Sunrise Café 908 West Main Street Le Grand, Iowa 50142 Tuesday-Saturday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
For the longest time we saw posts of some awesome food pics on Facebook from a good friend in Marshall County. Knowing that it was on the list coming up soon, I just had to be patient and wait for the perfect time. When I knew I was coming through the area, I had to find out exactly where this place was and check it out. For the September issue on the 99 County Tour, Marshall County was slated, and Le Grand proved to be the place to be. Located just east of Marshalltown on Highway 30, the Sunrise Café cannot be bypassed. Take the exit, go a short jaunt south into town, and look to the west. The café sits in the northwest corner of town. It is across the way from the gas station and it is literally one of those awesome little mom and pop types of places. There is a large parking lot, and paved on street parking as well for plenty of bikes if you are doing a group ride for some vittles. When you walk in this place, it is about as down home as you can get. The locals nod or say hello, which in some places simply does not happen. The staff greets you and says to grab a table where ever you would like and quickly asks for drink order. Looking at the menu and looking at other plates as they come out makes ya feel like you better have an appetite, or room for a to-go box when you leave. With breakfast all day, it made for a difficult decision on what to get for the noon meal.
fu chicken breast full c into thick strips cut a then battered and a fried. There and w were about seven s strips of chicken th were not that s skinny little bite s size pieces. They a almost require a f fork and knife to e as the hearty eat, c chicken strips with th breading are the almost too big to pick up and eat unles unless you go full swine style and eat like a pig. As if this mountain of golden fired goodness was not enough, it came with a side dish of corn, AND real mashed potatoes a gravy! To top off the chicken and s strips, their home made raspberry d dipping sauce is amazing. It offers a li little sweet, a hint of sour, and adds s much depth to the chicken that is so b becomes a flavor medley that is both u unique and incomparable. A twenty dollar bill covered all of th food and a couple of soft drinks. this T They say there if you go away hungry it is your own fault, and they hit the b bull’s eye with that sentiment! If you fi yourself in east-central Iowa, find a anywhere near highway 30, stop in to the Sunrise Café in Le Grand. If you are a fan of friendly service, home-style atmosphere, non-sneering locals, and truthfully more food that you can eat, this is the place for you. I sure know that I am going back to try some of the dessert on the next trip! Sitting in for Big Little this month. Vernon. Until next month, ride safe and eat hearty! Craig Little craig@thunderroadsiowa.com PS If you have someplace you think we should check out in your neck of the woods, shoot me an email.
I decided on breakfast, and ended up with an-everything-ya need platter. A stuffed omelet type of dish with plenty of hash browns, bacon, onions, peppers, and topped it all off with some amazing home-style sausage gravy. The eggs were cooked spot on, and then the filling added in at just the right moment to meld it all together. Plenty of potatoes to stick to your ribs for the rest of the ride, and the gravy with big chunks of sausage melded it all together for a complete meal. Chop opted for the chicken dinner. This cat makes me look small, and when he said it was more than he could eat I laughed. When his plate was delivered I then saw how true his statement was. Giant beer battered chicken strips adorned the plate that must have been a
38 - TRMI SEPTEMBER 2015
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