Kottage Kafe -- Kinda kute (Jacksonville, IL)

We drove down to Kansas City 4th of July weekend, and to add a little visual interest to our drive, we avoided both St. Louis and Des Moines, and instead cut west at Springfield, followed the interstate until it ended, and took state highways until we hooked up with I-70.

We stopped in Jacksonville to gas up, and the fella at the station recommended Kottage Kafe for "a good homecooked meal."

It was a little out of the way (or so it seemed; turns out it's just off the highway but a different exit), and when we pulled up, the dreaded double K set off some warning signals. But there weren't a lot of options at that point, and, hey, local color.

We had a good 10 minute wait on a bustling Friday night at the cafe, over which we had time to note the daily specials, which all looked pretty good
(fried fish on Friday). We were also struck with--well, we live in Albany Park, and Albany Park is a remarkably diverse neighborhood, but one kind of diversity we don't get so much is being surrounded by old people. Now I don't spend as much time at VFW halls as some, but the older country living, community restaurant is a nice change of pace.

As for the food, it was remarkably good. As much I was drawn to both the fried fish and the fried chicken, I couldn't resist the temptation of the legendary Springfield horseshoe. When they told me they breaded their own pork tenderloins, I was sold.

This was one pretty tasty mess of a sandwhich, open-faced, a couple thick slices of whole wheat toast, covered by a huge freshly breaded, nice and moist, perfectly tender tenderloin, topped by a sprawling heap of fries and then smothered in cheese sauce a cross between that you get with ballpark nachos and Merkt's cheddar. The amazing thing is, it worked. I don't mean to issue a backhanded compliment here, but I thought, seeing it, a) how could this possibly be good and b) how can I possibly finish it. It was and I did. I've had a few pork tenderloin sandwiches on similar road trips, and I've always been disappointed. This one was really surprisingly good.

The catfish fillet my wife got was good, not great, didn't make me regret my decision not to get fish. It was just a bit overdone. The accompanying mashed potatoes were good though. The biggest surprise to me was the boys' hamburgers. Obviously freshly made, hand patted, these were really good burgers. And the fries were good too.

Finally, the pie. How can you resist homemade pie from the Kottage Kafe, even if you're stuffed from a horseshoe and trying to make KC before midnight. And when they offer straight-up rhubarb pie no less? Well, I made the mistake of ordering ice cream on top, which was a mistake, 'cuz they can do pie out here but the vanilla was D grade. Still, the pie was superbly crafted, the crust, a little soggy by the poor topping, held up none the less and showed definite skill. The filling was tasty, proving again that rhubarb can hold its own as a filling.

Incidentally, I believe the owners also have another place on the north side of town.

Kottage Kafe
1850 S Main Street
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217-245-9430