Don't forget dessert at Strawberry Point eatery
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/17/2010 9:14 AM
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Franklin Hotel, Restaurant and Lounge
Owners: Doug and Kris Schmidt
Known for:Made-from-scratch pies and shortcakes, Sunday brunch, Saturday night prime rib and Friday night fried cod. A piece of pie is $2.39 and the Sunday brunch is $8.95.
Location: 102 Elkader St., Strawberry Point, IA
Hours:7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
Contact them at: (563) 933-4788 or see www.franklin-hotel.net
STRAWBERRY POINT, Iowa — Where do you go when you want a tasty meal, historic ambiance and a comfortable bed for a good night's sleep?
The Franklin Hotel, Restaurant and Lounge in Strawberry Point offers all that, plus it's rumored that there is a ghost.
The stately brick hotel with the welcoming porch sits at the corner of Highways 3 and 13 in the center of town. A hotel has been on the site since 1854. The current hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, opened in 1903. There are nine overnight rooms and five apartments.
"There have been rumors that there's a ghost here, but it's never been proven," said owner Doug Schmidt.
The rumored ghost's name is Lillie, a prostitute from the 1920s.
"We first heard about it from a guest who was here for Sunday brunch," Doug said. "She was wandering through the lobby. She was clairvoyant, and supposedly if there were ghosts, she would see them, and she saw this ghost. The name came from Leo Gallagher, who lived here for years and ran the nearby laundromat. He's passed away now. He was blind, and he said he heard Lillie. Leo was a joker and liked to tell stories. He heard about the women who saw the ghost, and I think he built on it."
Doug doesn't believe in ghosts, but he hasn't ruled Lillie out, either.
He and his wife, Kris, bought the hotel in 1989 from her parents, and they have been working on restoration and upkeep ever since. They obtained matching funds from the Iowa Resource Enhancement and Protection Program to restore the tall oak windows in the dining room two years ago. At some point a hotel owner bricked over the expansive windows. Local craftsmen did the work.
"It's a labor of love," Doug said of their efforts.
In addition to the main dining room, facilities consist of a pub, a small dining room and a large banquet room. They also do catering. They employ 17 workers, most are part-time.
The couple has two grown children, Elizabeth and Joseph. They grew up helping in the restaurant.
Nearly all the food is prepared from scratch. Doug who attended culinary school in St. Paul, spends his days in the kitchen cooking and baking. He's also the bartender, plumber and electrician. Kris, who majored in hotel and restaurant management at Iowa State University, works at Rockwell Collins in Manchester and then comes home to the hotel.
"We like it," Doug said.
They offer a karaoke competition starting in the fall with the championship in March. They will present a comedy night featuring four local comedians on June 18 and 19. Admission is $5.
Doug buys much of his beef and pork from Maloney Meats in Manchester. The Maloney family has their animals processed at Edgewood Locker. Tomatoes are purchased from local gardeners and Doug buys produce at the Strawberry Point farmers market.
Park Farm Winery wines are served in the restaurant and the Schmidts have offered wine tasting events. Several ales are brewed on the hotel premises.
Breakfast is served until 11 a.m. The lunch and dinner menu includes appetizers, salads, burgers, including the bleu kraut burger, and sandwiches. Among the dinner selections are steaks, seafood, Cajun chicken, tortellini marinara and fettuccini alfredo. Omelets are served any time.
"We welcome people to visit and take a step back to the past," Doug said. "We'd love to serve you."