An unassuming cafe

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Over the years we received quite a few recommendations for restaurants to review. The one that keeps popping up is an unassuming cafe on Route 20. We must admit we have driven past this café numerous times, but never gave it a second thought. People have told us over and over about the broasted chicken, their Friday fish fry, and the German fare, so we finally decided to give Café 20 in Marengo a try.

This is an important “last meal” since Nancy is going into the hospital to have her old, worn-out knee sawed off and a brand spankin’ new titanium one glued in. Before you ask, for the sake of common decency, we will not be reviewing hospital food.

We walked in to a small, cozy venue with five booths and eight tables. On the left is a long bar, and behind the bar is their wood fired oven for pizzas.

Looking over their extensive menu we decided on the Giant Bavarian Pretzel ($13.99) as an appetizer. This was a ginormous pretzel served with a cup of cheese sauce for dipping. The pretzel was very tasty, but we thought the cheese sauce was bland and could use some zip. Even though we took half of it home, we thought the price was high for just a pretzel.

Jim was in a German mood today and went with the Fried Pork Tenderloin Schnitzelwichz ($12.99). Try saying that five times fast!!! This was two fried pork cutlets stacked on a pretzel roll. The “star” of the dish was their lemon mayo sauce that was served on the side. That sauce was incredibly delicious and made the sandwich sing. For his side, in keeping with the German theme, NOT, he decided to have a cup of their Steak Fajita Soup. This was also incredible. The soup was more like a chili and Nancy, spoon in hand, kept on trying to steal some.

Nancy heard so much about their broasted chicken that she decided to give it a whirl. She chose the four-piece dinner ($15.99) and wanted white meat only for a $3 upcharge. This came with a side salad, and she chose creamy garlic dressing, of course. What the waitress brought over was honey mustard dressing, and it was good, but not what she ordered. She got her choice of one side and she chose the waffle fries. Although the pieces of chicken were huge, they were a tad bit greasy, which is unusual for broasted chicken.

Luckily, we took home a giant doggie bag, since Jim is hoarding food for when I go into the hospital. He’s been banned from the kitchen since he burned up my microwave oven handle. He is also stocking up on paper plates since he hasn’t figured out how to start the dishwasher.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

In conclusion, some of the food could have used more seasoning, and the menu prices seem somewhat erratic. For example: A one pound chicken wing appetizer cost the same as our pretzel. On the plus side, their portion sizes are huge, so rest assured you will be bringing home a doggie bag.

The price for Nancy’s last meal before going under the chainsaw was $56.41, leftovers for me, priceless…

Jim’s take: That steak fajita soup should be an entrée in itself. I could make a meal out of it.

Nancy’s take: The lemon mayo for Jim’s Schnitzelwichz was to die for. I wish I had the recipe for it since we are pork schnitzel lovers.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com

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