Iowa

A great thrift trip rarely goes according to plan. I might walk in looking for one thing and…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 6

Fresh-made noodles are a good reason to cross Iowa. This small restaurant caught my attention with a kitchen…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 5

I went in looking for lunch and somehow came out planning three more meals. The sandwich was partly…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 5

Somewhere between a scenic overlook and the next small Iowa town, I usually start thinking about where I…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 5

You know a road trip is going well when the next stop is being decided by cheese. That…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 5

I knew dinner was heading in an interesting direction when the soup tasted like the squash had barely…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 4

By October, I start treating Iowa orchard signs like road-trip suggestions. I may tell myself I am stopping…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 4

You know a pumpkin patch feels different when the family running it has been working the same Iowa…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 4

I walked in expecting a quick grocery run and started changing my lunch plans before I even reached…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 4

I had barely stepped inside before the drive started feeling worth it. The smell of pizza hit first.…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 3

I almost drove past this Iowa restaurant without noticing it. From the road, the place barely announces itself.…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 3

By October, an Iowa back road can make a warm diner booth look better than almost anything else.…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 3

Cold air, crunchy leaves, and a stack of pancakes waiting somewhere down the road can get me out…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 3

I had to stop and look at the sandwich for a second before picking it up. The pastrami…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 2

When people are lining up for donuts before the farm day has really started, I pay attention. That…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 2

Eastern Iowa can make breakfast feel like a destination. A quiet highway, a river town, and one promising…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 2

A cold Iowa morning feels a lot easier to deal with when there is a fresh donut waiting…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 2

I thought I was stopping for apples. A few hours later, I was still there. I had wandered…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 1

You know that moment when everyone else gets excited about the menu and the gluten-free person starts hunting…

By Nadia Corwell · Oct 1

By the third Iowa diner, I had stopped judging breakfast by the size of the plate alone. I…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 1

I have learned not to judge an Iowa restaurant by the size of the town around it. Some…

By Hugh Calloway · Oct 1

I thought this would be one of those ten-minute history stops. A few old walls, a couple of…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 30

You do not have to be in Kansas City or Texas to smell barbecue smoke halfway down the…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 30

I knew my October calendar was in trouble the moment I started comparing festival weekends. One date had…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 30

Cold fall mornings are a lot easier to appreciate when there is a cinnamon roll waiting somewhere down…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 30

I keep hearing that Iowa is flat, and every fall I end up finding another trail that proves…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 29

So where do Iowa quilters go now that JOANN is gone? Turns out, the answer involves a lot…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 29

The familiar Nintendo beeps reached me before I had even finished looking around. A few steps later, I…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 29

I knew this little Iowa pizzeria had a loyal following, but I was not expecting so many people…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 29

By October, Iowa back roads start looking like invitations. Changing leaves frame the highways, orchard signs pop up…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 28

I went into this central Iowa restaurant telling myself I would be sensible. That plan lasted roughly until…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 28

I thought I was ordering a pancake. Then the plate showed up, and suddenly that description felt a…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 28

I like Iowa restaurants a little more when the menu refuses to sit still. Harvest season is when…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 28

There are easier reasons to cross Des Moines before breakfast, but apparently I chose an apple fritter. I…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 27

I had driven through enough eastern Iowa river towns to think I knew what was waiting around the…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 27

I rarely enjoy setting an early alarm, but a donut run is one of the few exceptions. There…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 27

I have gone to an Iowa orchard for apples and somehow come home talking mostly about the bakery.…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 27

I smelled the barbecue before I had even figured out where to park. That felt like a pretty…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 26

By six in the morning, people are already showing up for pastries in this tiny Iowa town. Wait…

By Nadia Corwell · Sep 26