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Tio Wally Eats America: Powhatan Restaurant

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Pocahontas, Illinois.

Greetings from Pocahontas, Illinois
N 38° 49.723’  W 089° 32.846’  Elev. 545 ft.

I’ve slept in Pocahontas many times over the years. And I may have eaten at the Powhatan, Pocahontas’ premier — only — restaurant before, but if I did it was well over ten years ago and I really don’t remember it.

I do remember, however, that the last time I was here it was nighttime and I took pictures of the “RESTAURANT” sign on the back of the building. I was really tired and I felt the sign, partially ablaze in bright red, was encouraging me to vent. With six of the 10 letters burnt out, the sign read only “RANT”. I was too lazy to get out of the yacht to take the photos and thus ended up with two or three beautiful shots of flash glare off the windshield.

And so it goes.

This time I stopped because, heading west, I didn’t want to deal with the morning rush hour cluster that is St. Louis at that time of day. Plus, I was hungry.

I stopped in the Powhatan and ordered a Country Breakfast Platter called “Gretchen’s Favorite” ($8.95). I don’t know but the Gretchen in “Gretchen’s Favorite” may be in honor of a local celebrity, country singer Gretchen “Redneck Woman” Wilson, who was born in Pocahontas.

The breakfast platter consisted of three eggs, two pork chops, fried apples, hash brown casserole, and biscuits with milk gravy. Although I knew what I’d ordered, I was still surprised when the plate came out. My reaction was: “That’s a lot of food!”

The eggs, which I’d ordered over easy, were a little overcooked; I like ‘em runny, honey. The pork chops were average-sized breakfast chops. Although they were thin, they were incredibly tender and tasty. The fried apples were a great compliment to the chops. Very cinnamon-y, they were more like a strudel filling or something.

The hash brown casserole was good but got tiresome after a while. It’s made with hash browns that tasted homemade, onion, bell pepper, and topped with a generous amount of melted cheddar cheese. When I go again I’ll probably just get regular hash browns because they’re so good.

The biscuits and gravy were absolutely awesome. Although the biscuits were on the small side, they were great and the milk gravy was some of the best I’ve ever had. It had great flavor and was not overly thickened, the perfect consistency in fact. I can easily see myself going back just for biscuits and gravy.

The Powhatan restaurant— Powhatan was Pocahontas’ father — is really homey inside, with wood floors and booths. And the service is excellent.

While I was there they played nothing but Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra music. I mention this only because I was blessed that they played only early Sinatra recordings, the ones made during that brief time when The Chairman of the Bored still managed to sing either in tune or in close proximity thereof. (My humble opinion and succinct critique of the grossly overrated Sinatra: Frank stank.)

When I went up to pay the bill I was thinking I was going to get a discount based on some genealogical information recently revealed to me by my sister. So I asked the cashier: Do I get a discount for being related to Pocahontas? “No,” she said. “This is a different Pocahontas than you’re thinking of.”

What? How many Pocahontases could there possibly be? She then when on to claim Pocahontas, Illinois was named after the Pocahontas Coal Mine, whose shafts honeycomb the ground below the entire town. Wikipedia, however, says it was indeed named after my distant relative, Pocahontas, the fabled Native American heroine of lore, which makes a lot more sense being as the town was founded nearly 60 years before the mine was established.

Regardless, it was a great meal at a great price even without a discount … which I was surely entitled to: After all, if I’m related to Pocahontas I’m related to Powhatan, too.

And so we roll.

Powhatan Restaurant, I-70 Exit 36, Pocahontas, Illinois

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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breakfast tio wally travel

Tio Wally Eats America: Hen House

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Pontoon Beach, Illinois.

Greetings from Pontoon Beach, Illinois
N 38° 45.620’  W 090° 04.033’  Elev. 417 ft.

I’m not a nutritionist. Nor am I a doctor, though I admit I hope to one day play one on TV. Nevertheless I believe Cream of Wheat constitutes a nutritious breakfast, providing you don’t load it up with butter and sugar (which I highly recommend). The chances of finding Cream of Wheat on the road, however, are slim to none. But there is always oatmeal.

I usually pass on ordering oatmeal on the road. I don’t know the actual process involved but when a handful of oats crosses a restaurant’s threshold it goes through a mysterious transformation and its value skyrockets.

I once saw foo-foo designer “stone-milled” oatmeal listed on a menu for 7; I noted the lack of a dollar sign, decimal point and zeroes which usually means it’s grossly overpriced and thus healthier … for the restaurant’s bottom line. I asked the waitress if it was better than, say, oatmeal. She replied that it came with pieces of seasonal fresh fruit in it. (It turned out the seasonal fresh fruit was: Apples!  Do you have any idea how long apples last in cold storage?) I can’t imagine why I didn’t order it.

I’m always surprised if I find oatmeal (served with the obligatory trinity of raisins, brown sugar and milk) for less than $3.50. So imagine my surprise to find it in a Hen House for $2.25!

The Hen House is a four-restaurant chain of breakfast-to-dinner restaurants in Illinois. And all of the breakfasts everyone else seemed to be enjoying the morning I was there appeared to be pretty substantial and reasonably priced. None of the breakfasts were as reasonably priced as the oatmeal, of course.

But easily the best thing about going to the Hen House for reasonably priced oatmeal is this: I now have another opportunity to shamelessly retell a reasonably (to me) good joke I wrote:

There is a group of truck drivers in Wahoo, Nebraska who haul bulk grain most of the year. One winter during their downtime they formed a band that plays Philly soul-pop. They originally called themselves The Quaker Avena Sativa* Truckers. But the name proved to be too cumbersome and difficult to fit on a marquee. They now call themselves Haulin’ Oats.

And so we roll.

*Avena sativa is the scientific name for domesticated oats. Now the joke is ROTFLMFAO-funny, right?

Hen House, 1250 E. Chain of Rocks Rd. (I-270 & Hwy. 111, Exit 6B), Pontoon Beach, Illinois, with restaurants in Arcola, Springfield, and Mahomet, Illinois

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.

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Tio Wally Eats America: Uncle Joe’s Deli

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is at Uncle Joe’s in Ina, Illinois.

Greeting from Ina, Illinois
N 38° 54.639’W 088° 54.639’  Elev. 391’Is it pronounced eye-na, ee-na or in-a? I’m not sure-a. I should’ve asked-a. Oh well-a.Besides how to pronounce the name of this place I’m facing quite a dilemma of where to eat today. Across the street, inside the Love’s truck stop, is a McDouche’s. On this side of the street, inside the Marathon, is Uncle Joe’s Deli. Hmm. Decisions, decisions. Best to first weigh each of their most obvious attributes before deciding.

McDouche’s consistently has really good coffee (which I can get at the senior price). It also has Big Mac sauce. The rest of its fare, however, is pretty much overpriced crap. I don’t think they even fry burgers on-site anymore, which may explain the rise of PBF (Push-Button Finger) Syndrome amongst its workers, slaving away in front of a preprogrammed, industrial-grade microwave oven day in and day out and all. Pushing the button, waiting for the beep.

On the other hand, here on the clown-free side of the street it has a decidedly less corporate, cookie-cutter feel. Indeed, Uncle Joe’s Deli (I-57 Exit 83) has a couple of funky reader boards with mis-spaced letters advertising its wares, like fried bologna. Seeing that, I’m thinking perhaps McDouche’s is not “my kind of place”® after all.

Uncle Joe’s Deli is obviously very proud of its Famous Fried Bologna. That’s why it has not one but two neon signs beckoning the hungry towards its famous fried goodness. I figured that since they went to the expense of neon Fried Bologna signs, as well as the marked dearth of fried bologna sandwiches on the planet, I’d bite and order one. After all, when was the last time I had a fried bologna sandwich, much less a famous one?

The sandwich ($3.49) consisted of a 3/8”-thick slab of bologna, fried on a little, itty-bitty griddle just big enough to get somebody kicked out of a college dorm; they had a matching itty-bitty deep fat fryer in the … kitchen, just big enough to get some dormie banned from campus for life. It was served on a choice of white or caramel-colored white (wheat) bread, with iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato, and choice of condiments. I got it on the (healthier!) wheat bread, with mayo and mustard. Whether it was because it was just really good or I was just really hungry, the famous fried bologna sandwich was actually kind of awesome. In fact, now I wish I would’ve paid the $1.25 for extra meat.

Sure, it was a little overpriced but, hey, where else am I going to find a fried bologna sandwich, much less a famous one? Certainly not across the street in the evil clown’s lair; just more proof of McDouche’s complete lack of soul.

I also got a large smoked pork sandwich ($4.69). Served on a large hamburger bun, they piled the meat up about an inch-and-a-half high. Uncle Joe’s has five different homemade barbecue sauces to choose from. I tried them all and opted for the Hot & Spicy. It was slightly sweet with a nice tang to it, but certainly not “hot”, and it complimented the juicy smoked pork perfectly. Tasty, tasty.

And in keeping with the funky, both sandwiches were wrapped in plain, thin butcher’s paper. No expensive, throwaway designer packaging for Uncle Joe.

Now that I’ve had a truly soul-satisfying health-food meal, I’m going across the street to get a couple of senior coffees (25¢ to 75¢ each, depending on location) and refill my travel mug. “I’m lovin’ it.”®

And so we roll.

Uncle Joe’s Deli - Interstate 57. Exit 83. Ina, IL 62846
Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.
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Tio Wally Eats America: Ryan’s Family Buffet

I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is at Ryan’s in Effingham, Illinois.

Greetings from Effingham, Illinois
N 39° 08.466’  W 088° 33.435’  Elev. 669’

Although I can’t really eat all that much, I try to go to all-you-can-eat buffets whenever possible. Not only do I enjoy the variety, it gives me an opportunity to power down on vegetables.

I usually go to a Ryan’s weekdays between 1-3 p.m. when I can because, for some reason, during the day the good folks there think I look and/or smell like a senior citizen, thus I get the senior lunch. It costs about $6.50 and includes a drink.

Being a weekend, and because I’m on a night-driving schedule for the next two weeks to allow watching the Little League World Series on my satellite TV, I went for dinner and, lo and behold, the fountain-of-youth effect kicked in again and I had to pay full fare.

This particular Ryan’s (1102 Avenue of Mid America) is pretty popular with the land-yacht crowd. It’s easy-in/easy-out, and there are a number of truck stops and a Merchant of Death (WalMart) nearby. This allows truck drivers to get a lot of things accomplished in a short period of time, which is very important due to Department of Transportation (DOT) Hours of Service regulations.

Ryan’’s always has some sort of promotion going on in addition to their regular fare. Lately it’s been Shrimp 5 Ways; butterfly, buffalo, popcorn, coconut and shrimp scampi, which is actually a sautéed shrimp and pasta affair.

I went for the butterfly and coconut shrimp, which was good but nothing to write a message in a bottle about. I also had some fried chicken — drumsticks so I can read while I eat — which is always really, really good.

One of Ryan’s signature things is fresh-from-the-oven yeast rolls. They serve them while they’re still warm with Sunnyland Honey Spread™, a mock honey-butter that’s quite good. These puppies are fluffy, golden brown and highly addictive. That’s why I only have them bring me one.

As for vegetables, I had some baked beans, steamed cabbage and fire-roasted yellow squash., While the squash was a bit undercooked (Ryan’s always undercooks its squash, broccoli and cauliflower, which always bears mushy) it was quite tasty yet crunchy. I also had a spinach, spring mix and beet salad with a raspberry vinaigrette, also quite tasty.

Something I hadn’t seen or noticed before that was a real standout was a bean salad that consisted of black-eyed peas, baby lima, white, pinto and red beans. Unlike a three-bean salad, it wasn’t at all vinegary yet still slightly sweet. Better still, the beans were crunchy. Great flavor, great texture. a little hill of beans that really amounted to something.

All Ryan’s have an in-house bakery and a decent selection of desserts. They also all have soft-serve ice cream. But some of them also have hand-scooped, hard-pack ice cream, and this was one of them. In addition to the regular fare (chocolate chip cookie dough, strawberry, and orange sherbet) they always have a wild-card flavor. Today’s was black walnut. Boy, was that good.

All in all not a bad meal for about $10.

And so we roll.

Ryan’s - 1102 Ave of Mid America. Effingham, IL 62401

Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.