Visiting a small town like Oelwein often (the rebuild shops were located there), you get to know the places and the people pretty well.  Most corporate people travelling there ate at either The Sportsman’s Steakhouse or the Country Club.  Both had very good food and comfortable bars.  Mostly they ate there to separate themselves from the blue-collar workers who never went to these higher priced restaurants

Of course, I got to know the owners of the Sportsman’s, Pete and Dominic, and the bartenders. They opened the restaurant in the late 1940’s.  If Dominic was cooking that night and minestrone was not on the menu, he would make some for me.  I understand that the Sportsman’s was sold and renamed in 2004, closed in 2009 and the abandoned building burned down in 2011.

I would often want a simple meal and would go to either the pizza place or restaurant in downtown Oelwein.  Many people who worked in the shops frequented these restaurants.  One night I was having a quick dinner at the counter and one of the shop guys I knew came in and sat with me.  He was surprised that I was not at the fancy restaurants.

He told me that there is no use going to the fancy restaurants because the food there and at the ordinary restaurants all comes off the same delivery truck. “I’m sure it’s the same in Chicago, right?” he said.  I just agreed.