Ah, Sunday. Time to Ride to Eat once again, and our destination was set. Thanks to Funday, we were on our way to the Boiler Room in Kewanee.
Back roads beckoned, so we took the less traveled route until we happened upon fresh road maintenance — and its gravel topcoat. No. Thank. You. We hung a left and continued. Even with our re-route, we still had to ease our way over several yards of gravel before turning back onto the highway. No good, but nothing we haven’t had to do before.
We explored the road less traveled, winding our way through central Illinois.
The large bar offered many seating options, so we chose a couple stools by what turned out to be a charging station. Yep, a charging station for customers’ phones — what a great touch!
I studied the menu, torn over what to order. The BLT special tempted, but I hadn’t eaten breakfast and would require something more. Salads, flat breads, sandwiches (hello, grilled chicken with pineapple!), pizza and pasta. This definitely was not going to be an easy choice.
There it was — a throwback to the establishment’s predecessor — The Pioneer. Technically a horseshoe, this culinary creation boasted the biggest, thickest “curly fries” I’d ever seen. The whole thing started with a base of sliced bread topped with ground beef that was generously drizzled with beer cheese and capped with Colby Jack, green onions, tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream.
At first, I was concerned the hearty fries would get too soggy too fast, but they held firm to the end. The green onion provided a fresh snap to the creamy cheesiness. I really liked how the beef was ground, which made it much easier to eat instead of having to break up the typical patty.
The Pioneer and Wings with Potato Salad at the Boiler Room in Kewanee, Ill.
The husband went for the combination Wings and Side. As usual, he chose the standard Buffalo sauce but mixed things up with potato salad. He enjoyed the wings, noting the carrots and celery always are a welcome accompaniment. The potato salad also was tasty (as I can attest). The potatoes were soft but not crumbly, and the sauce must have had sour cream in it, as it wasn’t the heavier mayo-based type I expected.
The Pioneer at the Boiler Room in Kewanee, Ill., is a unique twist on the Horseshoe.
After triumphing over my platter of naughtiness, we found a table outside and hung for a while, watching the band set up and the place fill up. All too soon, we needed to be on our way, and we wandered onward, soaking up the road, the wind and the sun all the way home.
The long, perfectly lonely road home.
Note: The Boiler Room is located at 206 N. Chestnut in Kewanee, Ill., and opens daily at 11 a.m. They have an awesome outdoor stage, so be sure to stop out for a show!
Leave a Reply