"Where will we go to eat?" was a tough question, for there were many enticing choices. Bob had been talking about Amanas food for years already, telling me you can pick what you want and then they just keep bringing out more food. Jeff recalled once eating lots of good food at the Ox Yoke Inn. We eventually settled on the Colony Inn Restaurant in Main Amana. Jeff could try a new place, homemade desserts were included with dinner, and they claimed to be where family-style dining began in 1935. We arrived mid-afternoon on this September weekday. Entering the restaurant through a gift shop, we found bright, roomy dining areas with plenty of room between tables and only a few other diners. Each table was covered with blue-and-white checkered oilcloth and surrounded by sensible wooden chairs in various styles. We perused the menu with anticipation. How family-style works is, you pick one meat specialty and all kinds of side dishes come with it. We each selected a different specialty: sauerbraten (marinated roast beef), Kassler Rippchen (hickory-smoked pork), chicken schnitzel, and Amana pork sausage. Almost immediately, baskets of fresh bread and bowls of cottage cheese, lettuce salad, and sweet sauerkraut salad were deposited around us. We’d already ordered a pitcher of amber bock when I spied dandelion wine on the menu. Couldn’t pass that up! So (for the first time) I sipped the sweet golden liquid as an interesting accompaniment to the salads and passed it around for all to taste.
When the bottoms of the salad bowls and bread baskets were becoming visible, our meats and side dishes arrived: mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and… more sauerkraut, this time more sour than sweet. Of course everyone had to try each specialty. The smoked pork chops were the winner, tender and flavorful. Tied for middle place were the chicken breasts, breaded and fried golden-brown, and the seasoned grilled Amana pork sausages. My specialty, the sauerbraten, was a disappointment. I’d enjoyed sauerbraten years ago in California and recalled the slightly sour meat with a dark, sweet, zippy ginger-snap sauce that contrasted well with the meat. This sauerbraten and ginger gravy it came in was sort of blah.
Although we were pretty full by now, we HAD to have dessert, because it came with the meal! But somehow we made room for pie, ice cream, and apple strudel.
The historic Colony Inn building was constructed in 1860 as the Amana Hotel. Its gardens and kitchens served overland travelers. When the railroad reached the Amanas in 1883, the hotel had to expand to accommodate increased business from rail travelers. In 1932, the Amanas gave up the communal lifestyle for capitalism. By 1935, the Colony Inn was serving family style meals for $0.50 a head, not a bad deal even for those Depression times. Today, traditional Amanas recipes are still used and all dishes are prepared fresh daily. It’s still not a bad deal at $13 to 15 per person.