Family Style Comfort Food in a Historic Setting



 With 178 years of continuous service, J. Huston Tavern is one of the oldest restaurants west of the Mississippi River in continuous operation.  The Tavern is currently managed in conjunction with Hospitality & Tourism Management students at Missouri Valley College in Marshall.  Our waitress (who actually attends NWMS in Maryville) was working there as part of her internship.  She hopes to open her own bakery specializing in cupcakes upon graduation.  The tavern is just one of several old buildings in this historic town on the National Register.  In fact, the entire village of Arrow Rock has been designated a National Historic Landmark.  It’s very quaint. 

 

The restaurant is quite busy on the weekends in summer when the Lyceum

Theatre is in season.  Productions are performed on a stage in a converted and tastefully expanded old Baptist Church.  The professional company has staged productions every year since 1961.

Before the show (Wednesday through Saturday nights and again on Sunday afternoon), people file in to the tavern for dinner (or lunch on Sunday if you are keeping track).  This menu consists of a family-style, all you can eat Fried Chicken and Raspberry-Chipotle Glazed Ham dinner served with mixed fruit, cole slaw and potato salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with ham and onions, buttered corn, and biscuits.  You have a choice between regular and apple butter to spread on your warm biscuits.  The apple butter is very good by the way. 

There is a wide range of house made desserts.  I had the Santa Fe Pie, which is pecan pie “fortified” with oats, coconut and chunks of chocolate.  It was quite good and would have been even better with a cup of fresh brewed coffee.

Arrow Rock is 2 hours and 13 minutes from Kansas City.  It makes a nice weekend out and back trip.  We enjoyed ourselves, just like we always do; I wish you could have been there with us.