Dexter Iowa Community Site

Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

Anyone who has been a regular reader of this column knows that I have a great love of those fun out of the way places where the food is good and the atmosphere is even better. Nearly every time I find someplace that makes my belly sing with gladness I share it with you and this week isn’t any different, but this new place is close enough that you could drive up for a meal and be back home in time for the next one.

Just a quick drive up Highway 169 at the point where the Raccoon Valley Bike Trail runs through the town of Minburn, sits a little bit of history with a secret inside of it. Most well-known of all Minburn hot spots is Mudder’s whose motto reminds passersby that they have the coldest beer in Minburn. Directly north across the street sits the former Minburn Café, which for years was a busy stop for farmers and over the road truckers as well. But the real treat stands just feet away where the recently moved and renovated Minneapolis and St. Louis depot stands as Crossings.

Open every day till 7:30 there is plenty of seating both inside the old waiting room and outside at the patio where you can watch traffic and bicyclists roll by. The agent’s office is now serving as the bar/greeting area and although busy at times seating is usually quick and well worth any small wait. Crossings has a paired down menu which offers breakfast and sandwiches, but one can order a full order of biscuits and gravy for $7.95 or a half order for $4.95 all day long. The menu also contains a few different salads and appetizers’ as well, some that can be made into a side dish. Most sandwiches on the menu are in that $8 range and come with fries, which if they aren’t homemade are at least unusual, somewhat a cross between a wedge and curly fry.

Be sure to ask about the special of the day, sometimes chicken and noodles or a special loaded burger with onions and ham. I ordered the club and the bread was thick and lettuce, tomato and onion was beyond fresh. The sandwich when cut in half was half of the size of the serving plate and good from first to last agonizing bite. I did eyeball a plate of nachos and queso dip as it went out the door to the patio and wondered if it was meant to feed four people. The wait staff was friendly and still being trained so you might have to flag them down for a refill but at the end of your time they will count your change back to you the way it should be which impressed this old grocery store clerk.

Sometimes a great meal is just up the road and you can bet that if you wander in some afternoon or evening you might just catch me sitting there eating as the food was beyond delicious and more than ample for the cost. Crossings is definitely a great place to hang out with friends and a wonderful place just to sneak into and grab a bite to eat. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy your time there as well.

See you next week….remember, we’re all in this together.