Dutch Mill closing leaves cinnamon roll hole

Sept. 16, 201110:14 a.m.

You may have seen the news yesterday that the Dutch Mill Bakery in Yoder closed suddenly after 32 years in business. (Anyone besides me find it too strange that the store closed during the Kansas State Fair, the very time that many people would stop in on their way into Hutchinson?)

I’ve covered the Kansas State Fair for 14 consecutive years (!!!!!) and one of the parts of that assignment I always looked forward to was that Yoder Road exit off of K-96. I almost always saw a family clopping along in a horse-drawn carriage. And I would almost always stop either at Carriage Crossing for lunch, at Yoder Meats to buy a flatiron steak, or at Dutch Mill to bring back a plate of cinnamon rolls for my co-workers. That made me very popular.

Several of my colleagues were distraught yesterday to learn of the closing of the bakery, which they count as a Kansas fixture. (I couldn’t drum up much despair on my live dining chat, however.)

How about you? Does the Dutch Mill’s demise make you depressed? Where will you get you cinnamon roll fix now?

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Live chat, Restaurant closings | Comments

Food worth driving for: Radio version

July 30, 201010:32 a.m.
Lots of teeny tiny burgers make Salina a Cozy place.

Lots of teeny tiny burgers make Salina a Cozy place.

I blame it on my 5-year-old daughter. She wouldn’t go to bed last night, so I took away her morning cartoon privileges, so I let her listen to the Taylor Swift Pandora station this morning instead, so I apparently MISSED a whole segment on B-98 that was about my story in this morning’s Go! section.

Brett and Tracy’s producer, Kathy, was kind enough to let me know what I missed, which apparently was a loooong addendum to my list of restaurants in towns around Wichita that are worth driving for.

Keep in mind that I’m planning a Part II to the story, since I couldn’t fit everything in the paper today. But B-98 listeners came up with a few I probably won’t be able to fit into the second list either, so I’ll share some of them here.

Cozy Inn, 108 N. Seventh, Salina: The only reason I’m not including Salina’s famous tiny burger hut is because it’s already very well known, sorta like Carriage Crossing in Yoder and Luciano’s in Mulvane.

Bogey’s, 1417 S. Ninth St., Salina: Tasty burgers and shakes.

Nieves Mexican Restaurant, 119 E. Nineth, Winfield: Though several people suggested this place, I’m not including it only because I have another tasty Winfield nominee to feature.

Lumber Yard Steak House, 311 N. Main St., Zenda: Is it bad that I’ve never heard of this restaurant or of Zenda? Must change that.

Puffy’s Steak House, 215 Main St., Maple Hill: Thanks to TopekaDad for correcting me on this one. BTW, where’s Maple Hill?

Guy and Mae’s Tavern, 119 Williams St., Williamsburg: Home of world-famous ribs and sandwiches

Two Doors Down, 307 Baird St., Cuba: Burgers and other cafe food worth driving for.

Enrique’s, 2213 Waverly St., Ponca City, Okla.: Great Mexican food south of the border. The Kansas border.

Thanks, B-98 listeners. Part II will be published on Aug. 13.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Restaurants worth the drive | Comments

Food worth the drive

July 28, 20103:30 p.m.

Everyone knows about Carriage Crossing in Yoder and Luciano’s in Mulvane.

But other tiny communities that surround Wichita are home to lesser-known restaurants that are worth the drive.

This week in Go! I’ll publish Part I of a two-part list of restaurants you might want to check out next time your stomach is empty and your gas tank is full. One is The Breadbasket in Newton, which Jaime and I selflessly investigated on Tuesday morning. You can see Jaime’s video of The Breadbasket’s resident baker at work if you click “play” above.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Out-of-town dining, Uncategorized | Comments