Laura

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troutbend
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Laura
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Hotel - Hospitality

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This Oughta Be Good

Travel > Road Food - Arlington, Kansas
 

Road Food - Arlington, Kansas

I found a story about Eldon Bontrager, a 76 year-old farmer and father of the owner of Carolyn's Essnhaus Restaurant in Arlington, Kansas. Eldon took over the morning shift almost seven years ago when his daughter needed a baker and cook.

I had to really look for Arlington, Kansas on the map, finally located it southwest of Salina, so it's not terribly far from Jeri's house in Oklahoma City, if you take the big picture view of life. If you've ever driven through Kansas, you know how important it is to find stops along the way so you have something to look forward to.

Here is a bit from a story that ran in the Hutchinson News:

"On a Monday, ready to begin his day, Bontrager slipped his hands into a pair of plastic gloves, heated the oil for frying doughnuts and headed for the baking area.

Moving from one task to the next without a break, he lined a tray with unbaked scones, filled muffin cups with raisin bran batter, arranged two dozen biscuits on a baking pan, and readied a sour cream coffeecake. With those in the oven he headed for the fryer where he dropped doughnuts and twists into the hot oil. Talking while he worked, Bontrager filled a plastic measuring pitcher with apple pie ingredients, emptied the mix into an unbaked pie shell and piled it high with cinnamon sugar crumb topping.

"We like to give good measure," he said, placing the pie on a cookie sheet in case it bubbled over in the oven. He filled other crusts with cream pie filling and topped each with whipped topping. Then he returned to the fryers and dipped each doughnut into a glaze sauce, before placing them on a cooling rack.

Only minutes before the 6 a.m. opening, Bontrager arranged the four dozen doughnuts and twists on a dining room bar, alonside trays of cinnamon rolls, scones, and muffins. Back in the kitchen he whipped up a pan of sausage gravy, lined the griddle with bacon and heaped on a mound of hash browns. Finally, he checked on the pancake syrup bottles, held in a warmer.

By 6 a.m. waitress Mary Mast, 71, had the dining room ready, pies cut and in the cooler, coffee brewed, and the front door unlocked. Trucker Jerry Miller, the morning's first customer, stopped for a free cup of coffee - sponsored by someone in the community -- and a doughnut for the road. "Their doughnuts are the best, they sure beat Krispy Kreme," Miller said.

That's thanks to Bontrager, a naturally early riser, who helps Carolyn keep her restaurant's food homemade. "We think that's what people want," he said."

The first time I read this article, it seemed like Eldon got all this done in 30 minutes, in a blur of activity. I could feel the rhythm of it and the peace of the early morning solitude, and envied him. I'm definitely going to put this restaurant on my places to go on that road trip I am dreaming about, and I guess we'll have to get there early so I can see Eldon.

Carolyn's Essenhaus Website



P.S. Oh my goodness. I just used the Street View feature of Google Maps to look at that town. It is a small, small town and doesn't look like it could ever get a hustle in its bustle, so it'd be worth seeing just for that. Can't wait to shanghai Mr. Troutbend into leaving the interstate to go there. The easiest way is to tell him there is a casino and cigar store on Main Street right next to the Essenhaus.

posted on Nov 7, 2009 6:39 PM ()

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