Fried chicken is the thing at this northeast Missouri gathering spot
Employees of the IDK Cafe have a standard response when newcomers ask: “What does IDK stand for?” Their answer is, “I don’t know.” Eventually the guests get the texting abbreviation, but not the story behind it. Owner Shannon Downing says after she purchased the former Baring Cafe 11 years ago she was about to open without a name. During a brainstorming session with her parents, she and her mom settled on the name after recalling the Saturday morning routine for the family. They would load up and head to the big city — Kirksville — to do their shopping. The trips always ended with Dad asking Mom where she wanted to eat. Her reply was always, “I don’t know.”
“He’d say, ‘Well, if there was a place called that they’d be busy all the time, because that’s always your answer to where you want to eat,’ ” Shannon recalls.
Today the northeast Missouri cafe is the center of life in Baring, a farming community of 125. It almost met its fate this past August when an F2 tornado struck the community. “It was dark and we couldn’t see if the restaurant was still standing,” she recalls. “I waited a few hours and one of the first responders told me the cafe had lost the roof. It was raining and we got about 9 inches of rain in two hours.”
Two days into the restoration Shannon was asked if she was calling it quits. That hadn’t even crossed her mind despite the strain of rebuilding. “We got the cafe rebuilt in 95 days, which I felt was pretty impressive. It was not possible without the community support between the Mennonites and Amish and the local boys with their big toys,” Shannon says.
It’s not surprising the community rallied around Shannon and the IDK Cafe — it would be hard to find someone more involved in their community than her. “I’ve had several customers tell me I’m the heart of the town, which was not my goal,” she says with a smile. “So everyone who came to the cafe every day really did miss us. I wanted to give back to them, to be there for them.”
The day at the cafe starts at 6:30 in the morning when Shannon makes her signature made-from-scratch biscuits and gravy, pancakes and other breakfast staples. “I’ve had customers tell me I have the world’s best pancakes,” Shannon says. “They traveled all over the country and I still have the best pancakes in the world.”
By 10 a.m. the fryers are on and the action switches to the daily specials: lasagna, beef or chicken and noodles, grilled ham and Polish sausage with sauerkraut to name just a few. Three specials typically are offered and they come with drinks and a choice of three sides from a long list of farm-country staples: homemade coleslaw, pickled beets, baked beans, sour cream fries and more.
The week starts with Mystery Monday, or as Shannon puts it, “Whatever I’m feeling that might be good on a Monday.”
Tuesday is taco day, a tradition Shannon says took a while to catch on with her regulars. “We are a rural community so I get all the farmers for lunch and of course they are meat-and-potatoes guys. But I really like tacos. So I put them on the menu and the first two weeks, we maybe sold three. I made a couple up and sent them out to different tables and said, ‘just try it.’ Since then I have sold my farmers on tacos.”
Fried chicken Wednesdays are a tradition that brings customers in from hours away, every week. Shannon was initially reluctant to serve fried chicken. But a cousin in the restaurant business offered to train her. “I took what he did and tweaked it a little to make it personal to us. The fried chicken here is a big deal,” she says.
On Thursdays she offers lasagna and grilled tenderloin. Fridays are fish and shrimp days and Saturdays feature fried chicken or roast beef. The cafe is open seasonally (Easter to Halloween) for supper on Friday and Saturday until 8 p.m. On these days Shannon offers a special challenge. Eat all three meals at the restaurant and she will reward you with an IDK Triathlon T-shirt.
Beyond the specials, Shannon brings customers back with a trio of specialty burgers, all made with beef sourced from four local farms and processed locally as well. The ShayD’s Burger is the most popular. With a single half-pound patty, lettuce, pickles, onion and a special sauce, it tastes a lot like a certain burger made at a fast-food franchise with golden arches.
Another popular option is fried walleye, a delicious fish that is hard to find elsewhere. The IDK is also known for its desserts. “I make the desserts homemade. We don’t buy anything frozen and serve it, so peach cob-blers, cakes and cupcakes are a big deal,” Shannon says.
The IDK Cafe is a well-kept secret offering home-cooked food, friendly service and a family atmosphere. “You’ve got to come try it because it’s worth the drive,” Shannon says. “It’s not expensive, and it’s good food and you get more than what you pay for. I’ve had several people say, ‘You’re not charging enough.’ And I say, you know, then you can just tip my waitress better.”
IDK Cafe
Specialties: Comfort foods such as fried chicken, tacos, walleye fillets, specialty burgers, country-fried steak, butterflied or grilled shrimp, breakfast items and daily specials such as lasagna and chicken spaghetti, along with signature cupcakes, pies and other desserts.
Price: Plate lunch specials are $7.96; specialty burgers are $6.50; breakfast items from $3 to $7.
Details: Open Monday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Extended hours to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Easter through Halloween. Closed Sunday. Smoking allowed. Free Wi-Fi. Located at 420 Main St. in Baring. Contact at 660-892-4262 and on Facebook.