Des Dutch Essenhaus

I usually love Amish cooking, but I thought this food was bland, at best. I really like visiting Amish country and usually look forward to the calorie blast that I get from the gravies and the pies. Here, though, the salad bar was functional and the food was uninspiring.

We were heading home, thinking about detouring to Mrs. Yoder's kitchen, over Mt Hope way, when we spied with our little eyes Des Dutch Essenhaus on the map.  So we wheeled over to Shreve, sat down in the knotty pine dining room and ate.

Food was cafeteria quality.  Service was "Hey, Seth?  When's the next bus-load due.  Oh, sorry.  You ready to order?"  Not good.  Not at all good.   Two stars because Shreve is nicer than the abandoned towns to the south, and the knotty-pine and historical pictures are great, and it has been here so long, who am I to say it's not so hot?

We'll stop one more time, in the next year, just to be sure that we didn't hit an off day.  But jeez.  This is home-cookin', which SHOULD be simple, clean food, with flavor and quality.  Not what we were served.  

Until we go back, you shouldn't either.  You can get the same menu, and the same atmosphere at Mrs. Yoder's, with the exception that there the food and service will both be delicious.  (My wife even asked, DURING our meal, if we could PLEASE go over to Mrs. Yoder's!)