Northside Cafe

Just as we were about to leave Winterset after enjoying the walking tacos, brownies, and ice cream at my friend's graduation open house, Papa pointed out Northside Cafe.  

Northside Cafe's claim to fame came when Clint Eastwood walked into the cafe in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.  I've never watched this romantic drama, and after reading the synopsis, most likely never will.  

Since I was not hungry, I just walked in and asked if I could take a few pictures.  The lady at the counter, Hannah, said sure.  I ordered a Fanta orange pop, and started snapping away.  Pretty soon the owner walked up, introduced herself as Michele, and asked if we were in town for the opening of the John Wayne museum.

 

Above, I'm pictured with Michele on the stool where Clint Eastwood sat.  Michele told us she is a homeschool mother who used to own a restaurant/cafe in the Des Moines area, but life proved too busy for her to raise her children and run the restaurant at the same time, so she sold that restaurant and raised her children.  When this restaurant came up for sale a couple years ago, she thought it was perfect timing to get back into business near her home.  She employs quite a few people, including several homeschool graduates.

Papa reminded me I couldn't write a proper review without trying their food, so we asked Michele what she'd recommend from the menu.  Her first recommendation was their tenderloins, but since I'm not much of a tenderloin person, I opted for a Hot Beef Sandwich ($8.99 if I recall correctly).  Since this was our fifth meal of the day, we only ordered one and asked for two extra plates to split it.  Oh, the sacrifices my dear family and I make for blogging...

Quite the sacrifice, eh?  We savored every bite.
The hot beef sandwich, covered with gravy and topped with a dollop of mashed potatoes, was very tasty!

If Eastwood dined here, he certainly knew how to pick a place with delicious homestyle cooking!