The Whitest Meal of My Life - Amish Country: Middlebury, IN

Oh, the dog days of winter - the first Saturday since August with no football. To ease into withdrawal I decided the next best thing would be a visit to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN, which I've been meaning to do for years.

Food would be vital on this journey. After close study of the map, the HOF was combined with my first ever foray into the dark heart of Amish Country. Finely honed street smarts made me avoid the 1100-seat "Das Dutch Essenhaus", although I admit I was intrigued by the simple honesty of the name, "House of Eating" - I doubt you'll find any sous-vide or foam in this place.

Going through downtown Middlebury, saw a horse and buggy parked in front of The Village Inn. Peeked in the window of the 40-seat diner and saw waitresses with bonnets, and Abe Lincoln beards (just on the men). Eureka! We'd struck Mennonite gold.

Came in and every head turned to check out the weirdos, but hostess and everyone else was sehr gemütlich. My wife had the daily special of broasted chicken with dressing, comes with mashed potatoes and classic yellow gravy and corn, choice of soup or salad (wilted iceberg). Chicken was a little dry but tasty. I enjoyed the dressing but my wife didn't. It had bits of dark meat & gizzards mixed in, not what you'd typically expect out of dressing/stuffing. After seeing these endless pork tenderloin posts I had to order it, but eh - it certainly isn't wiener schnitzel. Pounded as thin as a slice of paper, then breaded and deep fried. Mashed potatoes came with a brown gravy this time, which was boldly peppered.

The meal comes with a slice of homemade white bread. This gave me a serious "À la recherche du temps perdu" moment, when I had my first hot open-faced roast beef platter as a kid in some nondescript diner. Growing up we never went out to eat, and I thought I'd discovered the most magnificent thing ever devised by man. The slice of white bread hidden under the thin sliced beef & gravy was the thing that truly shocked and awed me. And my first bite of white bread at the Village Inn transported me back to that sacred place. This was truly the airiest, whitest white bread I ever had in my life, not that unholy plastic white of Wonder Bread® - just, in a word, white.

Since they're only open for breakfast and lunch and we got there kind of late, they marked down the price of pie from $1.95 to $1.00 to clear out the day's inventory. What the hell, forget about splitting let's splurge and get one each! My wife had chocolate, which had a filling like a Jello® chocolate pudding mix. I had peanut butter, which was like a Jello® vanilla pudding mix with crumbled nuts. Both buried under whipped cream.

Was the strangest meal, it's all coming back to me in a fever dream. Everything was made from scratch, my mind insisted upon that. Portions were ample (key), and cheap; $20 total. But my lizard brain told me this was the ur-meal from which all future processed TV dinners and such sprang forth. This is what billions of dollars and intensive food lab research with their wondrous chemicals and additives strove to recreate. I'd found Kurtz!

So if you jaded urbanites are ever in need of a fix of pure Caucasian soul food to get back to your roots and recalibrate your palates, this is the place:

The Village Inn
107 S. Main St.
Middlebury, IN
(574) 825-2043

Eddie, great post. I've been itching for a trip to Middlebury. Now (as the Fleshtones might have sung) I'm super-itchin'.

Fast Eddie - All due respect, I'm sure it was a fine meal and your conclusion is that it was, but clearly this meal had to have been greater than the sum of its parts, which included (1) dry (if tasty) chicken, (2) wilted iceberg lettuce , (3) pork tenderloin that elicited an "eh," (4) pie that tasted like it was made with Jello pudding (yet "everything was made from scratch" ... that's sort of a trick) and (5) the apparent highlight of the meal was a slice of white bread that was remarkable for being airy and white and not tasting as bad as Wonder Bread (another Hoosier innovation, by the way). So, while the brown gravy was boldly peppered, the staff was friendly and you liked the stuffing, most of the parts of your review just don't add up to anything like the sorta strong recommendation you give the place. What's missing here?

But was the whipped cream real, or was it Cool Whip or similar? Please advise.

Jello pudding pies are fine with me, as long as they don't incorporate that vile non-dairy topping.

What's missing here?

Did I mention the portions were ample?

But seriously...certainly not a fine dining experience by any means. More of a totally throwback meal to the 50's (or 20's, or Gay 90's). All served up without a single crumb of irony. Try ordering that from a hipster mock/faux diner in the city!

But was the whipped cream real, or was it Cool Whip or similar? Please advise

Excellent question! The waitress swore everything was from scratch, but all the food tasted like our most popular mass food products - sans the chemical aftertaste. Mirable! So to answer your question, the whip cream was real but it tasted just like Cool Whip® - same mouth feel and sweetness.

I should expand on the mashed potatoe (nod to Dan Quayle): nary a lump to be found.

Hate to be redundant, but it was like the food conglomerates all sent spies out to this place and told their chemists to recreate all of this in a lab.

Gotta agree with Jim-my first reaction was: I'm only goin' if I develop a fetish for eating amongst the Amish.

I'd hope that they still cook from scratch from real food too - but I have to tell you that I've been assured by well-meaning restaurant people across the country that everything's cooked from scratch every day - from a mix.

I'd hope that they still cook from scratch from real food too - but I have to tell you that I've been assured by well-meaning restaurant people across the country that everything's cooked from scratch every day - from a mix.

Bonjour Madamemoiselle! Comment allez vous? Still in Paris I hope?

I was skeptical about the whole scratch spiel myself, but it takes a real hard core cynic to disbelieve a Mennonite in a bonnet. St. Peter is probably harsher on them than on your typical restrauteur.

Did this Village Inn have an orange roof/sign with black writing?

In my estimation, you passed up the best restaurant in all of northeastern Indiana. Das Dutchman Essenhaus has super home made soups, outstanding family-style meals, and a great bakery with fantastic pies, breads and desserts. It is a must for anyone travelling through this Amish community. Check out their website at http://www.essenhaus.com/index.cfm?pagename=mainpage_template&client_id=essenhaus%5Fcorp&tablename=news&link_id=10204724&linkname=Restaurant&sublinkname=Restaurant.

Another interesting restaurant is near the Shipshewana Flea Market about 10 miles away from Middlebury, which they boast is the world's biggest. I don't know if it is, but I cannot walk through it in one day. See http://www.shipshewana.com/. The Blue Gate Restaurant in Shipshewana (http://www.riegsecker.com/php/blue_gate/index.php) is very good, but maybe a notch below that of the Essenhaus, but that's just my opinion. Others swear by the Blue Gate.

Fast Eddie wrote:More of a totally throwback meal to the 50's (or 20's, or Gay 90's). All served up without a single crumb of irony. Try ordering that from a hipster mock/faux diner in the city!

Drive south on I-65 and you can have that throwback meal served without irony and with real flavor at Hollyhock Hill. I get what you were looking for, what you hoped to have found ... but found only with some major qualifications. But there are plenty of places, like Hollyhock (or Strongbow Inn, as another example) where they've been "keeping it real" serving Hoosier farm dinners for generations, no hipsters, no irony, no sacrifices either.

BTB wrote:It is a must for anyone travelling through this Amish community. Check out their website at

Sorry, that cracked me up for some reason.

cilantro wrote:

BTB wrote:It is a must for anyone travelling through this Amish community. Check out their website at

Sorry, that cracked me up for some reason.

Quite a few Amish businesses have websites marketing their businesses. In general, many Amish businesses contract with their non-Amish neighbors to run the websites. (This is much like how Amish families hire neighbors to drive across the country to visit friends and family.)

That's pretty interesting, thanks.

bnowell724 wrote:Did this Village Inn have an orange roof/sign with black writing?

It's right by the traffic light, you can't miss it. All I remember of the exterior is the buggy and the Amish vatos hanging on the corner, smoking Kools and drinking the 4-0's. I don't recall any orange roof though, sorry.

Drive south on I-65 and you can have that throwback meal served without irony and with real flavor at Hollyhock Hill. I get what you were looking for, what you hoped to have found ... but found only with some major qualifications. But there are plenty of places, like Hollyhock (or Strongbow Inn, as another example) where they've been "keeping it real" serving Hoosier farm dinners for generations, no hipsters, no irony, no sacrifices either.

Huh? You mean I got Munsoned at The Village Inn?

Last week we had breakfast at Village Inn in Middlebury. It's right next door to Gohn Brothers, a fascinating shop, purveyors of "plain clothing" for over a hundred years. Gohn's is a fine place to pick up a blanket-lined black coat or a pair of zipperless drop front britches, made in the back workroom.



A homemade cinnamon bun and nonstop coffee made a pleasant beginning.



Things got more interesting in the next round: fried cornmeal mush with tomato gravy, biscuits with sausage gravy and headcheese.



The crisp yet tender mush was well prepared but the tomato gravy conjured up memories of Campbell's (I understand it's made from tomato juice thickened with milk and flour). Biscuits & gravy were a decent effort though somewhat bland. I don't know what I was expecting when ordering a side of breakfast headcheese but their loosemeat version wasn't what I had pictured. Though not highly seasoned it was anything but subtle. It probably isn't for everyone; such a porky blast may be a bit much first thing in the morning. We weren't in the mood for a slice of their many pies (blueberry custard looked especially appealing) but opted for an apple fritter for the road.

If I'm passing by again I'll almost surely revisit. Middlebury is less than 10 miles south of I-90. I'd like to try the smoked pork chops (cut and smoked at the town butcher shop) and a slice of pie. And maybe pick up a pair of those pants.

Gohn Brothers
105 S Main St
Middlebury IN
574-825-2400

Village Inn
107 S Main St
Middlebury IN
574-825-2043

Rene G wrote:If I'm passing by again I'll almost surely revisit. Middlebury is less than 10 miles south of I-90. I'd like to try the smoked pork chops (cut and smoked at the town butcher shop) and a slice of pie. And maybe pick up a pair of those pants.

Was passing by again so stopped for pork chops. No pie—all were sold out. No pants—Gohn Brothers was closed for the day.





Pork chops were tasty but somewhat dry. Josephine's shredded beef was the star of the meal. Accompaniments were highly variable: homemade coleslaw was very fine, potatoes and beans not so much. This sort of mixed experience seems par for the course at Village Inn. While not a dining destination it remains a very useful restaurant to know about (it's such an easy stop off I-90). I know I'll be back, hopefully in time for some pie (not all of these are served every day).



Speaking of pies, Village Inn also serves pizza (a large is only $8, 1 topping, after 4pm). I'm not sure I'm ready for Amish pizza.

Village Inn
107 S Main St (State Road 13)
Middlebury IN
574-825-2043

Hi,

When we were there in March, we had a passing conversation with an Amish (Mennonite?) woman about the Village Inn's pies. As often as she had dined there, she never had their pies. Practically in unison we both said, "Because I can get them at home." We smiled and laughed at our meeting of the minds.

Regards,

Regarding the pies: Rhubarb custard is the specialty of the house and is served every day. All of the pies can be pre-ordered. I have to say that after that pile o' beef, the last thing I needed was another morsel of food.

Rene G wrote:I know I'll be back, hopefully in time for some pie (not all of these are served every day).

Josephine wrote:Regarding the pies: Rhubarb custard is the specialty of the house and is served every day.

I was back in time for some pie, rhubarb custard no less. It was good but I preferred the similar pie I had a few months before at the Kingston church supper (that was a truly excellent pie). I thought the Village Inn's pie had a dominant eggy flavor and not enough rhubarb. Still, a good pie and a good deal. I look forward to trying other pies at Village Inn.



Next door at Gohn Brothers they were out of pants in my size (we heard new ones being stitched in the upstairs workroom) but I did buy a hat.

Rene G wrote: Next door at Gohn Brothers they were out of pants in my size (we heard new ones being stitched in the upstairs workroom) but I did buy a hat.

What? No picture of the hat?

I got to stop in Amish-land Northern Indiana last week. I drove around for a while and was sad to see I missed the smoked meat spot in Shipshewana due to it closing for the day but I did end up at the Amish Essenhaus in Middlebury. Its part of a huge little empire in the heart of Amish country. They have a factory where I think they jar their wholesale goods and maybe bake some of the stuff available at the bakery. The bakery is attached by a long hallway past the buffet table and one of the two huge dining rooms into another gift store in the lobby with a desk to RSVP your party and get pick up orders.


The restaurant on the left leads to the bakery on the right

The bakery was pretty amazing. They had all sorts of homemade pie and baked goods along with 100's of canned goods made on site. Stuff like Apple Butter, Amish hot sauce and pretty much anything you can think of that's jarred. It reminded me alot of River Valley ranch in Burlington. I didn't know what to get, I wanted it all. They had every baked good you could think of but I settled for a half an apple pie and a package of dinner rolls I used later in the week. The prices were noticeably cheap compared to most places like this I have been.


Essenhaus apple pie

On top of being one of the larger restaurant spaces I have seen there is also a antique shop, x-mas shop and a few other stores that women love but nothing for men except the food. There is also an Inn to spend the night or weekend at. It was really nice in the Fall around this area. Perfect scenery and the smell of burning leaves in the crisp cool air. There really isn't a better cuisine for a cool night then some hearty Amish home cooked food. I visited the Essenhaus on a Monday night around dinner time and it was packed. It seemed like everyone in town was there but I guess its not too far off the highway so there must have been lots of travelers.

The menu had so many items that I wanted to try but I only had one visit. I still managed to order way more than I could eat but I was headed back to Chicago so I wanted leftovers. On top of the regular menu they also have a buffet. It was around $5 pricewise and changes daily. Its usually an entree off the menu, fried chicken, homemade noodles and a bunch of other sides. I settled on almost everything I wanted, with the exception of a few items of course. The one thing I missed that I cant wait to get back for is the "Manhattan" sandwich. Its their home cooked warm roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy on top served in afresh baked bun. Next time I'm in the area it will be a must do. Here is what I ended up with.


Beef and Noodles

This is a dish I have loved since a kid and if I see it at a place like this I'm going to get it. It became a no brainer when I asked the waitress what the most popular ordered item was and she told me the beef and noodles. I thought they were really good, great comfort food. Hidden beneath the pile is a layer of mashed potatoes and gravy. They don't hold back size wise so for $7.99 along with a bunch of rolls it was a great deal.


Chix Pot Pie

The chicken pot pie was also pretty tasty. So much so that I forgot to take a pic after I dug in.

I also tried a meatloaf sandwich. Its just their meatloaf with some gravy served on regular white bread although they asked what I wanted on it so other options are available. Its a case where simple works great.


Meatloaf sandwich

Das Dutchman Essenhaus
240 U.S. 20
Middlebury, IN 46540-9713
(574) 825-9447
Website

Tried Dutchman Essenhaus yesterday on a trip to Indiana Amish country.
Beef with noodles was solid comfort food, but didn't seem like destination dining. Wife's fried chicken was good, but a bit dry. I make the mistake of ordering fried Pollack, hoping for something like one would get at a good fish fry, but it was badly overcooked. Homemade dinner rolls, vinegar cole slaw, and raspberry ice tea were good. Sadly, the air conditioning was turned up so high that my seven year old was very cold, so we didn't stay for the pie, which looked excellent.
BTW, the best part of our trip was our stop at the Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park a few miles up the road. What could be more incongruous than the sight of young Mennonite children wandering around feeding their bison, water buffalo, zebras, rhesus monkeys, Texas longhorns, elands, and mountain goats? My kid loved it, especially the petting zoo part.

I dragged Mrs. JiLS to Middlebury today for a scenic fall drive and lunch at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, and we were both happy about that decision ... the scenery was nice, too. Background, my mother's family, the Rubles, settled in northeast Indiana by way of Pennsylvania and before that Bavaria. They wound up in Huntington, Warren, and Marion, Indiana, which are not that far from Middlebury. As a result, similar to what you'll find at the Essenhaus, the traditional fare at any Ruble meal was "Dutch" filtered through Hoosier sensibilities and predilections (but something like 300 years in this country means no German language or real German culture remained). Chicken and noodles ... yes, served with mashed potatoes ... was one of my Grandma's standout recipes, which of course my mom, my mom's sister, and every other woman in the family knew how to make and did, regularly. (It's a deep regret of mine that I never had my mom teach me the recipe before she passed away.) The version of chicken and noodles we ate today at the Essenhaus was as close as I've had to that dish in many years, and it was a really nice treat. Not that I'd been seeking it out, but here's where I might have found it if I had; I'm sure plenty of others are making the dish, too. Sure, the noodles were cut wider than we would have done, and they were from dried rather than fresh; and the gravy was not as bright yellow or thick as our family's version, but it was really wonderful food, and still close enough to trigger some profound sense memories for me. The green beans cooked to death with ham were even more on point; as I said to Mrs. JiLS, these exact beans were served at every single Ruble family meal I can remember. I talk a lot here about things like biscuits, grits, fried chicken (another dish my Grandma did famously well), because my dad's half of the family were all Southern; but this was a lovely and tasty reminder of the other half of my culinary heritage, and a meal I think anyone might relish, even if they never tried it before.

Hi,

I am glad to see comments today on chicken noodles over mashed potatoes. I am about to make some chicken noodles right now. The recipe I plan to use is a third prize winner at the Illinois State Fair. After reading Jim's comments, I will make the noodles instead of packaged egg noodles.

You may want to check out the kissing cousin of chicken noodles over mashed potatoes, that is the beef noodles over mashed potatoes.

Regards,

Never realized there was an Indiana Amish country, got in here a little late on a Saturday afternoon as some of the shops the next town over in Shipshawana were closing early for a wedding. Hit a cheese producer in Middlebury(Deutch Kase Haus), really glad we got into Yoders meats in Shipshawana before they closed.

Nice unit up front:



Yoders had pretty much any cut of meat you might want, most locally sourced. Alot of the items were frozen, a deal breaker for some, but I grabbed up a little grass fed grond beef ($5/lb), some brat patties, some amish noodles, pork cracklins, etc. They offereed grass fed or grain fed beef, pork, buffalo, butter, local jellies, etc.

This area is really neat, horse drawn buggies, flea markets, quaint shops. I am heading back here in the summer with my mom Shay and Vangie, they will love it.

Yoders Meat Shoppe
SR 5
Shipshawana, IN.

We were also at Yoders late afternoon on the 17th! We love this place because of the no hormone meats. We stock up on the ground sirloin, round and chuck for sloppy joes & spaghetti sauce. The rib eye burgers are great for grilling. The Tri- tip roast is the best deal there. We will pick up a few hanger and skirts steaks as well. I have tried the grass fed beef but frankly could not tell the difference other than price. We also buy chicken hearts and whole chickens and strips for the kids. We also like the bacon at the deli counter. Smoked ham hocks and pork chops are nice too. We also buy the big tubes of amish butter. We fill a huge cooler for about $200. We love the fact that it is hormone free at competitive prices. My daughter likes the cajun beef jerky. The sausages are not consistent. Not a fan of the cheese or deli meat selection. We swing by the Bread Basket to buy fresh bread and pastries.

Hit the Shipshewana Flea Market on the 4th. Lots is tube socks and sunglasses, but a couple food finds, at least for me.

First spot we tried was Aunt Mables Fried Pies... Yep, individual fruit pies, deep fried. Really nice crust, and the deep frying is a fun technique. They sell these at Yoders Meats if the food cart isn't running.

Next spot was the treat of the day. I heard the faint sound of an old compressor or motor chugging along, spied the old time John Deere motor powering an old time ice cream making operation. 4 wooden bins filled with ice and salt with a metal canister spinning inside. Family run operation, we went with a small vanilla, and a small blueberry... Vanilla was great, blueberry was out of this world.. Creamy, milky...

Shipshewana Flea Market
345 S. VanBuren
Shipshewana, IN.

Tues and Weds + other special dates.

jimswside wrote:Hit the Shipshewana Flea Market on the 4th. Lots is tube socks and sunglasses, but a couple food finds, at least for me.

Next spot was the treat of the day. I heard the faint sound of an old compressor or motor chugging along, spied the old time John Deere motor powering an old time ice cream making operation. 4 wooden bins filled with ice and salt with a metal canister spinning inside. Family run operation, we went with a small vanilla, and a small blueberry... Vanilla was great, blueberry was out of this world.. Creamy, milky...

Shipshewana Flea Market
345 S. VanBuren
Shipshewana, IN.

Tues and Weds + other special dates.

heres some pics of the cat who was making that ice cream:







seriously some of the best I have ever eaten, i could almost taste the moo..

Shot a little west of Amish land over to LaGrange/Angola, IN.



Popped into the Turkey Lake Tavern for a shot and a beer as well as a fish sandwich while I was at it. Especially since I saw syrup pitchers on the tables filled with tartar sauce..

solid sandwich, not perch or walleye, but a mild white fish:



Turkey Lake Tavern
3600 S. 1150 Road
LaGrange, IN.


also spotted another fish spot down the road, interesting history, once known as Gropps Famous Fish of Stroh:

looks to be a mention of this LTH in this Ft. Wayne thread back in the day.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=15372

this site talks of some of the history before they became a chain.
http://www.fishofstroh.com/default.aspx?iid=1165

this looks to be the original location, since 1956:

Strohs Hideaway - Also called Strohs Country Club
4230 S. 1175 E.
Stroh, IN.

Kind of mad I didnt head in for a sandwich.