Rural Missouri - February 2011 - (Page 16)

O U T he northeast Missouri town of Wayland sits just 6 miles from the Iowa border and 10 miles from Illinois. The four-lane Avenue of the Saints skirts the hamlet’s eastern edge. While hundreds of cars pass by each day, unless you’re from this tri-state area, you wouldn’t know to pull off for a bite at a local restaurant cranking out a plethora of homemade favorites for nearly seven years. Reed’s Bar and Grill doesn’t advertise on the highway, but the eatery’s reputation for meals hearty enough to satisfy the 9-to-5 working crowd at lunch and varied enough to bring in out-oftowners for dinner has earned it a loyal following. “On Friday and Saturday nights, I’d guess 75 percent of the vehicles are from Iowa and Illinois,” says Shana Reed, who opened the restaurant in 2004 with her husband, Todd. “You have to drive to get here.” While its legal moniker may be Reed’s Bar and Grill, the business Shana and Todd originally set out to create never came to fruition. When they purchased two buildings in Wayland in 2003, they had a vision of a watering hole where people could listen to live music and shoot a game or two of pool. But, as the remodeling job progressed, the couple realized it wasn’t going to work. The back of the building couldn’t accommodate a stage. Up front, there really wasn’t enough room for pool tables. So Shana and Todd, members of Lewis County Rural Electric Cooperative, changed course and decided to open a family restaurant, a decision that has proved successful. “If we would’ve been a bar, we would’ve been out of business in a month,” says Todd. “There’s just not a call for that sort of thing in this area.” A meal at Reed’s can begin with any number of appetizers, but for a blast from the past, order the homemade potato chips, which are fried up when you order. Or, Shana recommends the chicken wings, which are seasoned with Reed’s own blend of spices. “One of our employees, Dawn Kirchner, is good with the spices, so we came up with our own wing combination,” she says. “I don’t know how to explain them except to try them. We fry them up, put a glaze on them and then we add our spices. We have hot, mild, honey barbecue and sweet and sour.” If you’re craving something unique to eat, you need not look any further than Reed’s lineup of Horseshoe sandwiches. This open-faced favorite found its way to the menu at the request of Shana’s mother. “The sandwich originated in Springfield, Ill., and it’s a big deal there,” Shana explains. “It’s just been a really great item for us, too.” Although building a “shoe” varies T by Jason Jenkins jjenkins@ruralmissouri.coop Bar and Grill A family favorite in three states Reed’s O F T H E W A Y E A T S from restaurant to restaurant, Reed’s classic Horseshoe begins with a slice of grilled Texas Toast and a slice of American cheese, topped with a homemade, 6-ounce hamburger patty. The burger is then buried beneath a generous portion of fresh-cut homemade French fries. Then, the entire plate is covered with cheddar cheese sauce. But that’s only the beginning for the Horseshoe at Reed’s. Not in the mood for a burger on your shoe? Then substitute your choice of a homemade, handbreaded tenderloin, grilled tenderloin, grilled or breaded chicken breast, ham steak or Philly steak. You can trade your home fries for any of Reed’s other fries or onion straws, or add other toppings. Make your shoe a “Mess” by adding grilled onions, green peppers and mushrooms, or kick it up a notch with jalapeños. Of course, you can add bacon, too. “We also have what we call the Muleshoe, which is our original Horseshoe topped with our homemade chili instead of melted cheese,” Shana adds. If the Horseshoe sounds too exotic for your tastes, Reed’s offers more than two dozen other burger and sandwich choices. Try the Piggy Back Burger — a 6-ounce homemade patty topped with sliced ham, bacon and two slices of American cheese on a Kaiser bun — or Shana’s Texas Burger topped with banana peppers, onion straws and melted cheddar cheese. By far, the hand-breaded tenderloin sandwich and the hot roast beef plate are tops with locals, says Shana. The tenderloin begins with 6 ounces of pork, pressed out and breaded simply in milk, egg and cracker crumbs. “Our roast beef is cooked fresh daily,” Shana says. “It’s shredded, piled high on sandwich bread and served with homemade mashed potatoes. We cover it all in our fresh beef gravy.” In the evenings, patrons can’t get enough of Reed’s steaks and charbroiled baby back ribs, or the homemade dinner rolls that come with the meal. Shana’s mom, Zarina Little, does all the baking, including the desserts. “Our house favorite is our Oreo Delight, which is a layered dessert with Oreos, cream cheese, chocolate pudding and whipped cream,” Shana says. “We also have a great peach cobbler. It’s so thick, it’s really more like a deep-dish pie than a cobbler.” In addition to helping at the restaurant, Todd organizes Rust Revival, a spring car show for pre-1965 traditional hotrods and customs. This year’s show is scheduled for May 20-21. The couple says while they’ve been open 6-1/2 years, it often feels as though they’re still in their first year. With a dedicated staff and loyal patrons, Shana says they plan to offer high-quality, homemade dishes for years to come. “We know we’re doing something right,” she says, “because they keep coming back.” Since opening their restaurant in 2004, owners Todd and Shana Reed have been drawing in patrons from Missouri, Iowa and Illinois with favorites such as the hand-breaded tenderloin and their line of unique Horseshoe sandwiches. Reed’s Bar & Grill Specialties: Open-faced Horseshoe sandwiches, hot roast beef plate, hand-breaded tenderloin sandwich, Oreo Delight dessert. • Wayland Price: Appetizers starting at $3.49; sandwiches and burgers from $2.79 to $9.99; entrées from $8.99 to $17.99. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. Details: Open Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Smoking permitted. Seats 100. Directions: 104 W. Des Moines St. in downtown Wayland Contact: 660-754-5004 or treed53@centurytel.net WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP 16 http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - February 2011

Rural Missouri - February 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Life Behind Bars
A Powerful Idea
Mail Bag
Angels Among Us
Out Of The Way Eats
The Store Time Forgot
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
For the Birds
Out With the Old...
World Wide Wood
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just 4 Kids

Rural Missouri - February 2011