the hollandaise sauce is made fresh every morning from scratch.

I knew about the donut hole and Milk Duds traditions before we visited the restaurant. We were surprised, though, with the treat at the end of the meal: a tiny cup of ice cream. Yep, ice cream for dessert even after breakfast.

150131_Lou_Mitchell-3910 Lou Mitchell’s, located at 565 W Jackson Boulevard in Chicago, has been in business since 1923. They’re open every day for breakfast and lunch except the seven major holidays. Check the web site for the hours and menu.

Other articles that may interest you:

Have you been to Chicago’s Field Museum Lately?

Isle a la Cache Museum: Discover the Fur Trade on the Island of the Hiding Place

Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket: A Route 66 Icon