Night Out on the Town

Some of the better served food can be found at either out of the way, dive restaurants or in small towns. Located on the square in the dutch town of Pella is the Windmill Cafe. While Pella may not be small to some of the surrounding communities, it has the small town feel with Midwestern hospitality.

Not only is the food good, but it is inexpensive. Many of the dinner entrees on the menu are less than ten dollars, and for a 1/3lb hamburger and fries the price will be less than five dollars.

The selection on the menu is diverse. Breakfast varies with the standard eggs and toast as well as pancakes and oatmeal. It is served until 3pm. Lunch not only has the many different sandwiches, but wraps, soups and salads. And dinner features many different entrees including roast beef, turkey and usual fixings.

As seen below the portions of the sandwiches aren't shy. At some restaurants in Iowa, tenderloins exceed the size of the bun, but are as thin as a piece of cardboard. At the Windmill Cafe the tenderloins not only exceed the bun, but are very thick. Definitely worth every penny.

Pella has much to offer. In May the town shuts down and celebrates its Dutch heritage in a three-day event called Tulip Time. Along with the delicious cafes and restaurants, it is also home to some of the best pastries in Iowa. No trip to Pella would be complete without a stop to Jaarsma Bakery to pick up a Dutch Letter. During Tulip Time lines extend out of this little shop down the corner, competing with VanDer Ploeg Bakery. Either place offers fantastic breads, cookies and other pastries.

Not only is it home to the annual Tulip Time in early May, but it also home to nationally ranked Central College Football. The Windmill Cafe and the assorted bakeries are not places where many would tailgate prior to a Flying Dutch football game, but it would be a good place to enjoy a good post game meal and desert.

Jif and the Choosy Mothers

Who says you can't go home. On Saturday night a reunion took place at the Chrome Horse Saloon in Cedar Rapids of more than just a band. The popular KRNA morning personalities of "Those Guys in the Morning" formed a band in the 1990s and came together after a long hiatus for a one-time performance. "Those Guys," Mark Vos and Glenn Gardner still headlined the group, but this time took on a new feel as it was the new popular morning duo of KZIA who put the band back together and performed with them on the night.

But it wasn't only a reunion of a band that took place, but the return of music from a generation who may not listen to the popular format of KZIA, and it was the return of many familiar radio personalities whom the many in the crowd listened to years ago. The music list included many hits from the time "Those Guys" were popular in Eastern Iowa, ZZ Top, Blonde, DeadEye Dick, and it had the fans on their feet dancing and screaming for more.

The radio personalities transcended different periods of radio since the 80s and showed a camaraderie that many wouldn't expect as they battled for ratings on each of their own stations. KZIA's own morning crew of Schulte and Swann were very involved throughout the night. Scott McGill of Scott, Mark and Cecily from KKRQ in Iowa City joined the band for one song while Tommy Lang (former KRNA and currently KCJJ) and Ted Burton Jacobson from KKRQ also could be seen within the crowd.

An off-week in the Iowa Football schedule allowed my wife and I to attend the one-time event, and Jif recognized the bye week with a salute to the football team.

But it wouldn't be complete without the unofficial song of Iowa Athletics, "In Heaven There is no Beer."

Night Out on the Town - High Life Lounge

Those who regularly follow the Night Out on the Town feature on Engy's will remember the High Life Lounge in Des Moines being featured. Wednesday night it was also featured among other restaurants on The Travel Channel's "Man v Food."

"Man v Food" is a series that places the host in locally-known restaurant that features an item on the menu that is a challenge to be eaten within a certain time period. On this show that restaurant was "Jethros," nearby the Drake University campus. But the High Life Lounge was also featured for its many delicacies. Above is a clip from the show featuring the High Life Lounge.

Gary and Ed 4th Qtr of Iowa - Penn State

I had the opportunity to place my flip camera in the Learfield Radio Booth of Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak. This is a clip from the 2010 Iowa - Penn State football game. A special thanks to Gary and Ed as well as Hawkeye Sports Properties.

College Football Week 5

As Iowa takes a week off from the regular season schedule, we will depart from the regular routine. Instead of our weekly picture of our sideline favorites, we went with pictures of those working in the fields to feed the world....Sitting around the hotel allows me the opportunity to watch a few games. However I was disappointed to see ESPN2 pre-empt the Miami (Fla) - Clemson game in lieu of soccer. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated said it correctly in a tweet, "we only care about this sport once every four years."..... Georgia and Colorado would be considered a match-up of two of the naton's premier programs, if this was the early 1990s. Now it is a contest of two programs that continue to fall (and in Colorado's case, free fall) out of the nation's elite. .... Oregon proved it is worthy of being ranked ahead of Boise State after a sound win over #9 Stanford. The Ducks have an offense that is hard to stopped, but wouldn't it be interesting to see what it could do against the #1 Defense in America?... Although it has only been one week, the Big Ten is beginning to show who the elite is, and who falls behind them. Ohio State remains unbeated, and highly ranked. Iowa defeated Penn State by the same score that Alabama did. Michigan and Michigan State will fight it out this week to place themselves in the position of being amond the conference's elite... And LSU's Les Miles did better than purchasing the winning lottery ticket Saturday night. A counting error by Tennessee saved the Tigers and Miles giving them an extra play, eventually giving them the win. LSU fans won't tolerate many more clock issues...

Night Out on the Town

One of the older and most well-known establishments in downtown Iowa City, The Airliner is one of the more popular places for co-eds and alums to visit.

Although the Airliner has changed hands over the years, it is still known for one thing, its pizza. Deep dish and thin crust, it doesn't matter, the pizza has been a staple of the Airliner since its inception, and its good. We should know, they are quick to deliver to Iowa Football on a Friday afternoon.

Stories abound about the popularity of the downtown restaurant. One of the better is that of Tom Brokaw hanging out there while attending Iowa. Brokaw didn't graduate from this University, but as the story goes, treated it as a second home with many of his friends he met at school.

Hawkeyes over Penn State

The Iowa Hawkeyes opened Big Ten play in winning style with a 24-3 victory over Penn State. The third year in a row the Nittany Lions have fallen to the Hawkeyes. A year ago Penn State's Beaver Stadium was the White House as all fans were encouraged to wear white, but this year the Kinnick Stadium faithful mixed it up a bit by alternating the sections with black and gold attire.

It was the last game of Iowa's first half schedule, who close it at 4-1. They welcome a bye this week and then have seven consecutive Big Ten games.