bedsitter23

Speaking of Ducks, we come to The Rusty Duck in Dexter, Iowa.



I had heard of the Rusty Duck, a small town restaurant where you can get a steak for $20 that will give you three meals it's so big. So, it was already on the 'To Do' list, but when I heard it was voted "Best Burger in Iowa" in a very publicized contest, well it was on.

Dexter calls itself the 'original one horse town', but it does look something like this



Which is something that strikes me as a non-native Iowan. Iowan small towns all have a similar layout, as if they are spread ten to twenty miles away, each with a town square with a library, post office, and an American Legion hall.


Maybe the towns I grew up with were just like this (surely they were). Maybe towns in Florida or Virginia or Utah or wherever else are exactly the same. Still, it's hard to shake the image of the Iowan small town. I have spent quite a bit of time in these towns, and they have a similar feel with an unique flavor and history.

Dexter's history is a lot more interesting than you would expect from a town with population of about 600.

The White Pole Road went through it. Predating Interstate 80, this road built around 1910 would eventually become part of a road that connected Cape Cod to Long Beach.



Wikipedia adds a story about Harry S Truman:  On September 18, 1948, Dexter was the site of a national plowing match at which President Harry Truman delivered a speech attacking the 80th Congress for its record in regard to the American farmer. This speech is considered one of the most important of his 1948 Whistle Stop campaign that turned the tide of the election and returned him to the White House. 

Still, the story that usually grabs everyone's attention is Bonnie and Clyde, who were hiding out just north of Dexter when the law caught up to them, resulting in a shootout.  Bonnie and Clyde were both injured, but both escaped, but Clyde's brother Buck and his wife Blanche were captured.

Oh, and the Burger?

Well, Des Moines is home of the much loved B-Bops (the region's version of Rally's or Checker's) and in the last decade seen the arrival of gourmet burger chains like Red Robin and Fuddruckers.  Not to mention, Zombieburger, which arrived a couple of years' ago and is helmed by a five-star chef.

Still, everything I had heard about The Rusty Duck was true.  The portions were huge.  The prices were right.  The homemade salad dressing and homemade Onion Rings both worth a mention.

The burger?

Well, it really was amazing.  Is there a better burger in Iowa (and Iowa is the place to go for all things beef)?

Possibly.  I just can't imagine where it would be.  Viva le Duck!

Last weekend, I made it to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest.

It's a hard ticket to come buy (8000 tickets sold out in about three minutes)

Personally, I think it is the name. You have to go to something called Baconfest. (There is a similarly themed pork and wine expo called Swine- pork and wine= swine. Get it? which i've heard is awesome but is nothing in terms of scale of comparison.)

Baconfest is part parade and part trade show.

There's a Bacon Queen who wore (albeit and understandably briefly) a dress made entirely of bacon.



There's a Grand Marshall.  Hacksaw Jim Duggan!

The crowd indeed was full of hipsters and about 5:1 male to female, still a good section of the public showed.  the hipsters wore hipster t-shirts, but credit to those with a suggestive looking pig (!) called "50 Shades of Bacon"

There were bands, and they played songs like Black Sabbath's "Bacon Man" (Iron Man) and Bad Company's "Feel like Bacon (Making) Love".

There was free bacon (of course), and although I hesitate to complain, I will.  What no love for crisp bacon?

Mostly, Baconfest works like one of those cooking shows where every recipe has to use a special ingredient.

So, there was some obvious and some not so much- Bacon Breakfast Pizza, Bacon wrapped Jalapeno, Pastries with Bacon, Bacon flavored chips, the Bacon (and Sausage) Explosion sandwich (which was pretty good), Bacon Crab Rangoon, Bacon Gumbo and Bacon Pretzels to name but a few.

Baconfest is undoubtedly a success and is a perfect fit for this state.  They did everythign right including bacon lectures (if you needed them) and so much more.  It is a perfect event for those who want to drink all day (just saying).  It has grown exponentially, and it is reaching an obvious conclusion for next year (2 days). 

Also, there was apparently a marriage proposal.


To me, I got my fill in for awhile, but would certainly recommend it to the person who gets excited about such things.

I almost feel like I've talked about the Machine Shed restaurant too much here.  Still, it certainly meets the criteria I've set up here- I've ate there twice in the last few months and it is damned good. 

The Machine Shed gets bonus points for being tied in with Living History Farms.  I have been to quite a few 'towns' who try to recapture olden times, and LHF is pretty typical when it comes to what they do.  (There is one exception to this.  they do on occasion exhibit 1880s style baseball.  it's something that i have never seen, but am so interested in the theory, i absolutely have to go one day.  I am still kicking myself for missing last year's exhibition which not only featured the vintage uniforms, traditional rules, but also Rick Santorum.)

The Machine Shed is homestyle food that typifies middle America and reminds you of the kind your grandmother might make.

How good is it?  Sarah Palin traveled all the way there last fall just to eat.  Cynical me(at that time) thought that in a pre-Perry race, Palin only went there to gather support and potential voters for a campaign run.  Still, since she never did announce, it can be concluded that trip was only for a good home-cooked meal.

Before I get to the food, I have to mention the store.  The store in a restaurant idea isn't particularly original (Cracker Barrel most famously makes use of it), but I have to mention the Shed for their bacon content.

I do mean all things Bacon- Chocolate covered Bacon, Bacon flavored Popcorn, Bacon scented candles , Bacon mints,  Bacon gum, Bacon flavored Jelly beans, and more



While I probably should focus on the food (Pork Chops, Meat Loaf, Fried Chicken, Barbeque) which was delicious.  Let me focus on the Onion Rings.

They come in a wagon.




Also, featuring Cinnamon Rolls bigger than your head.



I probably can't cover everything, but before I finish, let me mention the greatest potato soup you will ever eat (and by soup, I don't necessarily mean you can't eat it with a fork.)

The Machine Shed is in six locations if you are in the midwest-, but can't quite make it to Central Iowa- Davenport, IA, Lake Elmo, MN, Rockford, IL, Appleton, WI, and Pewaukee, WI.

This is the kind of food I love.