Cafe Indiana

Cafe Indiana is both a guide to Indiana’s hometown mom-and-pop restaurants and a reclamation and celebration of small-town Midwest culture. The hungry diner looking for adventure and authenticity can use Cafe Indiana simply as a guide to the state’s quintessential eats: the best fiddlers, macaroni and cheese, soup beans, and beef Manhattan. But Stuttgen also captures the spirit of the locals, bringing to life the people whose stories give the book—and the food—its soul. Over plates of chicken and noodles, fried bologna sandwiches, and sugar cream pie, folks are crafting community at the Main Street eatery. In Cafe Indiana, Hoosiers and out-of-staters alike are invited to pull out a chair and sit a spell.

Joanne Raetz Stuttgen’s cafe guides showcase popular regional diner traditions. In her companion book Cafe Indiana she introduces travelers to the state’s top mom-and-pop restaurants. Now, Cafe Indiana Cookbook allows you to whip up local cafe classics yourself. Breakfast dishes range from Swiss Mennonite eier datch (egg pancakes) to biscuits and gravy; entree highlights include chicken with noodles (or with dumplings) and the iconic Hoosier breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. For dessert, try such Indiana favorites as apple dapple cake or rhubarb, coconut cream, or sugar cream pie . All 130 recipes have been kitchen-tested by Jolene Ketzenberger, food writer for the Indianapolis Star. Cafe Indiana Cookbook reveals the favorite recipes of Indiana’s Main Street eateries, including some rescued for publication before a diner’s sad closure, and documents old-fashioned delicacies now fading from the culinary landscape—like southern Indiana’s fried brain sandwiches. Finalist, Cookbook, Midwest Book Awards

Noted TV personality and columnist Reid Duffy showcases 30 Indiana restaurants that have stood the test of time in this updated and expanded edition of Indiana's Favorite Restaurants. These showcased restaurants have been in existence for 25 years or more, and in some cases for several generations. Recipes for favorite dishes from these restaurants are included so that you can recreate the foods you love at home. Approximately 60 recipes -- from Acapulco Joe's Taco Filling to Nashville House Fried Biscuits -- accompany Duffy's reviews. "Comfort food" abounds in Indiana -- 162 restaurants are included in this category, and 23 well-known steak houses are highlighted in "Where's the Beef?" No fewer than 137 ethnic restaurants around the state are profiled here. Duffy looks to the future as well: he reviews 80 new restaurants that are "destined to stand the test of time." All of the restaurants popularized by Indiana Cooks! (IUP, 2005) have been included in this mouthwatering guidebook. Double the size of the original guide, Reid Duffy's Guide to Indiana's Favorite Restaurants serves up 432 thorough and extensive reviews. Each establishment has been visited in person and the food taste-tested. The result is the best guide to great dining for Indiana residents as well as visitors to the Hoosier state.

Cafe Wisconsin returns in a new, updated version that provides a sure-bet guide to Wisconsin's best small town, home-cooking cafes. For this second edition, author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen traveled more than 12,000 miles in six months, revisiting old business districts and main streets in search of the ultimate cafe, the perfect slice of homemade pie, and the meaning of life in Wisconsin's down-home cafes. Featuring 133 cafes, with another 101 Next Best Bets alternatives, Cafe Wisconsin is every hungry traveler's guide to real mashed potatoes, melt-in-your-mouth hot beef, from-scratch baked goods, and colorful coffee klatches. At the counter of aptly named cafes like the Coffee Cup, Main Street, and Chatterbox, you'll laugh with owners, shake dice with customers, and find the authentic taste and flavor of Wisconsin. Come on. Let's go out to eat!

Western Kentucky in Vintage Postcards guides residents, visitors, and history buffs alike on a virtual driving tour through Kentucky's westernmost counties to enjoy its rich history and natural beauty. Readers will discover why this is perhaps the most diverse region in the Bluegrass State with its many different geographical areas-flat lands to rolling hills and coal fields to miles of lakes. The scenic journey begins in Hopkinsville, meanders north through Madisonville to Henderson, and continues west to the Mississippi River, with stops in Murray, Mayfield, Paducah, and several small towns. Vintage postcards culled from a variety of sources highlight those things that are uniquely Western Kentucky: tobacco fields, coal mines, Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, farming, historical buildings and sites, floods, and dams.

Tired of the same old tourist traps? Whether you’re a visitor or a local looking for something different, Indiana Off the Beaten Path shows you the Hoosier State with new perspectives on timeless destinations and introduces you to those you never knew existed. Experience pioneer life at Connor Prairie's authentic 1800s settlement, one of the nation's top living museums. Visit a replica of the Batcave inside Elkhart's Hall of Heroes Superhero Museum, which chronicles the history of these comic book characters from 1930s to present day. Hikes the trails through Portland Arch State Nature Preserve and marvel at the natural bridge that gave this national landmark its name. So if you’ve “been there, done that” one too many times, forget the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path. Jackie Sheckler Finch is the author of several guidebooks. An award-winning journalist and photographer, she was named Travel Writer of the Year a record four times by Midwest Travel Writers Association. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Jazz-it was America's first truly indigenous music. Starting in the red-hot clubs of New Orleans, jazz made its way north and settled in Chicago. The Windy City became a focal point for musicians, and many jazz legends made names for themselves here, including Jelly Roll Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, and Louis Armstrong. As jazz grew in popularity, Chicago became a hub of musical genius. Jimmy McPartland, Muggsy Spanier, and Benny Goodman were just a few of the artists who benefited from the influx of talent into their hometown. From these early days, jazz has spread to influence musical styles worldwide. Destination Chicago Jazz is a virtual tour of the city's most influential jazz havens, telling the story of the amazing musicians and the unparalleled musical phenomenon they created. Readers will find images of the many world-famous theatres that lined State Street, the hot jazz clubs that made the city's South Side a musical Mecca, and the celebrated players that made it all possible. Destination Chicago Jazz provides a captivating history of the beginnings of jazz on the South Side, downtown's golden age, and the quick and far-reaching effect the music had on the city's North and West Sides.

Nobody does comfort food like Midwesterners. Whether it’s coconut cream pie or savory cheese soup, spare ribs or cornbread, there’s a restaurant in the Heartland that makes it best. Dawn Simonds compiled this essential guidebook to more than 230 unique restaurants, where home cooking is an art. All of these restaurants share a dedication to cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients and serving delicious food in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Simonds offers colorful descriptions of the restaurants and their owners, assessments of the food, price guides, directions for getting there, and other important details. With Best Food in Town as a guide, readers are certain to find restaurants to satisfy any comfort food craving.