The Taylor County seat of Bedford is one of the first communities in the state to feature a Hy-Vee store. The first store was opened under the Supply Store moniker downtown. By 1952, the store was relocated to a new downtown location before moving to the current spot in 1986. The 9,000-square-foot Hy-Vee Food Store is located at the intersection of State Highways 2 and 148 on the northwest corner of town.
Located along Main Street in the Taylor County seat of Bedford, the Eatery is open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and Saturday evenings for dinner. Diners can try the daily special is written on a white board outside the restaurant, or choose from their small menu of sandwiches and entrees. Canned soda, tea, and lemonade are available drink options, and slices of homemade pie make for great dessert.
While you’re dining in the quaint restaurant, be sure to take note of the excellent interior restoration work. Woodwork and doors were removed, stripped, and replaced, while the detailed tin ceilings were exposed, cleaned, and painted. The renovation work, both inside and outside, garnered awards for owner Shirley Winemiller. Preservation Iowa and Main Street Iowa both recognized The Eatery, which opened for business August 8, 2009.
Located on the south side of the square in the Madison County seat of Winterset, this building housed the J.C. Penney department store from 1931 to 1997. It was originally constructed around 1870 and used as a hardware store in 1886; a dry goods store occupied the building in the early 1900s. When J.C. Penney vacated the property in 1997, an appliance store moved in. Lori Nordstrom’s photography studio is now housed in the historic downtown building.
Located on the square in downtown Marion, Zoey’s Pizzeria will celebrate its twentieth year in business in 2011. Zoey’s keeps things simple with a small menu built around two styles of pizza. While many patrons swear by for the deep dish Chicago-style pizza, the New York thin crust pizza rivals any restaurant in the state. It’s thin but not too thin with the right proportions of sauce, cheese and toppings. You’ll be satisfied with a basic cheese pizza, but more adventurous diners will want to try the “Zoey” combo pizza or “Z-Taco-ey” pizza, which is topped with seasoned beef, onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheese along with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and seasoned tortilla chips.
When dining in at Zoey’s, don’t leave without ordering a “Zookie” for your table. It’s a thick chocolate chip cookie baked and served warm in a deep dish pizza pan, topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. The bites get better as you work through the cookie with the melting vanilla ice cream, gooey chocolate chips, and warm cookie dough merge. You’ll want to split the dessert and may consider ordering a glass of milk, served ice cold alongside the Zookie.
Note that Zoey’s gets busy on the weekends, and the small restaurant doesn’t have much in the way of a comfortable waiting area. Be prepared to sit along the window sill, hover in the doorway or, if it’s a nice day, sit street-side while you wait for a table.
Not much has changed over the last forty years in the Milwaukee Wiener House in downtown Sioux City. From the green formica booths to the old-fashioned cafeteria trays to the wood-paneled walls, you’ll step back in time when you step inside the front door and to the counter to order your food. A handful of menu items are displayed on the framed menu on the wall, split into three columns. Most diners will order a hot dog, taken from the large rectangular grill which sits along the front window.
The most common hot dog configuration is with mustard, home-made chili, and onions. Big eaters may need two or three hot dogs to satisfy their hunger, or choose from the handful of sides including soup, chili or chips. If you’re not a hot dog fan, try a hamburger patty topped with cheese and/or chili. After paying for your meal (with cash only), grab a seat in one of the booths along the wall. Several historic (and interesting) newspaper articles are framed throughout the clean dining area, or take a seat under the first mustard stick, which supposedly was used to top over 10 million hot dogs.
The Milwaukee Wiener House is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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