Fried Food, Coffee, and Cocktails

On a recent weekend adventure I was seriously ecstatic to be able to try a few local places that included none other than food and drink...two of my favorite things! On the way to St. Joseph, we made our way off the highway to a small place called Fords Drive-In. We walked in and the folks there instantly knew we weren't from around those parts...but they didn't care. They found us entertaining and served up a big smile anyway. Reason #48,295 why I love places like this. The guy behind the counter, "You must be related."...why yes, yes we are.

We each ordered a burger and decided to split cheese sticks, mushrooms, and spicy cheese cubes and after polishing that off, ordered a large fry. Our total bill, under $14. Now, these servings are smaller, thank you for not super sizing anything...but fulfilling for us. I am not going to lie, I could have ordered a triple burger, but decided to take it easy.

Once arriving to our destination, we dropped off our bags...see previous blog post about Whiskey Mansion...and decided to head downtown. We found the cutest little coffee house, Mokaska Coffee and each ordered something warm to "warm" up. My sister had this whipped apple cider...and although my cappuccino was yummy, I wanted to steal hers! Once we finished there, we headed to the Tiger's Den to up our game with cocktails.

This place had me instantly...it's a used book store/bar, let's call it a Book-Bar. Prohibition-style drinks, walls of used books, comfy couches and friendly folks. I am so glad we found this hidden gem. They offer a variety of craft beers, many different wines, and great cocktails. I opted for the Paloma, a favorite of mine. Best part about it, no television. Bonus points in my book...see what I did there?

By the way, how could we not start out this roadtrip without a bathroom selfie? November is seriously my favorite time of year!