Oxford is a tiny town in a rural farming area in one of Indiana's least populated counties. People there are friendly and engaging, and they are also very proud of their Dan Patch heritage. I really love having such a horsey and historical town so close to my own hometown.
There is a little cafe in town that is highly popular with the locals - The Dan Patch Cafe.
After our meeting with Brooke and tour of the Dan Messner/Pairie Victorian building, Lisa and I dropped in for lunch there.
When you see a lot of locals at a restaurant, you know that the food must be pretty good. And it was.
There was a large lunch crowd with almost every table taken plus people were dropping by to pick up carry-out orders that had been phoned in.
I had the hot ham and cheese sandwich with the best potato wedges I've ever had, and Lisa had the cheeseburger and fries. She said her food was yummy, too.
There was only one waitress and one cook in the teeny tiny kitchen so we had a small wait, but not an unreasonable one, especially considering how busy the place was. And the waitress was fun and friendly. A big Elvis fan, she had YouTube videos of Elvis playing on the television the entire time. She said something about Elvis to us every time she hustled by to a table, and Lisa and I now know more about Elvis that we ever thought we would. Love it!
The decor, of course, was of Dan Patch and harness racing.
Lisa carefully worked her way around the small dining room doing her best to take some pictures of the decor but the place was really, really small and she did not want to disturb the other diners. As a result, she didn't get pictures of everything.
Typical Oxford! A harnessed horse and driver going through the Oxford State Bank's first drive through window in 1982!
An old newspaper clipping that has been framed and hung.
This collage of the town is really neat.
Red Oval: Dan Messner; Blue Oval: John Wattles, Dan Patch's first trainer; Orange Rectangle: The Dan Messner building - see that Bowling Alley sign? At one time there was a bowling alley of the third floor. Brooke has found several bowling balls in the building as they go about restoring it.
Not a great close-up, but you can at least read it now.
This photo was also hanging on the walls of the cafe. I didn't ask about it, but the listed owner, Ralph E. Wolfe, is also the man pictured driving the horse in the bank drive through. My guess is that Red Dawn was from the Oxford area.
Lisa and I enjoyed our lunch and I will recommend it to those who are coming to Happy Trails V. But, there are also things to be aware of.
- It's very small and dark inside. Things were crowded together everywhere, including the glimpses we had into the kitchen.
- There is only one waitress and one chef and service was a bit slow. But the waitress was friendly and the food good; we did not mind the wait.
- There is one communal bathroom with one toilet that is squeezed into a corner of the cafe. I could barely turn around in it, it was so small.
- While the place was pretty clean, it clearly was an old building that needed some work. Note the puddle I am standing in at the entrance. The water did not drain after a rain and pooled on the front entrance.
Would I return to The Dan Patch Cafe? Absolutely. And I am happy to recommend it to other people.
But, I also would share exactly what I said here - good food, service a bit slow, tight squeeze all around, and be careful of that tiny bathroom.
Next up? Trying to find Dan Patch's birthplace and barn!
Stay 'tooned!
