Me: "We're headed for Illinois this morning!"
Healthy One: "Weren't we in Illinois a couple of days ago?"
Me: "Yes, but we didn't have breakfast."
Healthy One: "I'm so confused"
Me: "It's only going to get worse."
Otto's Place
Healthy One: "Weren't we in Illinois a couple of days ago?"
Me: "Yes, but we didn't have breakfast."
Healthy One: "I'm so confused"
Me: "It's only going to get worse."
Otto's Place
Galena, Illinois
AMBIENCE: Otto's Place is a two story building sitting pretty much by itself across the Galena River from the downtown area. It's literally on the other side of the tracks from most of Galena. The building is old by Midwestern standards. I didn't have to do much internet research on the history of the building because some of it was explained on a card at our dining table. It was built in 1899 by a man named Otto Sallman whose intention was to open it as a restaurant. Otto lived upstairs while the restaurant was to take up the first floor. Otto suffered a financial set back and the restaurant never got off the ground. He could only sit upstairs and listen to the trains rumble by the restaurant dream that wasn't. Ironically, Otto was killed by a train in Chicago. People have seen his ghost walking up and down the tracks by the restaurant.
The building has since hosted a handmade basket store, bakery, grocery store, pizza parlor, furniture store, record store, antique shop, and sandwich cafe until the current owners bought it, refurbished it, and opened the current eatery in 2011. No one lives upstairs now, it is part of the restaurant with a few tables and a lounge area. We did not see the upstairs, but the downstairs area is very handsome with a tin ceiling and lots of wood. It was obvious, that the building was lovingly restored, possibly to Otto's original vision.
We arrived at about 9 AM and the place was packed. I was really surprised at the size of the crowd on a Monday but then realized it was the Columbus Day holiday and tourists were still in town. There did happen to be one empty table available. Often, the last table available means sitting next to the bathrooms or the door to the kitchen. This two-top table looked great as it was placed next to a window overlooking the fall foliage of the yard next door. I felt that the ghost of Otto was on our side.
Soon after we were seated at our table, I began to feel chilled. It felt like there was a very cool, almost cold breeze coming from somewhere, possibly Canada. It wasn't just me, the Healthy One was keeping her jacket on. I checked above me and the ceiling fan was off. I ran my hand along the window trying to feel a draft. Nothing. Then I saw the problem. On the floor, by my left foot, was a 6 inch by 12 inch vent shooting arctic air up my left pant leg. This problem had to be addressed before certain extremities lost all feeling. When the waitress came over, I mentioned the problem. "Oh that" she said, "I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do to turn it off". There was also no other free table for us to relocate to so I asked for a towel to place over the vent. She graciously brought me a kitchen towel,but when I placed it on the vent, it blew off. I tried again but no go. Soaking the towel in hot water in the bathroom was one idea, but carrying it through the dining area, back to the table, might have created a buzz that an accident had taken place. I finally found the perfect solution. The heavy ceramic container of NutraSweet and the pepper shaker made perfect towel weights. And yes, I left it that way upon exiting the restaurant.
The building and dining room were beautiful but minus one star for the discomfort.
4 out of 5 stars
FOOD: On the chalkboard we saw that the special pastry of the day was something called the Apple Sconut, which I suppose is some combination of scone and doughnut. We ordered it and the waitress said that we were really fortunate because there was only one left. In retrospect, I am thankful that there was one left but I would have felt really fortunate if there had been two left. I am now salivating as I remember this sweet hunk of pure goodness. The sconut was perfectly baked, almost melting in my mouth, and the warm icing made be forget my iced left leg. It was simply magnificent. Here it is, pre-demolishment, with two forks poised to attack.
I had also ordered "Otto's Pigs In a Blanket" partly because the word "blanket" really appealed to me at the moment. It came with eggs which I ordered "over easy". I hadn't had "pigs in a blanket" since I was a kid eating at IHOP. I fondly remember them as three sausage links rolled up in three separate pancakes. These were different. Otto's pigs were bacon and not sausage. Additionally, the "pigs" were integrated into the batter and not sleeping in a rolled up pancake. The other surprise I got was that the over easy eggs arrived on top of the pancake! I had never seen that before. This was certainly a maple syrup deterrent. Finally, I believe I saw the apparition of Otto Sallman staring up at me from the plate.
It all tasted fine. The pancake was perfectly cooked and the crispy bacon in the pancake provided a nice tasty, porky crunch. Nevertheless, I don't think I have been converted to being a devotee of eating egg in the same bite with pancake, but as my Dad use to say, "it all goes to the same place".
The Healthy One ordered the "quiche of the day" which came with a bowl of fruit. That day, the quiche happened to be bacon, onion, and Gorgonzola cheese. The Healthy One was ecstatic about the flavor of the nice sized slice she received. She predicted that this was going to be her favorite breakfast dish of the Midwest tour and possibly the whole 48 states.
It all tasted fine. The pancake was perfectly cooked and the crispy bacon in the pancake provided a nice tasty, porky crunch. Nevertheless, I don't think I have been converted to being a devotee of eating egg in the same bite with pancake, but as my Dad use to say, "it all goes to the same place".
The Healthy One ordered the "quiche of the day" which came with a bowl of fruit. That day, the quiche happened to be bacon, onion, and Gorgonzola cheese. The Healthy One was ecstatic about the flavor of the nice sized slice she received. She predicted that this was going to be her favorite breakfast dish of the Midwest tour and possibly the whole 48 states.
5 out of 5 stars
COFFEE:
We thought the coffee was terrible. Even worse than the typical Midwestern coffee (see Ohio rant) we had been drinking recently. I need a word to describe this grade of coffee. How about the coffee is covfefe? Thank-you Mr. President.
1 out of 5 stars
SERVICE: Given that the restaurant was at 100% of capacity, our waitress was incredibly busy. Still, she maintain a friendly nature, didn't get rattled, and was helpful in guiding us through the specials. She also snagged us that last apple sconut.
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars
A FEW WORDS ABOUT GALENA:
Galena is a tourist town. Although the population is listed at only 3,255, it hosts more than a million visitors a year. Why do people flock to this small town that sits on a tributary of the Mississippi River? It is quaint, historic, and beautiful with plenty of shopping and eating opportunities. If one wondered what a city in 1850 looked like, this is the place to come. Approximately 1,000 of Galena's buildings are on the national Register of Historic Places. Eighty-five percent of Galena has been declared a national historic district. The town's most famous resident, Ulysses S. Grant, who moved here in 1860 to work for his father, would recognize most of the buildings standing today. Galena is called both the "outdoor museum of the Victorian Midwest" and "the city that time forgot".
The Fox and Sauk tribes first mined the area's rich deposits of lead to use as body paint. The white man then butted in and by the early 1800's, Congress had established the Upper Mississippi Lead Mine District. This resulted in mining companies flocking to the area and establishing the city of Galena in 1826. Galena is Latin for lead ore. In the 1830s, Galena had a population of about 1,000 people. Chicago had a population of 100.
The Galena River provided access to shipping along the Mississippi River. By 1850, Galena was the busiest port between St. Louis and and St. Paul. The prosperous city's population grew to 14,000. As the demand for lead declined, as mining companies moved to California for gold, and as railroad traffic supplanted the river's steamboats, Galena went into a long economic downward spiral. Fortunately, no one tore down the federal style storefronts nor the Greek Revival and Italiante mansions built by steamboat captains and mine owners on the steep bluffs overlooking the river. Artists in the 1970s and 80s began to move in as they saw the beauty of the architecture. Then the tourists started arriving and a large hospitality industry developed. Today there are numerous B&Bs, dozen of art galleries, craft shops ,live music venues, and restaurants. U.S. Grant, who was known as being fond of the bottle, would be pleased at the number of watering holes on Main Street.
The Grant home sits on the opposite bluff of the city. It is open to the public except on Mondays and Tuesdays when we were there. Oh well. He didn't spend a lot of time at the house, being off to fight a 5 year war and living in the White House, but when he was in Galena, he enjoyed sitting in his favorite chair and smoking cigars. Purportedly, Grant smoked 50 cigars a day. Not surprisingly, he died of throat cancer at the age of 63. I took a picture of a statute of his wife Julia, located just outside the front of the house. She looked pleased to be away from all that cigar smoke.
Galena is a tourist town. Although the population is listed at only 3,255, it hosts more than a million visitors a year. Why do people flock to this small town that sits on a tributary of the Mississippi River? It is quaint, historic, and beautiful with plenty of shopping and eating opportunities. If one wondered what a city in 1850 looked like, this is the place to come. Approximately 1,000 of Galena's buildings are on the national Register of Historic Places. Eighty-five percent of Galena has been declared a national historic district. The town's most famous resident, Ulysses S. Grant, who moved here in 1860 to work for his father, would recognize most of the buildings standing today. Galena is called both the "outdoor museum of the Victorian Midwest" and "the city that time forgot".
The Fox and Sauk tribes first mined the area's rich deposits of lead to use as body paint. The white man then butted in and by the early 1800's, Congress had established the Upper Mississippi Lead Mine District. This resulted in mining companies flocking to the area and establishing the city of Galena in 1826. Galena is Latin for lead ore. In the 1830s, Galena had a population of about 1,000 people. Chicago had a population of 100.
The Galena River provided access to shipping along the Mississippi River. By 1850, Galena was the busiest port between St. Louis and and St. Paul. The prosperous city's population grew to 14,000. As the demand for lead declined, as mining companies moved to California for gold, and as railroad traffic supplanted the river's steamboats, Galena went into a long economic downward spiral. Fortunately, no one tore down the federal style storefronts nor the Greek Revival and Italiante mansions built by steamboat captains and mine owners on the steep bluffs overlooking the river. Artists in the 1970s and 80s began to move in as they saw the beauty of the architecture. Then the tourists started arriving and a large hospitality industry developed. Today there are numerous B&Bs, dozen of art galleries, craft shops ,live music venues, and restaurants. U.S. Grant, who was known as being fond of the bottle, would be pleased at the number of watering holes on Main Street.
The Grant home sits on the opposite bluff of the city. It is open to the public except on Mondays and Tuesdays when we were there. Oh well. He didn't spend a lot of time at the house, being off to fight a 5 year war and living in the White House, but when he was in Galena, he enjoyed sitting in his favorite chair and smoking cigars. Purportedly, Grant smoked 50 cigars a day. Not surprisingly, he died of throat cancer at the age of 63. I took a picture of a statute of his wife Julia, located just outside the front of the house. She looked pleased to be away from all that cigar smoke.
BURN THOSE BREAKFAST CALORIES OFF:
We took a long walk after breakfast over the Galena River via the pedestrian bridge and through the main part of Galena. We then drove up to Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. These sacred mounds are ancient Native American burial sites. The large raised piles of earth are in the shape of an animal such as a bear or a bird. We hiked the 7 mile round trip to Hanging Rock where we were greeted with a magnificent view of the Mississippi River.
We took a long walk after breakfast over the Galena River via the pedestrian bridge and through the main part of Galena. We then drove up to Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. These sacred mounds are ancient Native American burial sites. The large raised piles of earth are in the shape of an animal such as a bear or a bird. We hiked the 7 mile round trip to Hanging Rock where we were greeted with a magnificent view of the Mississippi River.
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October 9, 2017
October 9, 2017
NEXT UP: IOWA
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