“Absolutely Charming”

Who said that? That would be me during our first visit to Horsefeathers/the wild hare café. (See our blog on May 17th). We didn’t have time to stop for lunch that day, but I resolved that we would return before our Springfield visit came to an end.

“The wild hare cafe in Elkhart isn’t the kind of place where you chomp down a quick sandwich and run out the door. It’s the type of restaurant that invites diners to linger, to savor, to converse, to enjoy” (kathryn.rem@sj-r.com).

The store and café are owned and operated by Andrea Niehaus and her Dutch-born husband, Peter Niehaus. He’s an engineer and woodworker who met Andrea when both were living in Capetown, South Africa. Peter is also head chef. On our first visit, I overheard Peter describing his recipe for potatoes with another customer. I didn’t catch all of the details, but I did hear the words “cream cheese” and “pour melted butter over the top before putting them in the oven.”

Andrea’s "... sister, Renee Sisk, makes all the desserts—pies, cobblers, carrot cake, angel food cake, cheesecake, cookies, and biscotti. ‘I couldn’t make a pie crust if my life depended on it,’ said Niehaus (kathryn.rem@sj-r.com).

“Old family recipes are used so all our dishes tend to be old-fashioned comfort food seldom seen in restaurants today. The crockery, decorative pressed glass, and general clutter are all vintage pieces from our private collection. The unusual décor and hand-painted murals are unique to the wild hare and create a cozy welcoming environment” (from the café’s menu).

So on a beautiful May day, the three of us (Dora, Chuck, and me) took the drive from Springfield to Elkhart, IL, for lunch. We forwent the two small dining rooms that were once the bank vaults and found seats in the larger back dining area with heavy mis-matched dining furniture and modern art hanging on the exposed brick walls.

The menu is a combination of soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. The day's specials included potato and bacon soup, Tuscan vegetable soup, asparagus quiche, and a BBQ pork sandwich with potato salad.

Both Chuck (bowl) and Dora (cup) started with the potato and bacon soup that was thick with chunks of red skin-on potatoes and bits of bacon. The soup was topped with house-made croutons and was served with seasoned oyster crackers. This was a rich, creamy, and hearty soup, and I especially liked the smoky flavor from the bacon. This is an addition that we will copy next winter when we make potato soup.

My choice was a cup of the Tuscan vegetable. Each spoonful brought forth a different vegetable (zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, green beans, garbanzo beans, and celery) plus cork screw pasta in a tomato and beef broth. And it came topped with the same croutons and with the herbed oyster crackers. As good a photographer as Chuck is, the photo can only hint at the goodness of this soup.

Dora’s soup came with the soup and half sandwich combo and her sandwich choice was the Turkey BLT with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

Instead of ordering a sandwich, Chuck decided to order a side of their homemade potato salad (with eggs, celery, onions, and mayo)

and the black bean salsa salad (black beans, corn, peppers, and onions marinated in a cumin tomato and garden vegetable salsa).

I chose the Salad Sampler which came with a small portion of each salad on the menu. Centered by a scoop of the herb-roasted chicken salad made with nuts, celery and dried cranberries, the sampler included: potato salad; black bean salsa salad; carrot salad with baby carrots and onions in a Catalina Island style dressing; Moroccan wild rice salad with wild rice, celery, almonds, raisins, dried cranberries, and scallions in a ginger and sesame dressing; three bean salad with garbanzo beans, green beans, kidney beans, and green peppers in an oil and vinegar dressing; Greek salad with pasta, feta cheese, and vegetables in a basil pesto vinaigrette; and pasta primavera in a creamy dressing.

In order not to mix tastes, I elected to eat this one salad at a time, and with one exception, each was more delicious than the last. The three bean and carrot salads did, in fact, take me back to Midwest summer picnics. The one exception was the wild rice salad. Yes, I know that it is expensive. Yes, I know that it is a delicacy. But I just don’t care for wild rice.

None of us wanted a lot of dessert, but we did want to try one of the wild hare’s desserts. So we decided that the three of us would share a slice of the key lime cheesecake, which came decorated with three mini-bunny shaped cookies. This cool and slightly tart dessert was the perfect end to a terrific lunch.

Sometimes you can’t explain why a place will reach out and grab a hold of you. That will speak to you in a special way. But the wild hare and its charming owners and whimsical décor have certainly done that with Chuck and me. We hope that sometime in the future we’ll be able to return to this 5.0 Addie café.

And Now For Something Incredibly Delicious

We were heading to the Weber House for breakfast, but we were sidetracked by the architecture.

"The Howard K. Weber House is one of the few remaining great private houses left intact in the area once known as 'Aristocrat Hill.'

"It began as a small house of the 1840’s (or earlier) and grew through numerous changes until it evolved into its present exterior form sometime in the 1870’s.

"The house is a successful hybrid of two opposing styles--both typical of the 19th century--the classical and the romantic. It is a two-story, L-shaped, brick structure with overhanging eaves supported by brackets.

"The main (East) facade has a two-story bay window, which combines Corinthian columns, classical pediment, and decorative rectangular arches with non-functional keystone, which enhances the classical feeling of the Italianate Villa style.

"The porches, which were originally of wood, were rebuilt about 1900 in the neo-classical style then popular, which is sympathetic to the Italianate Villa style. The porch running north and south, along the east facade picks up details from the earlier structure and carries out a successful transition."

Stained glass windows, such as the one on the left, were added during the 1893 remodeling.

"Although this has undergone several changes throughout its history, the basic structure (in Gothic Revival style) is still intact. Taken as a whole this building is a truer example of a late Victorian home and all that this entails than many museum rooms which portray one decade or less of 'Correct' fashion" (from springfield.il. us/HowardWeberHouse).

Not only is the Weber House a spectacular building, it houses the Incredibly Delicious Café and Boulangerie. You enter through the gates on the south side of the house.

You then pass through a small garden with a few tables and chairs for those wanting to dine al fresco.





The interior best reflects this mood in its major restoration/remodeling of 1893. At that time the Webers installed parquet floors, a Romanesque Revival stairway, yards of lincrusta Walton wainscoting, in rooms which had been primarily classical in proportion and detail.

Just inside the doors is a hallway with a shelf unit with a variety of olive oils and jams.

Past the hallway is the counter where you can order breakfast, lunch, or one or more of their incredibly delicious breads and pastries that are the creation of the French trained owner/chef.

Not all of the bread selections are available every day, but they include: traditional French--baguette, batard, or epi (a series of yeast rolls which are interconnected to look like a stalk of wheat); King Midas semolina loaf; Country French made with sour starter; Multi Grain--wheat, rye, flax, millet, sesame seeds, oats, corn; Kalamata Olive; Challah- traditional Jewish egg braid; Wheat Raisin Walnut--zante currants (very small and intensely flavored) and California walnuts in a whole wheat base; and Pepper Parmesan--sourdough base finished with imported parmesan and cracked pepper.

And then there are pastries--cranberry walnut tart, cherry almond tart, mixed berry tart, coconut snowball cake, sour cream coffee cake, assorted cookies, and handmade croissants.

The café menu is not for big eaters and could be described as being for “ladies who lunch.” The lunch menu, which changes daily, is posted online. Today’s was: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quiche; Artichoke, Tomato and Parmesan Quiche; Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto, and Tomato Bruschetta on a baguette; Chicken Salad Sandwich; Aroasta Chicken (?) and Jack Cheese Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mayo (all of the preceding are served with soup or salad); and Roasted Chicken Breast Salad with mixed greens, dried cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette. The breakfast menu is equally short and includes: an egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant; your choice from three quiches served with nut bread and coffee; and a selection of pastries and croissants (plain, chocolate, raspberry, and almond cream) with coffee.

We placed our orders—for Chuck the egg and cheese on a croissant and for Dora and me the artichoke and tomato quiche (and a plain croissant for me)—and went to find a table in one of the multiple dining rooms. Being located in an old house, Incredibly Delicious offers multiple dining areas in what were rooms in the original residence. Some rooms were painted white with teal blue trim. Some were flooded with light from the tall windows. And others had a more rustic look from exposed brick.

Soon our food was delivered to the table. Chuck’s sandwich, which contained a fried egg topped with good nutty Swiss cheese, was delicious. The croissant? We’ll get to that later.

Dora and my quiches were incredibly delicious. First, the tart’s crust was rich – very rich--and flakey. And the quiche mixture was a combination of chopped artichokes, sun-dried tomato strips, eggs, and parmesan cheese. The filling was as rich as the pastry crust with just a bit of fruity/nutty/salty flavor from the cheese. And the kitchen resisted the temptation to go overboard with the sun-dried tomatoes. The flavor of sun-dried tomatoes is quite intense, concentrated, and slightly salty, so a little goes a long way.

Our quiches came with toast that I suspect was made with the multi-grain bread. It was good, but multi-grain breads are not my favorite; so I am glad that I had added the croissant, which was buttery, flakey, and I think contained a hint of almond flavoring.

There is no better way to start the day than with a delicious breakfast in a beautiful old house. Truly a 5.0 Addie stop.

Not Enough Time

Rain prevented us from photographing the exterior of the Elijah Iles house, the oldest home in Springfield, IL, on the day of our visit.

Major Iles was a founder of Springfield. In 1921, with $1,500 worth of trade goods, whiskey, nails, stoneware, salt, and coffee, he opened his store--the only retail establishment within seventy-five miles.

Iles soon owned a large parcel of the land and built the home in the early 1830s as a "spec" house to attract people to build other large houses on the lots he was selling. This area today is known as "Aristocracy Hill." (Tomorrow's blog will present an example of the homes in this area.)

The home has been restored to look much as it did then (photo right).

We were very fortunate to have as our guide David Stevens, who, as a child, lived in the home with his grandparents, Latham and Lyna Souther. They had purchased the home and moved it 12 blocks, thus saving it from demolition. The Southers lived in the home from 1910 to 1950. Subsequent owners moved the home back to its present location, which is near the original location.

As we toured the rooms of the home, Mr. Stevens told the story of how Iles and others were instrumental in establishing Springfield as the capital of Illinois.

In the 1820s, Sangamo Town challenged Springfield for the location of the state's governmental offices. There were no buildings at Sangamo Town, but the beautiful spot overlooked the Sangamon River.

The sole proprietor of Sangamo Town was William S. Hamilton, the adventurer son of Alexander Hamilton. In 1824, Hamilton was elected state representative on a platform favoring his site. The losing candidate, Jonathan Pugh, went to Vandalia and lobbied for Springfield. The legislature left the final decision to five commissioners. Four of them looked over Springfield and then asked the way to Sangamo Town.

Moving the government to Sangamo Town would have been fatal to the Iles' interests, so he and others arranged to have Andrew Elliott, who was completely familiar with the countryside, to be their guide. Elliott took them on a circuitous route that required the fording of Spring Creek and crossing rough, wet, and brambly terrain on the route to the town, which on paper existed only seven or eight miles northward.

On the return trip, the commissioners asked for a shorter route and were escorted through still rougher country. Once back in Springfield, they were given a hearty dinner by Iles.

Under the circumstances the commissioners made Springfield the permanent county seat and later the capital. Iles and his primary partner, Pascal Enos, deeded the public square to the state and, in compliance with the law, donated thirty-five acres to defray the cost of public buildings. Hamilton sought better luck at the Galena lead mines and California gold fields. Elliott’s name has been forgotten in Springfield. (This more detailed account was taken from A New Eden: The Pioneer Era in Sangamon County, by Robert P. Howard at www.sancohis.org.)

One of the items of interest to us in this Greek Revival-style home was this beautiful desk (next two photos). This work space seems appropriate for the man known as “the father of Springfield.”



The other item of particular interest was this wedding gown. The marriage of Queen Victoria to her cousin Albert of Saxe- Coburg in 1840 has had more influence on weddings than any other. Queen Victoria put the wheels in motion by marrying in white (Kelsey McIntyre,
The History of the White Wedding Dress).

We could not imagine how long it took one or more persons to create this lace.

As we were preparing to leave, Mr. Stevens mentioned that we might want to take a look at the exhibit downstairs before we left. And once again we found ourselves in a location of interest with little time.

Speaking of time....

Here we met Farrel Gay and his collection of watches produced by the Illinois Watch Company. Here was another of Springfield's if not "hidden," then certainly well-disguised, gems under the name of The Farrell and Ann Gay Museum of Springfield History.

Mr. Gay eagerly showed a drawing of the former watch factory in downtown Springfield (photo above), but he was also aware of the approaching time and his tee time with his fellow golfers waiting by the exit.

Mr. Gay gave us a detailed description of some of the unique watches in his collection, but I clearly needed more time just to learn the vocabularly of this craft. An octagon-shaped watch face is shown here.

These examples of "off-set" watches were a type that I had not seen before. I can't remember if Mr. Gay mentioned the reason for off-setting the faces.

This Illinois Police Special watch is very rare--only three are known to exist. It features a policeman's cap and night stick on the face.

This pocket watch was just one of the ones I caught a quick glimpse of as we rushed through the exhibit.

Another attraction to add to our "Must-Return-To" list.

There’s a New Kid in Town

Downtown that is.

“The north side of Springfield’s Old State Capitol Plaza has a restaurant: THE GOLDEN FROG CAFE. ‘We’ve refurbished and stained the original hardwood floors, put up a full wall....’ said owner Lori Miner about the building at 3 N. Old State Capitol Plaza that had been empty for some time.

“The restaurant’s signature sandwich is the chicken and waffle, which has chicken breast, Swiss cheese, crumbled bacon, and maple mayonnaise on waffles. Other sandwiches are roast beef, pesto turkey, poppy-seed chicken salad, Reuben, Cuban, grilled cheese (three cheeses, sliced apple and pear conserve) and Everything Thanksgiving (turkey breast, provolone and cranberry-thyme spread)” (Kathryn Rem, State Journal Register).

Milner used to be the breakfast and dessert chef at the very upscale and elegant Inn at 835. While called a Bed and Breakfast, I think that the Inn could also qualify as a boutique hotel.

The Golden Frog is located in the Buck’s Hat Store Building, which is listed on the National Register. When built in 1855, it was the first three-story building in downtown Springfield. The exposed brick walls and pressed tin ceiling (the most magnificent that I have seen) attest to the building’s historic nature. The exposed metal ductwork, coffee bar, and mis-matched patio furniture bring the café into the present.

Note the chair with its metal bird decorations. Be careful how you sit or you may get a beak in the back. And scattered around the room were frog statuettes and knick-knacks.

Dora ordered the chicken and waffle signature sandwich with a side of potato salad and shared a bite with both Chuck and me. This was an interesting take on the classic chicken and waffles which originated in Harlem back in the 1930’s, and the addition of salty bacon relieved some of the sweetness of the waffle and the maple spread.

Chuck’s choice was the Everything Thanksgiving with sides of potato salad and Golden Bean Salad. This latter was similar to the classic three bean salad—even though it only contained one bean. But the vinaigrette dressing was similar to the one that I use on three bean salad. Fortunately, the feta cheese was mild and smooth rather than the salty strong cheese you often find. The really good potato salad on both Chuck and Dora’s plates was made with a ranch-style dressing and also contained bits of bacon. The sandwich itself would have been very good if not for the overly sweet cranberry-thyme spread. This would have been better on a hot buttered biscuit than on a sandwich.

Having overindulged that morning on breakfast, I decided to just order a sandwich—the London Port Roast Beef—and forgo the sides. Mine was the better of our two sandwiches (We decided to each eat half of both sandwiches.) with thin sliced beef, horseradish cheese, and Dijon mustard. I especially liked the kick provided by the zesty cheese.

The Golden Frog has potential, but isn’t equal to The Feed Store located just across the plaza. Still, this lunch merits a score of 4.0 Addies.

There is always room for dessert…

So one afternoon we head off to another Springfield institution—Krekel’s. “William Krekel with his first location in Decatur, Illinois…in 1949. At Krekel's, the ice cream is a signature part of the menu. But surprisingly, the Krekel's story doesn’t begin with dessert. It all started with the main course back in 1949...the Krekel Burger. Today, thousands gather at any of the seven Krekel's locations in Central Illinois for burgers fries and shakes reminiscent of years past, a simpler time.

Fresh, never frozen, ground beef smashed onto a sizzling hot griddle; hand-made shakes in 16 flavors, chili made daily with our own special meat and piping hot fries are the staples that have made Krekel's a Central Illinois tradition” (from the Krekel’s website).

While the Krekel Burger has been voted “Best of Spring-field,” Dora is not fond of their burgers, and believe me, we learned our lesson with Steak ‘n Shake. So we stuck with ice cream—or frozen custard, as the woman staffing the counter emphatically told us.

Dora’s choice was a small strawberry frozen custard; Chuck chose the small strawberry shake; and I opted for the medium lemon frozen custard. Both Chuck and Dora’s strawberry confections were delicious with good strawberry flavor. But my lemon custard (for which Krekel’s is known) was less successful. Again, this was one of those dishes that taste good at the start and become less appealing the more you eat. I finally decided that I was tasting artificial lemon flavoring and way too much of it. Perhaps the unnatural yellow color should have been my first clue.

And both Dora and I agreed that Krekel’s frozen custard lacked the smooth texture and rich mouth feel of Culver’s. So based on the fresh flavor of Dora and Chuck’s strawberry desserts, we’ll give Krekel’s 3.0 Addies.