Donna Sanders is the Assistant Producer, Food Editor, and official photographer for the network television, YouTube, and National Ag in the Classroom series Where The Food Comes From. Let’s Eat: On the Road features reviews of some of the wonderful places the WTFCF crew discovered while traveling and filming, while Let’s Eat: At Home brings you recipes from our very own kitchen. But either way – Buon appetito!
After a bit of a hiatus, Where The Food Comes From just hit the tarmac and flew to Sioux City, Iowa to film four amazing episodes! Oh, it felt so good. But it didn’t solve the question of where to eat on the road.
Producer and Host Chip Carter and I had gone back to the airport to pick up a car and stopped at Walmart for provisions. The weather was not so great and comfort food was definitely on the menu. With a little help from Google we stumbled across Johnnie Mars Family Restaurant located in Sioux City.
Established in 1996 Johnnie Mars is a second-generation family-owned restaurant and definitely a place where the locals gather. The understated homey atmosphere and wonderful staff made me feel like I was getting a warm welcoming hug.
And better yet when we came in one of the servers was saying how she almost burnt her mouth on a cup of soup she was eating… and with that I knew I had found my place – I know kind of weird. I can’t say how many times I have asked to have my soup stuck back in the microwave – before it was served – for even one minute just to make sure it was hot enough. But I digress.
So, what did we eat? If you guessed I started with the soup you are right.
The soup was thick, beefy, totally yummy and definitely hot. Just what I needed on this bleak gray day. It was not hard to picture working people and families piling into Johnnie Mars on blustery, snowy days to warm up from the inside.
For my main meal Tom Turkey Dinner – complete with mashed potatoes, sage dressing, corn, cranberry sauce and a roll – fit the bill. Did it taste like mine? No, it did not. But it was hot, had great flavor, and was very satisfying.
Fun Fact: Did you know Iowa has a culinary culture? Well, I did not and apparently there are 17 foods that should not be missed. From berry pies, loose meat sandwiches, ham balls, corn – in any form — to Pork Tenderloin sandwiches.
Chip knew this and before we left Tampa he made a vow to eat as many Pork Tenderloin sandwiches as possible while we were in Iowa. And folks he absolutely did.
Chip enjoyed his sandwich and said, “It’s a hearty working man’s special.” His overall opinion of Johnnie Mars, “Good grub for families and folks on the go.”
Johnnie Mars serves up breakfast favorites, hearty lunches, dinner plates and so much more. With something to please everyone, large portions, friendly prices and cozy atmosphere definitely make it worth the stop. And did I say everyone was so nice?
Johnnie Mars is located at 2401 5th St, Sioux City, IA and is open Tuesday through Sunday 7:00 am – 8:00 pm – closed Mondays.
