Tag Archives: bacon

photo of The world's best french fries

On the Tasty Trail – Cherry Valley Café, The Best Fries Ever!

Teardrop Trail Log: June 16, 2016

photo of Cherry Valley Cafe

Worth climbing over the construction

Thursday, we were heading north on I 39, when we embarked on the Tasty Trail in Cherry Valley, a quaint, mid-nineteenth century Illinois town with a cobblestone main street, lined by red brick buildings from a by-gone era. We spotted the Cherry Valley Café, located in an old bank built in 1909. A family restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner – seven days a week. Just our kind of place. We dodged the barricades for the road construction on State Street and opened the door to be transported back in time. The vibe was very friendly, small town. The customers greeted each other and the staff had been described by one review as “Flo-esque,” very friendly and attentive. Happy Days?

photo of a Chicken Sandwich

Chicken Sandwich

Jim ordered the BLT and I chose the Chicken Sandwich. The best way to describe the plates was artful home cooking. On my sandwich, the chicken peaked out from under the bun ever so slightly and the garnish was a small symphony in red and green – lettuce, tomato, topped with perfectly placed pickles. Jim’s BLT was amazing. Carefully cut triangles of perfectly toasted white bread with layers of lettuce and ripe red tomato slices. The real center piece of the plate was the mound of crispy, mouth-watering fries, piled artistically around the sandwich. He selected one of these tasty morsels and plopped it in his mouth. His eyes lit up as he exclaimed,”Yum.” He is always kind enough to share a few fries. I really appreciated his generosity. They were amazing. As we left the Cherry Valley Café, we speculated on the secret process that created this amazing culinary experience. One reviewer had written that they have extra breading or something that increased their flavor and texture over normal fries. Jim observed that perhaps they were dipped in tempura batter. He is completely convinced that these are the best fries ever!

photo of Cherry Valley Cafe sign

Cherry Valley Café

map of the Route to Kansas City

Kansas City Bound

Teardrop Trail Log: June 13, 2016

The clerk touted the free Wi-Fi during check-in at Camp Motel 6. As we sorted through our soggy gear, anxious to catch up on email and other online delights after a challenging day on the road, we soon realized that the results were grim at best. Jim, who had lots of experience in many things tech, described it as a data dribble. Later I would read that we had encountered the perfect storm of hotel Wi-Fi problems – lack of workable access and very poor capacity. The “perfect” end to the “perfect” day – #WiFiFail. The outside world would have to wait. It was time to turn off the lights and drift off to sleep, listening to the sounds of the rain outside.

photo of the Classic IHOP breakfast

Classic IHOP breakfast

In the morning, we headed to IHOP, located conveniently across the parking lot. Normally, we would seek out the most amazing local eatery for a culinary adventure, but today we needed to go promptly. As we entered, a flood of memories returned – many road trips as a child with stops at IHOP. The chain started in 1958 and continues to offer predictability in each of its 1,650 restaurants around the world. Chow time! Bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast. Comfort food on the road.

We loaded the Ambassador and headed north. Paris, Texas, up through Oklahoma and on to Missouri. We had been in Missouri last summer for Red Power Round Up in Sedalia. Rather than exploring off the beaten path, this time we elected to hit Interstate 49 for Kansas City. We would be meeting Sarah Tucker, the editor of Cool Tears magazine. She had suggested a county campground near her home. Yes, we were on the Teardrop Trail again….