Flyover People
Cheryl Unruh
Originally published 01:56 p.m., March 25, 2008
Updated 01:56 p.m., March 25, 2008
There’s probably something wrong with me, because I seldom crave fried chicken.
I’m not opposed to it or anything — if it’s put in front of me, I’ll happily eat a wing or a leg or a thigh.
I had my choice of pieces on a recent trip to the Brookville Hotel in Abilene. The restaurant served a tasty meal — and it made me think of my grandma. But then, I’m pretty sure that triggering nostalgia is part of the restaurant’s game plan.
The Brookville Hotel prepares skillet-fried chicken dinners similar to meals Grandma Unruh used to make.
My grandma lived a two-story farmhouse a few miles outside of Pawnee Rock. She cooked good old American food every day of her life.
Now Grandma was just an ordinary person in an ordinary time, but if you could tag her with a signature dish, it would be either pie or fried chicken.
My brother and cousins and I sat at her kitchen table for lunches and there were also large family meals at the dining room table. More often than not, fried chicken was involved.
Fried chicken was a staple meal at probably every Kansas farmhouse in the days of my childhood. It was a favorite dish after church on Sundays. And, those who didn’t want to fry chicken themselves, lined up at Ralph Wallace’s Buffet in Great Bend.
Now I won’t go into the details of Grandma’s meal preparation; no one wants to hear about my grandma, the chicken and the chicken’s last cluck.
Yes, when I was a youngster, Grandma did indeed show me where meat came from. I learned early on that the chicken that was on my plate today was one of those critters that had wandered around in Grandma’s driveway yesterday.
Fried chicken is still my dad’s favorite food. It’s what he was raised on. But without Grandma or her chickens around these days, he can’t get a good chicken neck. I don’t think they even “make” chicken necks anymore.
The Brookville Hotel has a long history, beginning in the 1870s when it was the Cowtown Café in the small town of Brookville. They’ve been serving family-style chicken dinners since 1915.
About eight years ago, the owners moved the restaurant to Abilene, into a new building along I-70. The new restaurant was built as similar as possible to the original in the way of floor plan, woodwork, and wallpaper designs.
A few weeks ago, Dave and I met his family at the restaurant to wish his sister, Deb, a happy birthday.
The nine of us sat at a long table and we had Brandy’s Opera Room all to ourselves. Each setting had Blue Willow plates and a cloth napkin, all on a crisp white tablecloth.
We waited for the meal to be brought in. You don’t order here. You sit down and they bring in the food. One meal fits all — so you’re going to get chicken.
First, there were the appetizers: cottage cheese, the famous Brookville coleslaw, spiced apple rings (which gave me a flashback to my grade school lunchroom), peaches, and bread and butter pickles.
Next, they brought in the real food: large platters of golden-brown, skillet-fried chicken, and bowls of mashed potatoes and gravy. (I’m pretty sure I could eat my weight in mashed potatoes and gravy.)
The server also set down bowls of cream-style corn, which is made with real cream, and baking powder biscuits, butter and strawberry preserves.
After the meal, my sister-in-law, the birthday girl, was served a hot fudge sundae. The rest of us received a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.
Grandma, of course, would’ve served pie. (And chicken necks, but not for dessert.)
The price of an adult meal at the Brookville Hotel: $13.50, plus $1.90 for coffee, tea and soft drinks. Reservations are recommended. 785-263-2244.
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net.
• Cheryl Unruh can be reached at cheryl@flyoverpeople.net.
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Posted by create (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why did I read this right before dinnertime? Now I want fried chicken and mashed potatoes instead of what I had planned. As usual, Cheryl Unruh's descriptions are always wonderfully alive and in this case, yummy.
Posted by cheryl (anonymous) on March 25, 2008 at 9:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks, create!
If you'd like to take a look at the fried chicken, etc., I've posted photos on my blog.
http://www.flyoverpeople.net/news/index....
Posted by create (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks for the pictures, Cheryl. Now I KNOW I want fried chicken...for breakfast even.
Posted by Shep (anonymous) on March 26, 2008 at 7:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Cheryl, you can come out to Shepherd's Valley farm near Americus and pick up one of those old fashioned birds that will make your mouth water. If there's one comment we hear more than any other from our customers, it's "Wow, these birds are absolutely wonderful. They taste like what I remember eating at Grandma's farm back when I was a kid." The broth is transparent gold, and the taste is just as you describe it. And you can get it with the neck, too!
Posted by create (anonymous) on March 27, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Shep, are they dressed? How about rabbit? What's your locale?
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)