24 Hours in Decorah
I recently attended my niece’s wedding in Decorah, Iowa. As with most travel, I generally scope out the surrounding area for things to do. But what could there possibly be to do in small town Iowa? As it turns out, there’s a lot to do in Decorah!
Decorah with its Norwegian roots is nestled in the Oneota River Valley. Its population is approximately 8,000 give or take depending on if school is in session. They receive a boost from local Luther College, a liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
8,000 people is not your typical Iowa small town size (usually its smaller) but even so, Decorah still has that charming small-town feel to it.
Decorah is definitely off the beaten path as it was a 3-hour drive from Des Moines. The fact that it takes a few twists and turns to get there helps make it a hidden gem. We arrived late on a Friday afternoon, so we essentially had 24 hours to entertain ourselves before the wedding.
I must commend the Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Bureau for putting together an impressive website. Not only does the site list area hotels and attractions but categorizes activities according to what time of year you visit as well as a Current Events Calendar.
We checked into the Country Inn and Suites as it was located on Highway 9 and close to the wedding reception. We only had a short time to get settled before dinner was upon us.
Who knew you could find fine dining in small town Iowa! But that is exactly what we found at the Rubaiyat. The restaurant’s unusual name “Rubaiyat” comes from a collection of poetry written over 1,000 years ago by a Persian gentleman named Omar Khayyam. These poems imply the idea of living life to the fullest supplemented with good food and wine and the happiness that those things can bring to life.
Fine dining at the Rubaiyat
Luckily the restaurant took reservations because on a Friday night, they are quite busy! In fact, it sounds like reservations are generally a good idea when eating here. They get plenty of traffic from the locals, surrounding communities, or tourists passing through.
We were greeted by our hostess Kim and quickly seated. What I didn’t know was this hostess was in fact one of the owners. Throughout the evening she was greeting and seating customers taking a very hands-on approach in her restaurant. Her husband Andy Bonnet is the chef and also co-owner. Having 11 years under their belt of being in business, they have honed dining into a 5-star experience.
The historic building that the Rubaiyat is located in was built in the early 1890’s. It housed different types of stores in its history such as dry goods, a ladies ready-to-wear boutique, jewelry store, hardware store and even a speak-easy in the upstairs portion during prohibition!
We entered the spacious dining room and noticed the warm and friendly bar at the front of the restaurant. Our waitress did a great job suggesting menu items. Did I mention, they have a rather extensive wine list!
A cozy bar at the Rubaiyat
For starters, we ordered the Campfire Brie — grilled heirloom cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, served with toasted naan bread. Being a cheese lover, we both loved this appetizer. It was nice to see they actually gave you enough toasted bread points to accompany the cheese (so many times, most restaurants don’t give you enough). The roasted garlic cloves exploded with flavor with each bite and we had a hard time dividing up the cloves evenly – fantastic!
Campfire Brie — grilled heirloom cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, served with toasted naan bread
Soup or salad comes accompanies your entrée with bread. I saw a tray of salads come out and while their wedge salad looked crunchy and full of toppings, I could not ignore the fact that their homemade soups came highly recommended.
I ordered the crab/tomato/corn bisque. It was outstanding and full of flavor. Their fresh baked bread with olive oil and parmesan was so light and fluffy – it was the perfect complement. My husband Joe opted for the gazpacho (cold soup) of cucumber and melon. A great choice on a warm summer evening, he found his soup to be incredibly fresh, textured and light.
My tasty crab/tomato/corn bisque with homemade bread dusted with parmesan cheese
Wisely the owners choose to change their menu every 3 months to keep the food options varied. The only item that remains on the menu from season to season is their signature dish the Pasta Rubaiyat – shrimp, scallops, snow crab, fresh basil, linguini, and house alfredo sauce. Joe enjoyed this rich dish immensely.
Pasta Rubaiyat – shrimp, scallops, snow crab, fresh basil, linguini, and house alfredo sauce
I chose the Norwegian Salmon Scampi – red shrimp, red onion, bell pepper, garlic citrus white wine sauce, over a bed of homemade gnocchi. The citrus sauce was incredibly tasty as well as everything else about this dish — amazing!
Norwegian Salmon Scampi – red shrimp, red onion, bell pepper, garlic citrus white wine sauce, over a bed of homemade gnocchi
At this point, I was beyond full with no plans for dessert. Joe insisted on ordering something. Well if I must share a dessert, the Blueberry Buttercreme Cake looked like a solid choice. The owner Kim told us that all desserts are made in house by a pastry chef. It certainly tasted that way – this cake was SUPERB and normally I’m not a huge cake eater. It was just as pretty to look at as it was moist and delicious.
Blueberry Buttercreme Cake
It’s important to note that most restaurants in town including the Rubaiyat close around 9pm so make your dining reservations accordingly. We never felt rushed but they did in fact close shortly after 9pm.
Joe remarked during dinner, “It feels like we are on vacation!” And it did. This is the highest compliment because we travel extensively and have eaten at many wonderful restaurants. The food here is on par with some of the best we’ve been to.
Our entire evening was wonderful. We loved how friendly our waitress was and chatted with us as if she didn’t have any other customers. We also enjoyed the owner checking with us throughout the meal to ensure our dinners were what we wanted. We will definitely be back!
Saturday Morning
This morning we are going to visit Dunning’s Spring Park. Waterfalls in Iowa? I had no idea. Granted this may not be comparable with the waterfalls you might find in Hawaii but hey, this is Iowa: home to endless cornfields and the Iowa Pork Producers. The fact we even have a waterfall was surprising to me.
The stone bridge at Dunning’s Spring Park
It was easy to find and even located inside the town limits. This is a free attraction with access to the waterfall as well as several nearby hiking trails.
The park was originally built in 1860 as a grist mill where Decorah marble was quarried, sawed, and polished. Later it was given as a gift to the town of Decorah for park use in 1946.
The 200-foot waterfall was bigger than I thought and was immediately visible from the moment we stepped out of the car.
A beautiful stone bridge leads to the staircase that takes you to the top of the falls. There’s lots to see and explore on top. Technically we were exploring “out of bounds” as we hopped the railing for some scenic photos. Although it should be noted to stick to the marked trails for safety unless you’re being very careful.
A wooden staircase takes you to the top of the falls for panoramic views
Beautiful views of the waterfall on the climb to the top!
Lots of scenic photos at the top of the falls
The park tends to get busy after 9am so try to go in the morning before tourists arrive.
Spectacular views from atop the waterfall
After visiting the waterfall, we stopped in town to explore Water Street which is lined with shops. Luckily we stumbled across pet adoption day at LuLu and BB’s Pet Market who often partners with HEART Helping Every Animal Rescue Team to find homes for cats and dogs. We stopped to meet the adorable puppies and kittens looking for new homes before finding lunch.
LuLu and BB’s Pet Market holds pet adoption day frequently at their store in connection with HEART
While we were at the Rubaiyat, we asked the owner Kim for a recommendation for lunch. Quickly she responded “La Rana Bistro” where she eats lunch almost every Friday. A recommendation from her after last night’s 5-star meal is good enough for me!
Lunch at La Rana Bistro
The La Rana Bistro is a cute little restaurant serving up locally grown and produced food. It offers a sizeable wine list, liquors and beer selections to complement your meal. La Rana means “The Frog” and you can see it in the restaurant décor with frogs sitting on shelves or decorating the bar.
After 16 years, they keep things fresh by changing the menu every 4 months featuring local ingredients with whatever is in season. I’m loving the 2 restaurants in town that we’ve eaten at who like to switch things up. Most restaurants stick with their tried and true entrees. Variety is the name of the culinary game in Decorah it seems!
I loved all the frog decor scattered throughout this quaint restaurant — La Rana means The Frog
The wait staff is friendly and was helpful in providing suggestions. Joe enjoyed a mixed drink called The Pink Frog – vodka, fresh squeezed lemonade, cranberry, and lemon. It was quite refreshing and a great choice.
The Pink Frog was a refreshing drink on this hot summer day
We both chose sandwiches. Joe selected the shaved pork loin, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion, and honey Dijon on ciabatta. While I chose the Red Cedar Ranch (local) beef, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and bacon jam on ciabatta. Their French fries are all fresh cut daily from whole potatoes before going into the fryer.
The shaved pork loin, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion, and honey Dijon on ciabatta was excellent!
I thought both sandwiches were outstanding but the burger was WOW. Bacon jam….I admit I hesitated when I saw this. It sounded strange but I was dead wrong. It would be an injustice to put ketchup or mustard on THIS burger. The bacon jam gave the burger all the condiment flavor you could possibly need.
Their Red Cedar Ranch (local) beef, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and bacon jam on ciabatta — WOW!
Sadly the wedding was upon us and we had to stop our sightseeing tour. I am disappointed we didn’t have more time. Clearly I was not giving Decorah enough credit by under-estimating our time here. But I’ve already started a list and plan a return trip back next summer!
A few things on my 2019 return trip:
- Canoeing – Decorah is situated on the Upper Iowa River making canoeing quite popular with its scenic beauty
- Ice Cave – just down the road from Dunning’s Spring Park
- Trout fishing – I’ve been trout fishing in northeast Iowa but haven’t had the pleasure of trying the streams around Decorah. I’m excited to scout out some new fishing possibilities!
- Vesterheim – I’ve read their local Norweigan museum is quite interesting
- Trout Run Trail – an 11-mile scenic loop around Decorah enjoyed on bicycle. Local bike rental are in town.
- Malanaphy Springs – our desk clerk at our hotel told us about another waterfall that was a mile-long hike on her family’s property. I’ve heard this one is also scenic.
- Hotel Winneshiek – A historic boutique hotel built in 1904-1905 caught my attention as we were walking down Water Street and deserves a closer look!
- There’s also a winery and a couple of up and coming breweries in town as well!
