Iowa Store Cited as "Gourmet"
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- A convenience store/cafe has attracted the attention of famed food columnists Michael and Jane Stern, who wrote about the Crystal Cafe in their "Roadfood" supplement to Gourmet magazine, according to a news report in the Sioux City (Iowa) Journal.
The Crystal Cafe, open since 1948, welcomes more than 300 customers per day. And that's just the customers who pay for fuel at the truckstop, the newspaper stated. The attached cafe serves hundreds more. The operation is co-owned by Coleridge, Neb., natives Vern Hartung and Elroy Hefner.
The "Roadfood" writeup stated: "As a rule, meals in filling station convenience stores aren't too good. But the Crystal Cafe's are swell. Truckers treasure this open-all-night eatery just west of the Missouri River for its two-fisted chicken fried steaks, biscuits with gravy and mile-high cream pie," the Journal reported.
The cafe is known for its nine different kinds of pie, made on-site, home-cooked meals, being clean and offering friendly, prompt service, the reported stated.
The Crystal Cafe, open since 1948, welcomes more than 300 customers per day. And that's just the customers who pay for fuel at the truckstop, the newspaper stated. The attached cafe serves hundreds more. The operation is co-owned by Coleridge, Neb., natives Vern Hartung and Elroy Hefner.
The "Roadfood" writeup stated: "As a rule, meals in filling station convenience stores aren't too good. But the Crystal Cafe's are swell. Truckers treasure this open-all-night eatery just west of the Missouri River for its two-fisted chicken fried steaks, biscuits with gravy and mile-high cream pie," the Journal reported.
The cafe is known for its nine different kinds of pie, made on-site, home-cooked meals, being clean and offering friendly, prompt service, the reported stated.