100 things to eat in Iowa before you die

Hopefully the 100 place to eat at 

  are near the 100 places to visit 

Discover Iowa before I Die

 

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July 9, 2006 Section: Iowa Life Page: 1E 100 things to eat in Iowa before you die Crawford Erin Staff By ERIN CRAWFORD

REGISTER STAFF WRITER Even if death doesn't seem imminent, it's best to get started on this list quickly. After all, we found 100 things you need to eat (or drink) in Iowa before it's too late. This list isn't just about great food. It's about house specialties and unique dishes no other place serves (or does quite as well). These 100 items may be the-best-part-of-the-meal or the-best-thing-to-eat-in-town or the-best-thing-I-ever-ate. Scores of people gave us tips, and we checked them out to the best of our ability. We kept the list to 100 dishes, even though Iowa has thousands of restaurants in its 99 counties and more great meals than we can count. These dishes illustrate the brilliant spectrum of flavors Iowa has to offer - 100 menu items that keep patrons coming back and 100 dishes worth seeking out, with space next to each item to check off as you go. We've given them to you in alphabetical order by location. So, what are you waiting for? Dig in. ___ 1. Taco Pizza, Happy Joe's, locations across Iowa ___ 2. Sweet corn, Sweet Corn Festival, Adel ___ 3. BBQ Ribs, Claxon's Smokehouse & Grill, Altoona ___ 4. Sauerkraut Salad, Colony Inn Restaurant, Amana ___ 5. Rhubarb wine, Ackerman Winery, Amana ___ 6. Schild Brau Amber, Millstream Brewery, Amana Colonies ___ 7. Sauerbraten (beef marinated in a sweet and sour sauce, made with spices and Amana wines) with potato dumplings, Ronneburg Restaurant, Amana ___ 8. Saucy Southerner Sandwich, Hickory Park, Ames ___ 9. Chicken Tequila Fettuccine (Chicken, onions, peppers and tequila-soy cream sauce on spinach fettuccine), Aunt Maude's, Ames ___ 10. Denver-Style Crust Pizza, The Great Plains Sauce and Dough Co., Ames ___ 11. Gyro, The Gyro Guy outdoor cart, Campustown, Ames ___ 12. Margarita, O'Malley & McGees, Ames ___ 13. Fresh Beer-Battered Onion Rings, The Redwood Steakhouse, Anita ___ 14. Angel Cream Coconut Cake, Peppercorn Pantry Tea Room, Aplington ___ 15. Nutty Bar, Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Arnolds Park ___ 16. Prime Rib, The Feedlot Steakhouse, Atlantic ___ 17. Homemade fudge, The Mean Street Grill, Atlantic ___ 18. Spaghetti Soup and Red Raspberry Pie, Breitbach's Country Dining, Balltown ___ 19. Sink Cookies, Granny Annie's Bakery & Cafe, Cedar Falls ___ 20. Raspberry Coffee Cake, Barn Happy, Cedar Falls ___ 21. Kolaches, Sykora Bakery, Cedar Rapids ___ 22. Cabbage Rolls (ground beef with rice wrapped in a cabbage leaf with a tangy tomato sauce) with potato or bread dumplings, Zindricks Czech Restaurant, Cedar Rapids ___ 23. Pork Ribs, Al & Irene's, Cedar Rapids ___ 24. Onion Rings, J Bruners steak restaurant, Clarinda ___ 25. Black Dirt Cake (cream-cheese frosting layered between ground Oreo cookies), That Place Restaurant, Conrad ___ 26. Garst Farm sides: Corn Casserole, Four-Way Bean Dish and Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, Garst Farm Resorts, Coon Rapids ___ 27. Hot Fudge Sundae, served with a pitcher of fudge on the side, Lagomarcino's, Davenport ___ 28. Pond-Raised Catfish with Western Baked Potato, The Enchanted Inn, Davenport ___ 29. Regular (pepperoni and sausage) or Around-The-Garden Pizza, Mabe's Pizza & Restaurant, Decorah ___ 30. Breakfast buffet with made-to-order omelets, homemade waffles, biscuits and gravy, and pastries, Cronk's Restaurant & Lounge, Denison ___ 31. Burritos Jimador (cheese-sauce topped burritos stuffed with steak, cheese and lettuce), El Jimador, Denison ___ 32. Bone-in Delmonico, 801 Steak & Chop House, Des Moines ___ 33. Margherita or Sausage Pizza, Chuck's Italian-American Restaurant, Des Moines ___ 34. Peach Ice Cream, Bauder's, Des Moines ___ 35. Chicken Spiedini, Tursi's Latin King Restaurant, Des Moines ___ 36. Corn dog, Campbell's Concessions, Iowa State Fair, Des Moines ___ 37. Chocolate Bonbon, Chocolaterie Stam, Des Moines/Windsor Heights/West Des Moines ___ 38. Tom Ka Kai, Thai Flavors, Des Moines ___ 39. Steak taco, Tasty Tacos, Des Moines ___ 40. Hot Sausage Sandwich (made with Graziano's sausage), Norwood Inn, Des Moines ___ 41. Trappistine Creamy Caramels, Trappistine Nuns of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Monastery, Dubuque ___ 42. Bison Tenderloin, Pepper Sprout Midwest Cuisine, Dubuque ___ 43. Caramel Apple, Betty Jane Candies, Dubuque ___ 44. Gunderburger, The Irish Shanti, Elgin ___ 45. Stuffed Pork Loin, The Danish Inn, Elk Horn ___ 46. Crepes, La Petit Paris, Fairfield ___ 47. Vegetarian Salad Bar, Maharishi University of Management cafeteria, Fairfield ___ 48. Sunday Vegetarian Breakfast Buffet, Everybody's, Fairfield ___ 49. Wood-Fired Pizza, Revelations Cafe & Bookstore, Fairfield ___ 50. Semmel (a dense German roll, baked fresh daily), The Bistro at the Gortz Haus, Grimes ___ 51. Chicken Walnut Salad, served on Wednesdays at Kelcy's, Grinnell ___ 52. Cream-Filled Coney, (doughnut with cream filling, shaped like a hot dog), Danish Maid Bakery, Grinnell ___ 53. Homemade Triple Berry Pie, Picket Fence CafØ, Guttenberg ___ 54. Cherry Pie, Crouse Cafe, Indianola ___ 55. Spicy Yam Pate, Red Avocado, Iowa City ___ 56. Green Papaya Salad, Thai Spice Restaurant, Iowa City ___ 57. Brie Beast Sandwich (Niman Ranch roast beef, brie cheese, roasted sweet peppers, lettuce and tomato on farm bread), New Pioneer Co-Op, Iowa City and Coralville ___ 58. Tuscan Tomato Soup, Bread Garden Bakery & Cafe, Iowa City ___ 59. Vegetarian Falafel Sandwich, Oasis Falafel, Iowa City ___ 60. Smoke Trout Pate (served with stone-ground wheat crackers), Linn Street Cafe, Iowa City ___ 61. BBQ Chicken, Camp David, Iowa Falls ___ 62. Fried Chicken with homemade bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, The Red Barn Bistro, Keosauqua ___ 63. Bob Dog (natural-casing wiener topped with loose meat), Bob's Drive-In, Le Mars ___ 64. Tenderloin Tips (cubes of tenderloin beef sauteed with mushroom, white wine and oregano in a white wine and garlic-butter sauce) Somebody's Grille & Bar, Manilla ___ 65. Tortellini Carbonara (tortellini with homemade Alfredo sauce, bacon and green onions), Phat Daddy's, Marengo ___ 66. Half-pound burger, Marquette Bar & Cafe, Marquette ___ 67. Maid-Rite, Taylor's Maid-Rite, Marshalltown ___ 68. Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie, Stone's Restaurant, Marshalltown ___ 69. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie, Twisted Chicken, McGregor ___ 70. 16-ounce Ribeye (heart-cut, bacon-wrapped), Rube's Steaks, Montour and Waukee ___ 71. Homegrown Muscatine Melons, late July until first frost, The Good Earth Restaurant, Muscatine ___ 72. Seven Seas Seafood Soup, Guadalajara, Muscatine ___ 73. Grilled Sirloin Meatloaf (Wood-fire grilled meatloaf served on Texas toast with BBQ sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and onion straws), The Button Factory Woodfire Grille, Muscatine ___ 74. Blue Cheese, Maytag Dairy Farm, Newton ___ 75. Bratwurst, Woudstra Meat Market, Orange City ___ 76. Loaded Hash Browns, Otho Pub, Otho ___ 77. Loose meat sandwich, Canteen Lunch in the Alley, Ottumwa ___ 78. Dutch letters, Jaarsma Bakery, Pella ___ 79. Cast-Iron Seared Filet with a Blue Cheese Crostini, Carmelized Mushrooms and a Maple-Bourbon Demi-glaze, David's Milwaukee Diner, Perry ___ 80. Fajitas, Sabor Latino, Postville ___ 81. Hamburger Buns, Postville Bakery, Postville ___ 82. Broasted Chicken, Red Rooster, Postville ___ 83. Pita and Falafel, Kosher Community Restaurant, Postville ___ 84. Country Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Vegetables, first Sunday of the month, Elks Club, Shenandoah ___ 85. Tuna Sushi, Fuji Bay Japanese Restaurant, Sioux City ___ 86. Onion Peels, Tastee In and Out, Sioux City ___ 87. Pork Tenderloin, St. Olaf Tavern, St. Olaf ___ 88. Fruit-of-the-Forest Pie (fruits in season), Susie's Kitchen, Stanton ___ 89. Swedish Meatball Soup, Boz Wellz Pub & Eaterie, Storm Lake ___ 90. Caramel Truffles, Kristi's Kandies & Heirlooms, Storm Lake ___ 91. New York Strip Steak, The Embers, Storm Lake ___ 92. Raspberry Pork Tenderloin (Grilled pork tenderloin with a raspberry sauce), The Cottage on Broad, Story City ___ 93. Dutch Salad, Coffee Cup Cafe, Sully ___ 94. Steak DeBurgo, Sam & Gabe's Italian Bistro, Urbandale ___ 95. Cinnamon Roll, Iowa Machine Shed, Urbandale ___ 96. Prime Rib Twister (Grilled prime rib with Cajun seasoning topped with grilled mushrooms, onions and grilled shrimp), AK Corral Steakhouse & Lounge, Ute ___ 97. Muskie Burger, Muskie Lounge, Ventura ___ 98. Black Forest Cake, Martin's Brandenburg, Waverly ___ 99. Chocolate malt, Wilton Candy Kitchen, Wilton ___ 100. Apple Dumpling, Iowa 80 truck stop, Walcott Reporter Erin Crawford can be reached at (515) 284-8438 or ecrawford@dmreg.com What did we miss? We're on the hunt for Iowa's greatest local specialties. We're looking for the dishes you crave, the ones you miss when you're away.