Photo: An Antique Silver-Plated Chafing Dish

Posted on 29 March 2008 under Antiques, Photos | 4 Comments


Click on the image for a larger version.

Toward the end of this post the other day I’d blogged about how I’d found this beautiful antique silver-plated chafing dish at a shop in Grand Rapids, Ohio for $8. This morning I’ve taken some Weiman silver polish to its various pieces, and it’s turned out pretty darn nice. We’ll use this for special occasions, as will the Frog Leg Inn whenever they feel they need it.

Koral Hamburg, A Couple Long Walks, and a Silver Chafing Dish

Posted on 27 March 2008 under Antiques, Cookbooks, Hiking, Restaurant Chit-Chat | 8 Comments


Click the above image for a larger version.

Note: Part of this blog entry is written with my friend Mike Ingels of the blog The Erie Hiker in mind. I know Mike and his wife are always looking for interesting areas to hike and spend time. Here are a couple nice places to head to.

One of the things Mary and I really enjoy doing is going on day-trips. Just get in the car and drive somewhere nearby, having absolutely no plans whatsoever, just a “target area”. While I’ve been to Grand Rapids, Michigan quite a few times, I’d only heard of the little burgs of Grand Rapids and Waterville, both in Ohio. Of course I hear of these cities mostly because of school closings and traffic reports on 13abc. Also, both Waterville and Grand Rapids have taken quite a beating recently because of what’s become annual flooding. Both cities have sounded to be rather interesting and I’ve said so to Mary on a couple occasions. So yesterday morning we headed through Toledo and then southwest along 24 for quite a scenic drive. We hadn’t had breakfast yet, so we decided to wait until we got into Waterville before finding a place to grab a bite.

Mary hadn’t remembered there being a Koral Hamburg location in Waterville until we actually saw it yesterday morning. Established in 1926 and growing to multiple locations over the decades, the Waterville location is now once again the only location left. With its inviting exterior and bright-and-friendly dining room we were frankly surprised there weren’t more patrons than there were yesterday.

As it was 10:55 a.m. and breakfast hours were until 11:00 we were able to order a breakfast for myself and a lunch for her. Mary ordered the restaurant’s signature Cheeseburger, seen at the top of this post and something she apparently was looking forward to since we got there. When the sandwich arrived I thought it looked rather ordinary. However, on tasting it I have to say it’s one of the better burgers I’ve ever had! What’s unique about it isn’t only the flavor of the meat itself, but also how the flavors of the condiments and the bun have apparently been selected to blend into what’s a very flavorful sandwich. Meanwhile, I ordered a Farmer’s Omelet which, while quite enjoyable, very satisfying and not at all disappointing, was the same breakfast dish I’ve had in countless other restaurants.

Leaving Waterville we headed along 24 again toward Grand Rapids, stopping at the visitor center at Fort Deposit.

Toward the top of the enlarged image (to the left) of the map on the sign (click on the image for a larger version) you can see “You are here”, which has been painted over. This park is the beginning of a trail, seven or eight miles long, which follows the river all the way to Grand Rapids, Ohio. The map itself dscribes a lot of activity which ocurred from this area into Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then further south to the Ohio River at Cincinnati. Besides the lengthy trails along the river and some amazing views with accompanying historical markers, the park also offers picnic areas with the ubiquitous cast iron grills on posts and public rest rooms that aren’t outhouses. (They’re in the back of the beautiful visitor’s center shown below.) This summer we’ll probably head back down to this area and walk the trail. Unfortunately, yesterday’s brisk wind along the river was far too cold for such a lengthy walk.


Click on the above image for a larger version.

We walked around the Fort Deposit site for a while and shot some photos, and then headed on down to Grand Rapids, Ohio. The first thing that got my attention was this building which houses a bed & breakfast called, simply, The Mill House.

Built in 1889 as an operating mill house, the bed & breakfast now hosts guests in four bedrooms. This is just the kind of bed & breakfast we like to look for, so we took a brochure from the box on the front door. We’ll likely be staying here at some point this summer.

It wasn’t too long ago the Couzin’s Restaurant and the rest of Grand Rapids, Ohio was flooded under 5-or-more feet of water from the nearby river. The restaurant had been completely remodeled in 2003, and is now finished undergoing other renovations due to the recent floods. Yesterday after browsing through the town’s countless antique, craft and specialty shops, we found Couzin’s Restaurant to not only be open, but with a warm atmosphere and a fire in the dining room’s fireplace. Mary and I each had a slice of their wonderful homemade pies with some coffee. The pies are large, probably 10″ diameter, and each slicece is one-sixth of a pie, at a current price of $2.50. Mary’s slice of Banana Cream Pie was so rich and creamy she deemed it to be better than that of one of my closest relatives, which is really saying something. My own slice of Dutch Apple Pie with Crumb Topping had a beautiful apple flavor and was just moist enough to complement the toasted topping itself. This is definitely a destination restaurant for special occasions.

Because of the age of the city of Grand Rapids there are a number of curiosities that you need to seek out or you won’t notice them at all. While the steel brochure box in the image to the left is empty, the fact that the tree has literally grown around it makes it interesting on its own. Beyond this box you can see a mural in the rear dining area of one of the town’s many restaurants. (Click on the image for a larger version.)

What we found interesting were the many shops I’d mentioned earlier in this post. Two of the items we found are in the image below. The cookbook, “The Margaret Rudkin Pepperidge Farm Cookbook”, contains Rudkin’s autobiography, including how she and her husband first founded the baked-goods company in their barn in 1937. Some of her personal bread and cake recipes are included in the book’s 500+ recipes, including pages of discussions and “rules-of-thumb” regarding making the best baked goods. I felt this was quite a find at $5.

That was, until I found the chafing dish.

This silver-plated chafing dish from F.B. Rogers Silver Co. (see the image below) includes an outer container for water, with the dish itself having the handle attached. The cast base is designed to hold one Sterno can for heating the water. Mary and I really like this chafer, and feel it was worth the whole eight bucks we paid for it. This weekend I’ll get on it with some decent silver polish, and once it’s cleaned up I’ll post a better photo.

Apparently both Waterville and Grand Rapids have various festivals in the summer, with Waterville having a farmer’s market and Grand Rapids having their Apple Butter Fest and other events. As both of these places are less than an hour’s drive for us, we’ll likely be back many times in the years to come.