We decided to go east and travel to Arthur, home to the largest and oldest Amish community in Illinois. Arthur is about an hour and a half from Springfield, and we wanted to get there for lunch.
If you are eating lunch in Arthur, and a first time visitor, you really need to go to Yoder’s Kitchen – just for the experience. They have a buffet, which I normally don’t like, but there were some tasty items (like the fried chicken!). You can also order off of the menu. There was some peanut butter on the table that was out of this world! Very sweet tasting so you wouldn’t want to eat a lot of it, but I would imagine it would be great on ice cream or pancakes. It is a large building that can seat a lot of people, so even if you have to wait it won’t take long for a table to open up.
After Yoder’s we decided to go to a few stores looking for Amish goods. As we found out, most of the stores carry items made by the Amish in Ohio and then shipped here. Next time I go to Arthur I plan to do more research so I can find where the local farmers are selling their items.
We ended up at Beachy’s, which is the main reason I wanted to go to Arthur in the first place. My friend Tracie has been talking about Beachy’s for years, and it was on my list of things I had to do. I didn’t know what to expect … Beachy’s is a huge warehouse-like store full of bulk goods, with a focus on the Amish community. If you are looking for obscure ingredients, you will probably find it here! I was overwhelmed and definitely under prepared for this store – next time we go I will have a list!
Before we departed from Arthur, I wanted to stop by a local butcher shop. Laura texted me to try Das Schlacht Haus, and I am so glad we found it! This butcher shop is actually located outside of Arthur on a farm. It is small inside, with about four stand-up freezers full of meat. I purchased a couple of New York Strip steaks and some bacon, and Sharon got a couple of ribeye steaks. We all agreed – the meat is so good! Worthy of another trip to Arthur!
We headed out of Arthur towards Pana to go to Arpeggio Winery. This took us about an hour, winding through the countryside.
Arpeggio Winery is definitely worth visiting – the owners converted a 100-year old barn into a beautiful venue. It is really stunning! They have music most Sundays, and are only about an hour away from Springfield.
Definitely going to hit up these spots again in the future!
Tales From The Wine Store 