dutch kitchen

in plain city ohio (yes, that's right, plain city) there's a rather large amish community well served by a homey restaurant and bakery called the dutch kitchen. it's cute and friendly, and frankly just a little bit scary to a big city mouse such as me; but the menu is full of those comfort foods you would expect from an eatery specializing in "simple, satisfying, home-style meals", such as meat loaf, chicken fried steak, country cured ham, and german potato pancakes. there's even a "barn-raising buffet" sure to please the lumberjack in any of you. i was taken to this place by my uncle jose on my recent visit to this swing state lately turned blue (to quote chrissie hynde "way to go o-hi-o!"). i had the meat loaf, of course, and i would swear the string beans they served me came out of a can. i wouldn't have expected anything less from a place that's been around for about 45 years and was probably founded on the tradition of tv dinners (which i love) and canned vegetables (about which i have very mixed feelings). their pies are homemade and so are their sausages; and the place smells sweet and savory until you get too close to one of the amish kids working there and then it smells more like a barn-raising. i don't care if you are amish, take a fucking bath, it was fucking summer for christ's sake, you're not gonna die from the cold. anyway, it was a slice of americana well worth having. visit if you have the chance, even if it's just for the shits and giggles; but as long as you're there, sit, have something to eat, and let the friendly staff scare the hell out of you. check out the link on the side there, and chrissie hynde right here.
THE PRETENDERS

faves in the hood - diner

diners are great. breakfast, lunch or dinner, anytime of the day or nite. i like to visit local diners whenever i travel because i feel like you can really get a sense of the people who live there. my favorite neighborhood diner is Gracie's Diner on the corner of first avenue and 86th street. you can tell that it has been there for a gazillion years and that all the little old people of the nabe probably lived there when it first opened up, and they all still go there and have the same exact things they've been having forever. the waiters all know them, and they don't even have to ask for what they want because they know already. when i was in Ohio last week i went to a Perkins, which is apparently a chain but probably as close to a diner as you will get in London, Ohio. anyway, this old woman came in and as she was sliding into the bench a waiter walked by and said, "Water with lemon Miss Marie?", and you know that the waiter has been seeing her come in for years and she feels comfortable there and has probably been having the same exact dishes forever too. that's why i love the Gracie Diner. you get that same feeling there. plus they make great meatloaf with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. when i lived in Yonkers my favorite diner was the Broadway Diner. there was a waitress there who was as tall as Julia Childe and she had this blazing red hair in this big sort of beehive do. she would call you "honey" and "sweetie" and would say things like "what can mamma get her boy tonite?" i loved her! there's a certain character about a diner that draws characters too. they're a piece of Americana that will hopefully never fade away.

GRACIE'S DINER