A morning in Decorah at the Dug Road Inn B & B will go down in the memories of our world travel as one of the most agreeable ever. We awake to a lovely cool 67F morning and, when coffee arrives in the dining room at 7:30, we discover that we are the only guests at this 5- bedroom home originally built in 1866 and remodeled in the 2000's for the sole purpose of being a B & B. Now run by Chef Mattias Kriemelmeyer and wife Claudia, this establishment is one of the most pleasing and welcoming places we have ever stayed. Chef Mattias offered us the choice of breakfast in the dining room or on the spacious front porch; we opted for al fresco! The pride of the Dug Road Inn is its gourmet breakfast and it is justified.
We were served by Chef himself, starting with a properly tangy yogurt compote including fresh local blueberries, black cherries and raspberries, topped with Claudia's home made granola with a touch of maple syrup and a grating of fine coconut. Great Start! Next the main breakfast of a crust-less quiche of salmon and feta cheese accompanied by a small salad of spinach and arugula which was topped by a thick slice of homegrown yellow tomato and a balsamic reduction. Also on the plate was a small home baked scone, and a dollop of the most sublime Wisconsin produced Roquefort cheese with juniper berries incorporated in the cheese. Final plate was a small peach pavlova - freshly sliced Colorado peaches (Iowa ones not yet in season) macerated in sugar for a light sauce, topped by freshly whipped cream with a merengue tucked in the center and a sprig of mint leaves to top. This was easily the most intriguing and satisfying combination of food and setting we have enjoyed in years, and easily one of the best breakfasts ever.
Chef sat with us over coffee after he had finished serving us, telling us of how this young couple, he from Wisconsin but trained in Sonoma and practicing his trade around the country and in to the Caribbean, and she from the Island of Martinique and working in the hostel industry, came, with their two young children to land in Decorah Iowa managing and, hopefully, to be owning this little masterpiece.
We finally took our leave around 11:00 and headed east towards the Mississippi River valley and it's river road, driving north alongside the river towards our Minneapolis destination. As we moved northward, the river side towns and scenery were changing, the farms beginning to transition from river bottom and, as we moved northwest, transitioning into center pivot irrigation rigs and dryer areas. We left the hilly northeast Iowa area and transitioned into the glacial pocked terrain of south central Minneapolis.
Experienced travelers that we are, we managed to pull onto I 35, I 235, and I 494 at 4:00PM as most of the working population of Minneapolis also hit these roadways. Such planning required discovering roadwork detours and lingering at some of our sites longer to be sure and be able to join the throng. Many missed turn offs and lane changes later, we finally arrived at our next Hampton Inn (you would think we would have more imagination than this) at 5:00 and rested in our room for 30 minutes or so before heading out to meet our friend April Dillon at her home and journey on to dinner at nearby Redstone Grill.
We had an enjoyable cocktail and dinner, including braised short ribs with roasted potatoes and vegetables for some, and an imaginative General Tso Turkey burger with a side of garlic mashed potatoes for others. An enjoyable and resting catch up, and after dropping April back home, we returned to the hotel around 9:00, read for a while and dozed off to a sound sleep and the end of our 3rd day on the road.
