JEFFERSON, Iowa – That is the message after the Chow Down in J-Town crew, Kevin Paulsen, Emily Rohner and Matt Wetrich, took their appetites to the Greene Café at Greene County Medical Center. CEO, Chad Butterfield, invited them to discover a lunch spot that is one of the area’s best-kept secrets.
“Almost messy, but a good kind of messy,” Kevin said about the quesabirria tacos, but those were just the beginning of a lunch that left him seriously impressed. Kevin worked his way not only through the tacos, but through charro beans, cilantro-lime rice, tomato bisque, a bruschetta chicken panini and margarita cheesecake.
His verdict on the charro beans? “I cannot recommend those enough. That might be my favorite part of the meal.”
The tomato bisque? “Fantastic!” But the bruschetta panini may have stolen the show. “That might be my favorite sandwich I’ve had in town in a while,” he said, “just going to throw that out there.” What made it so good? “Crunch, crunch and more crunch and gooey cheese,” according to Paulsen. “”What’s not to like about that?”
And naturally, there was lime. Plenty of lime. “I’m a lime guy,” Kevin explained, earning another opportunity to live up to his nickname, Mr. Two Limes. “One lime for the cheesecake, one lime for the rice.”
Butterfield said the cafeteria benefits from a diverse, talented and experienced Team, including Lori Sayre, celebrating 49 years at the medical center and Susan Frahm, who has been making desserts there for nearly five decades. All under the leadership of Nutritional Services Director, Molly Rowe.
And here is the best part, you don’t have to be a patient to enjoy the food. The cafeteria is open to the public Monday through Friday for breakfast from 7 to 9:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. There is a daily hot meal, specialty sandwich and soup, salad bar, grill favorites and grab-and-go options.
With two quesabirria tacos, beans and rice priced less than $7.50, “I can’t recommend this place enough,” Paulsen said. And it’s easy to find: walk in the main doors, hang a left and follow the hallway.
As Paulsen put it after sampling the spread, “This is not hospital food. This is high-end!” Looks like Mr. Two Limes may have found himself a new favorite lunch destination.
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