Road Tips

Lincoln Winebar - Mount Vernon, IA

My wife and I were a little handcuffed when it came to our anniversary in 2022, mainly because I had been unemployed for a few months, but was getting ready to start a new job in the coming weeks.  We really couldn't go anywhere - even though my wife had taken the week off as she has done many times over the years during the week of our anniversary.  We both had been keen on a place that we'd heard about in the small town of Mount Vernon, IA that specialized in wood-fired pizzas made with locally sourced food items, as well as having an interesting wine list.  We took a little road trip on the day of our anniversary and took the backroads around Eastern Iowa ending up in Mount Vernon late in the afternoon to have dinner at the Lincoln Winebar.  

Actually, we had always wanted to go to the Lincoln Café, a destination restaurant that was started by Matt Steigerwald in 2000.  Steigerwald - a native of Cincinnati who grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina - had an extensive background in culinary services working for a handful of restaurants as well as with James Beard Award-winning chef Ben Barker at the lauded (but now closed) Magnolia Grill in Durham, NC.  While in the Raleigh-Durham area, Steigerwald's wife Michelle Mouton completed her doctorate in English and Critical Theory at the University of North Carolina.  Dr. Mouton's first job with her doctorate degree was to come to Mount Vernon and teach at Cornell College.  

Steigerwald realized that Mount Vernon had a dearth of destination restaurants that served sustainable foods - as in zero.  Working with local farmers and food co-ops, Steigerwald came up with an idea for a restaurant where the menu would change seasonally upon availability of locally-raised food products.  Steigerwald opened the Lincoln Cafè in 2000 and it was an immediate hit with food connoisseurs who drove miles to dine at the restaurant.  Steigerwald was a three-time James Beard Award nominee for his work at the Lincoln Café.  

Three doors down from the Lincoln Café was a small wine cafe by the name of Divine Wines.  It opened about the same time that Steigerwald opened his restaurant in 2000.  In 2006, the owners of Divine Wines were looking to sell their spot, and like many chefs Steigerwald was looking to do something a little different.  When the opportunity to buy Divine Wines came up, he jumped on it renaming the place the Lincoln Winebar.  

In 2013, Steigerwald closed the Lincoln Café to concentrate on a revamp of the Lincoln Winebar.  (Ironically, one of the people who Steigerwald bought Divine Wines from - Rachel Sauter - reopened a restaurant in the old Lincoln Café spot and called it the Palisades Cafe after the nearby cliffs along the Cedar River in what is known as Palisades-Kepler State Park.  Sauter sold the restaurant in 2016.)  

About six years after Steigerwald purchased the Lincoln Winebar, it became home to a huge (6500 lb.) specially-made wood-fired brick pizza oven that was manufactured in Italy by renowned artisan Stephano Ferrara, a 3rd-generation Napoli craftsman who is now helped in the family business by his son Simone.  The oven - which features Santa Maria bricks from Campania, Italy, and mortar from Mount Vesuvius - cost about $25,000 to build and it took 3 months for the oven to make it to Mount Vernon from Naples.  The roof of Lincoln Winebar had to be removed for the oven to be lowered into the establishment via crane.  Inlaid in the ceramic tiles above the opening of the oven is the Italian phrase Il Cibo E Importante - "Food is Important".  The brick oven can reach temperatures of 900 to 950 degrees (F) and can cook pizzas in 60 to 90 seconds.  

In September of 2014, Steigerwald sold the Lincoln Winebar to long-time employee Jesse Sauerbrei.  Sauerbrei had a background in wine and beer distribution before joining Steigerwald at the Lincoln Café.  Steigerwald went to head up the New Pioneer Food Co-op's kitchen in Cedar Rapids.  (Steigerwald is now involved with Wilson's Orchard and Farm outside of Iowa City heading up the kitchen at the Rapid Creek Cidery.)  

Under Sauerbrei, Lincoln Winebar started doing lunches featuring sandwiches, salads and soups.  (They no longer do lunches at Lincoln Winebar.)  In the late summer of 2018, Lincoln Winebar procured a mobile brick oven that they take to events, private parties, farmers markets and other venues around Eastern Iowa.  And just a few weeks ago, Sauerbrei partnered with James Beard Award regional semi-finalist Aaron Hall from The Local Crumb in Mount Vernon to open a new pizza/bakery concept in Cedar Rapids by the name of Fancy's New York.  

It was just before 5 p.m. when we pulled up in front of Lincoln Winebar at the corner of 1st St. West and 2nd Ave. NW in downtown Mount Vernon.  (see map)  We had tried to go to the restaurant before, only to learn that they are closed on Sundays.  (They're closed Mondays, as well.)  

We walked up a set of stairs and into the restaurant.  The large pizza oven in the corner behind the counter was tough to miss.  There was a small bar area off to the side opposite the pizza oven.  Lincoln Winebar featured wooden floors and a Tuscan-style wallpaper scheme.  My wife immediately noticed the sound dampening panels on the ceiling to help keep the restaurant from being an ear-splitting echo chamber when filled with people.  

The place was void of people when we walked in and an outgoing woman by the name of Rachel greeted us as we came in.  She told us that we could sit anywhere and we took a table near the front window.   Parched from the road trip, I immediately ordered a Big Grove Easy Eddie Hazy IPA.  My wife ordered a glass of the house cabernet.  

The menu was on the wall near the pizza oven.   It was basic with just a few appetizers and a handful of pizzas with featured toppings.  They also had a few specials that day including Morel mushrooms with chives in a panna cream sauce (it was $24 bucks and there was a limit to just one per table); locally grown asparagus with 'nduja salami from River Bear Meats out of Denver, CO; and a nettles salad with cream, red onion, sweet peppers and Mahón Spanish cheese.  (I had to look up to see what nettles were and it's a spring herb that is high in oxidants and Vitamin C, and is usually served in tea.)

Some of the other items on the appetizer part of the menu were breadsticks made in the brick oven, house-made meatballs with arugula in a tomato sauce with parmesan cheese, and a basic house salad made with locally sourced greens.  

What we ended up getting to start out was the burrata cheese with 'nduja appetizer.  It featured a dollop of excellent burrata mozzarella cheese (hard on the outside, gooey on the inside) with sort of a paté of the 'nduja salami in a chile oil along with sweet pepper rings, arugula and gremolata (parsley, garlic and lemon juice).  It came with crackers and the taste sensations from all fronts were off the charts.  We sort of laughed and said that we could have had a couple more plates like that and that would have been fine for dinner.  

Since pizza was the only main item on the menu board, we decided to get a sausage and pepperoni pizza.  More people had come into the place, but our was going to be the first pizza of the day.  It didn't take long and Rachel was setting the pizza down in front of us.  It looked delicious with some charring on the fringes with ample amounts of ground Italian sausage and pepperoni slices mixed with a tangy pizza sauce with fresh mozzarella.

The only problem was that it really didn't taste all that great.  It was very burnt on the bottom of the pizza.  I like a little bit of burnt caramelization of the cheese on pizza, but the crust had that very burnt taste.  We both had a piece and thought, "Wow, this is really burned."  

Rachel came over to check on us and she said, "How's the pizza?"  I turned a slice over on the pan I asked if it was supposed to be this burned on the bottom.  "Oh my gosh," she gushed.  "Oh, no!  That's really burnt!"  

It wasn't long until Jesse Sauerbrei walked over to the table and looked at the pizza.  "Oh, man.  I'm so sorry, folks," he said.  "We're going to get you guys another pizza."  

As they were making up another pizza, Jesse Sauerbrei came back over to the table to explain what had happened. "I've got a new guy working the pizza oven," he said. "He was working our mobile pizza oven over the weekend and the floor of that oven doesn't get as hot as the floor on this oven.  He was still thinking that the pizzas needed to stay in a little longer."  Jesse also comped us on another beer and a glass of wine for our troubles.  We insisted that it wasn't that big of deal, but he made sure that we got a new set of drinks on the house.    

Moments later Rachel brought over a new pizza for us.  This time, there was much less char on the bottom of the dough.  And it was a much better pizza, too.  The flavors were all very fresh and melded well together.  The crust was crispy, but had a nice doughy texture to the bite.  I remarked to my wife that a side of marinara sauce would have been perfect to dip the pizza crust into.  (We found out later on from Rachel that the breadsticks they have come with a marinara dipping sauce.  We'll be sure to get some marinara on the side for the pizza crust next time we make it back.)

For dessert, they have tiramisu on the menu.  Only - that day - they didn't.  Rachel apologized to us for the lack of tiramisu and we were sort of crestfallen with that revelation.  But that didn't stop us - we went back to the Quad Cities and stopped at Biaggi's for a couple pieces of tiramisu to finish off our anniversary evening.  

The first very burnt pizza would have had us probably not coming back had we not said something to our server when she came back to check on us.  But they were very apologetic and accommodating in getting us a pizza that wasn't burned - and one that was very good.  It was an excellent pizza where all the ingredients tasted fresh and flavorful.  The service from Rachel was top-notch, and the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming.  Mount Vernon is kind of a haul from the Quad Cities, so it's difficult for us to get back to the Lincoln Winebar as much as we'd like to.  But for others willing to make the drive to Mount Vernon from Iowa City, Cedar Rapids or other points in Eastern Iowa, the pizza is worth it.

Back to Montreal

When I think about those nights in Montreal...

That's the opening line of Montreal native Gino Vannelli's hit song "I Just Wanna Stop", a sort of schmaltzy love song that hit No. 1 on the Canadian Billboard charts and No. 4 in the American Billboard charts in 1978.  (Although this version of the song performed by Vannelli is rather soulful and jazzy.)  I had to go to Montreal for meetings and a trade show recently and the whole time I was there I couldn't get the opening line of Vannelli's song out of my head.  

It's probably because I like Montreal so much.  

I first came to Montreal in 2002 for a job interview and I was hired on site.  I loved working for the company with people who became a second family to me.  That all sort of came to an end when the owner retired and sold the company to a French company that was the owner of our two biggest lines that we distributed.  I hung on with the new company for another 2.5 years before getting unceremoniously terminated in September of 2021.  That started me on a circuitous route of starts and stops and starts with jobs for the next year.  

Now working for a German company as their North American sales manager, it turns out that our warehouse is just outside Montreal - run by former colleagues of my old company!  Our product manager for the North American operation was a colleague with my old company.  Former colleagues have also given me advice in various areas.  It's almost like it was getting the old team back together!

So, I was certainly excited to get back to Montreal - a place I hadn't been to in four years or just months before the pandemic hit in March of 2020 when the world shut down - to see many of my former colleagues who have pretty much all moved on to other endeavors in life.  Plus - with my new job - I was able to get out and around to see accounts, all of whom were beyond excited to meet me.  (Montreal people are all so wholesomely friendly, almost embarrassing me at times with their gratitude with me stopping in to introduce myself to them.)  

To get around Montreal, I had a Tesla Model 3 that I rented from Hertz.  Actually, I had requested a mid-size sedan and was expecting a Volkswagen sedan.  However, when I went to the Hertz counter at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, the lady said that they had a Tesla Model 3 available and wanted to know if I wanted that.  I asked if there was an upcharge and she said, no, but if it was less than 70% on the charge when I brought it back, it would be a $35 fee.  (About $25 bucks USD.)  I thought, "What the hell?"  Sure!  I'll give it a spin around Montreal.  

From the start, I was completely lost as to how Tesla's work.  First of all, it took me about 20 minutes of futzing around to figure out how to even OPEN THE DOORS!  Then once I got inside the car, it took me another 15 minutes to figure out how to even START THE CAR!  With a little help from Google, I was able to get going a half hour later than I would have had I got the Volkswagen sedan.  

I've always heard Tesla's had some torque and once I got on the freeway headed toward downtown Montreal I gave the accelerator pedal a little nudge.  It went from 50 kmh to 120 kmh (30 mph to 75 mph) as quick as a hiccup.  Once I realized that the speed limit was 100 kmh (62 mph), I took my foot off the accelerator.  The car instantly backed down.  I was like, "Wow!  This thing is so responsive!"  

It was a fun car to tool around in, but the biggest problem was that I couldn't lock the doors.  Google answers and YouTube videos were available for an idiot like me, but everything I did to try and lock the doors were fruitless.  I had to take everything out of the car when I had it in the parking garage leaving the doors unlocked and hoping that some vagrant wouldn't be found sleeping in the back seat when I went out to get the car in the morning.  

(When I took it back to Hertz before I flew back home, one of the guys asked me if I had any problems.  "Yeah," I said.  "I couldn't lock the doors."  

One of the receiving guys asked if the key card was in the car.  It was.  He pulled the card out, ran it down the pillar between the driver's side window and the driver's side back window and the car immediately locked.  I told him that I had tried that - and I had, numerous times.  He had that Quebecois shit-eating-grin on his face that I've seen many times before that basically screamed, "Stupid American!")

I picked up my German colleague at the airport the next afternoon and he was sort of stunned to see me driving a Tesla 3.  "Wow, I hope that was a free upgrade," knowing that I would be presenting him the bill sometime in the near future.  I told him that it was supposedly the same price as a Volkswagen sedan.  He said, "This is better than a Volkswagen.  I'm from Germany - I can ride in a Volkswagen sedan anytime I want."

The other thing about the Tesla Model 3 - since most of the controls and information is on the large touch pad on the middle of the dash, I literally had to go back to the trunk to get into my backpack to get my reading glasses because I couldn't read the control panel.  It's the first time I've ever had to use reading glasses while driving a car.

Late March weather in Montreal can be a mixed bag and we certainly had it during my visit.  Cool temps, steady rain, warm sun, heavy snow, freezing rain - it was all over the place in regard to weather conditions.  I could tell that many of the denizens of Montreal were over the winter and waiting for the day they could open up the numerous private swimming pools that blanket the city.  

Once again, I stayed at the Hotel Bonaventure, a hotel on the top two floors for the 12-story Place Bonaventure in downtown Montreal.  The architecture of Place Bonaventure is categorized as "brutalism", a style that began in Great Britain and its then-colony nations in the 1950's and extended into the early 1970's where architects used a lot of rough concrete aesthetics in their design.  The baffles along the walls of Place Bonaventure are starting to show their age by crumbling, but the rooms are still nice and up-to-date.

For a number of years, Hotel Bonaventure was a Hilton property - which would have suited me fine and dandy since I'm a Lifetime Hilton Honors member.  But it's now just an independent property and I haven't been able to cash in on Hilton Honors points during my five or six stays I've had at the hotel.  As I learned long ago, it's all about the points (or miles) when you travel for a living.  

Still, the hotel is pretty cool.  It features a roof-top indoor/outdoor swimming pool that allows swimmers to swim through a small tunnel under the lobby of the hotel.  The steam rising from the water, especially when there's a snowstorm going on, looks inviting.  A hot tub is also next to the pool and there was a sauna, but I don't know if it was working on this visit.

Hotel Bonaventure also has a handful of outdoor areas that feature babbling brooks, trees, bushes and little ponds.  Each time I have stayed at Hotel Bonaventure, my room usually looked out into these little courtyards.  However, this time I got a room with a view of the city looking out toward the St. Lawrence River and the new Champlain Bridge which is lit up at night. 

Every time I come to Montreal, I'm reminded of how much of a booming, yet somewhat gritty city it is.  There is always some sort of construction going on wherever you go - road construction, building construction, additions, demolitions - it's a progressive city that has a European charm to it, but isn't as charming as Paris or London.  Still the people are so nice and are accommodating to a non-Quebecois dolt such as I.  

My German colleague was keen on visiting the Montreal Underground City - basically a labyrinth of connected passageways under the central part of the city.  We spent an hour walking through the hallways that are filled with shops and restaurants.  We had a map, but it was tough to decipher because it also showed the ground-level streets on the map and it was sometimes difficult to tell what was a street and what was a passageway.  Even some of the signage in the Montreal Underground was confusing - and not because it was in French.  We doubled back after running into a dead end probably three or four times.  After awhile, we decided to head back up to street level, and when we walked outside I discovered that we were basically a block and a half from the hotel.  We thought we were going to have to take an Uber back to the hotel.  

One of the reasons we were in Montreal was to attend the Salon Audio de Montreal - the Montreal Audiofest.  A friend of mine - and a former colleague at my old company - and his wife are directors of the annual audio show that has been going on for 34 years.  COVID protocols either shut down or limited participation in the show over the past 3 years.  This was my first visit to the show and people actually seemed to feel like they were past worrying about getting hit with the coronavirus.  (Although my German colleague came down with COVID a couple days after he got home.  Me?  I was fine.) 

A number of companies were on hand to show equipment and I was told the crowds were some of the best they've ever had.  I ran into a number of friends and former colleagues who were at the show.  It really felt good to be able to get out and hang with people in my industry once again.

One of the more popular places was the studio exhibition where attendees were treated to live music that was mixed and recorded, then played back to the crowd.  My colleague, Stephan - our current product manager for North America - was in charge of the room as he is both a musician and a studio engineer.  Below left is Stef's band playing with a harpist.  And his wife is the keyboard player/singer in the group.  This session was recorded by a friend and former colleague who still works for my old company.  

My colleague also put on a Dolby Atmos immersive-sound demonstration with the 50th anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's classic album "Dark Side of the Moon" that was remastered in 9 channel surround, 1 bass channel, and 4 over-head channels.  Three or four times a day, he'd put on the remastered version and allow attendees to immerse themselves in the panoramic sounds of the music and effects.  I sat through the album at least two times and part of the time two other times.  It was a fun experience.  

One of the treats for the show was the gala banquet that was held on Saturday night.  The theme was a traditional Quebecois "Sugar Shack", a springtime ritual that is usually conducted in the maple tree forests of Quebec when the maple sap water begins to flow and it's boiled down - 90% by volume - into real maple syrup.  I'm going to have a separate entry on that because it was pretty interesting - and so much food!

And one other reason we went to Montreal was to visit our warehouse - which, as I said, just happens to be owned and run by a couple of my former colleagues from my old company.  And the warehouse is literally two blocks from the headquarters and warehouse of my old company.  It was rather surreal to drive out to Repentigny, north and east of Montreal, to go visit the warehouse.  It had been a number of years - I think it was probably over six years - since I was last out there.  A lot of good memories came back when we drove out.  

And the highlight of the trip was to see my old friend Moby.  Moby is the dog of my former colleague who runs the warehouse for us.  Moby was a rescue dog and was a fixture around my old company's office  That is, until my old boss sold the firm to a French company and they brought in a lot of fun-haters to run the operation and Moby was eventually banished from the premises.  A lot of my former colleagues who no longer work for my old company point to the day Moby was banished from the office as the day the world changed.  There wasn't the family feel or cameraderie amongst the staff after that.  Moby has grown old - he's 14 now - and I'm sure he didn't remember who I was.  But he would always be happy to see me when I would be in the office all those years ago as I would talk to him in doggie French - "Le woof!  Le bow wow!  Le ruff!"  Moby and I shared a moment of rekindling an old friendship before I had to get into meetings and touring the warehouse.  

It was great to get back to Montreal.  Even as coarse and unpolished the city may be for various reasons, there's a certain charm to the city that always makes me feel good.  It was a wonderful visit sharing some good meals with old friends and catching up with many who I haven't seen in years.  Look for some more entires on my return trip to Montreal in the coming weeks.