Gentlemen,
This is a hunting season question. When I go hunting, especially in familiar areas, there are places I stop to eat at that are so enjoyable they’ve become part of the experience. For instance, when I go on a hunting trip to central Iowa I always have to have at least one dinner at Rube’s Steakhouse in Montour, IA. If the trip involved camping at Rock Creek State Park I’d normally have breakfast at the West Side Diner in Grinnell, IA, and often times lunch at Maid-Rite in Grinnell, IA. While traveling around the Mid-West I really like biscuits and gravy at Hardee’s or a couple of slices of breakfast pizza at Casey’s General Store (and gas Station). What places are special to you while you’re on a hunting (or fishing trip)? I don’t care where it is, how dumpy or fancy it is, but I am curious as to what makes it so special.
Steve
When fishing or hunting near Grayling, MI, you have to eat at Julie's Restauratnt in Gates Lodge. Good, fresh healthy food.
When in New York near Oneonta I enjoy dinner at Sabatini's family style and desert at Pie in the Sky.
Jeff G.
Hello Rockdoc,
I would choose as one of my favorite places to have lunch after an early morning
dove hunt, this one:
Thought you would like me to share,
JC
JC, when can I come to lunch with you?
Guys, you are all invited!
The menu that day was: appetizer, abalones with home made mayonnaise and
lettuce accompanied by a Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc; as an entrée,
grilled meat and avocados and Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and as dessert
an Italian style pastry filled with home made prune jam together with freshly
made, of all places, Vietnamese coffee. Go figure. No after lunch liqueurs because
we had to drive back.
Abalones being de-chilled:
Avocado being peeled (meat was just right, tender and juicy):
The coffee:
A "parting shot":
JC
JC
I was in Chile on a round the horn cruise my wife and I took about 2 years ago in 2008. We didn't spend alot of time off the ship but we did spend a day in Santiago, a drive trough Valparaiso to meet the ship and finally a tour of the Chilean "Lake Country" around Puerto Mont and a tour of Punta Arenas. Chile was probably my favorite country to visit on the trip. I did like Ushaia Argentina too.
Steve
Steve, you now have the pretext to come and visit the driest dessert on earth!
And come to do some shooting and have lunch with us.
JC
JC
I might just take you up on your offer one day. Right now I’m just trying to financially keep my head above water while I market an oil prospect I’ve developed. I expected to sell the prospect by now, but apparently the wildcatter of old has been replaced by the modern day reincarnated insurance actuary, a scared little fellow who’s apparently forgotten that the opposite of “risk” is “reward”. Today everyone’s focused on the risk side. The odd part is my oil prospect is an oil field extension, a very simple idea using 21st century drilling technology to make formerly uneconomic areas of a large field economic, but since it’s (gasp!) unconventional I’ve been having a hard time selling it. However, when I do I should become very well off very quickly! Oh well for now, cest la vie!
Steve
PS it’ll cost about $2 million to test my idea, if you know of any South American investors who still have their balls intact and would like to net about $400 million let me know.
Steve, THE person for such an endaevour should be the brazilian Aike Batista.
Email me to se how we can work on this together.
JC
And I have thought of at least another couple of alternatives.
JC
I really enjoy going to THE RENDEZVOUS in Memphis when I'm after ducks just across the rivvah' in Arkansas. Make reservations, and ask to be waited on by 'Big Jack", if possible. He's the real deal. Finest dry rub ribs I've ever eaten.
Just south of there, in Tunica, THE place to eat breakfast before heading to the blind is the BLUE AND WHITE RESTAURANT, the very same place duck hunters have eaten since Nash Buckingham ate there many decades ago. They have a closed circuit TV screen piped in from a duck blind showing live action.
If you come shoot doves with me, Ms. Jean just may treat you to her own skillet dove breasts (au jus), with green pepper, onion and fresh mushrooms, sauteed together and finished by adding red wine to the skillet and covering for 5 more minutes to simmer. Best doves I've ever eaten, period. Or, if it's a Thur., Fri. or Sat. we can lunch at THE PORK PLACE in a little town just up the road from me, excellent chipped and sliced BBQ, ribs and chicken. All pit cooked before day, that day. Oh, and fresh made coconut pie that must have at least a half a stick of real butter in every slice.
Stan
If you happen to be quai/dove or whitetail hunting in the South Carolina upstate try Yoder's (Mennonite) Dining Room on Highway 72 between Greenwood and Abbeville. GREAT!
Best Regards, George
Hello Stan
Ms. Jean's recipe sounds very yummy!
JC
Dang!
I was expecting more dining recomendations, what gives? Isn't fine or unique dining part of the hunting/fishing experience for you guys?
BTW I'd really like shooting doves with you Stan, I'll file this thread and give you a call one day.
JC my wife and I were in Chile two years ago as part of a round the horn cruise, we both really liked Chile and hope to get back one day.
Steve
Customs differ. Fine or unique dining has never part of it in this part of the world. The difference may be explained by nomenclature. Fine dining is becoming popular in larger communities but uncommon where the birds are gathering. Do fine diners dress for the occasion? Gunning clothes allowed?
King,
Thanks for your post. I'm afraid I caused some confusion here, when I said "fine dining" I didn't mean eating at the Ritz, what I met was dining at memorable places before, during or after hunting/fishing. I referred to Rube's Steakhouse earlier, at Rube's you choose your own steak and then grill it yourself on several large charcoal grill stations located in the restaurant. Great steaks, a lot of fun, memorable dining, but definitely not what most would consider "fine dining" so I apologize for any confusion I've caused. Oh I forgot, camo is definitely in fashion at Rube's.
I suppose what I mean is memorable dining places, the kind of place that is so good that you come back to over and over again until it becomes part of the annual/seasonal hunting/fishing experience.
Steve
Ditto on the Blue and White in Tunica (real Tunica, not gamblin' Tunica). Also Boyette's near Reelfoot Lake if you like it battered and fried. There's a good steak place in Winner SD, but I can't think of the name.
I wish I could go back to the best breakfast after a hunt,
my dad an I where duck gunning down in Fishing Creek on the shore at a farm owned by our Caterpillar dealer,after our am hunting we all went back to their barn and had bacon & egg sandwiches on Wonder white bread and a coke.. played some poker while waiting for them to get cooked up when we finished a friend of the caretakers of the farm showed up and we ran his beagles and shot rabbits
tough part was that was last time my dad an I hunted togather that was in Jan. 91', in Feb. his cancer came out of remission and he only lasted till Sept. he was 47 years young.
sometimes the simplest things can be the best
If we're talking about restaurants then there is a little place in Falfurrius, Texas called El Jardin that will cook your game for your if you bring it in. We usually take our doves over there and have the lady in the kitchen cook them up for us. They do them several different ways but I think our favorite is stewed with vegetables and served over polenta. Beautiful recipe. Very ejoyable.
If we're talking about locale's then I'd have to say that South Texas is still my favorite place in the US to watch a beautiful sunset over a field of sunflowers and relax with dinner. I've dined in the Rocky Mountains, on the East Coast, along the Gulf Coast (a close second) and in the heartland but Southern Texas is still the promised land to me.
The Mennonite Sausage Cafe in Durham, Kansas.