During the late 1800s, Dubuque, Iowa was transitioning from a lead mining leader into an industrial center. The growth of mill-working businesses helped push the city to be one of the 100 largest urban areas in America, between 1860 and 1880. This period saw enormous expansion, as well as a bustling downtown. These days, many of the historic buildings have been re-purposed , and continue to serve the community. Our first dining experience in this river city landed us at 1st & Main. It would make for a delicious start in Dubuque, and fuel our afternoon of exploring.
We want to thank Visit Dubuque and 1st & Main for their hospitality. Rest assured all opinions are our own.
Embracing the Past
It was pretty easy to locate 1st & Main since the address is obvious. Once inside, we discovered that the interior was a nice mix of old and new. The industrial feel was apparent in the exposed brick and high ceilings. A long bar occupied one side, while table-tops lined the other. There were a few regular tables near the entrance, and even more in a second dining room. We were seated at one of the short tables, with a good view of the entire place. We examined the menu and quickly found a couple of delectable sounding handhelds.
Seasoning It Up
Crystal chose the Greek Chicken Sandwich, which had a nice combination of flavors. The marinated filet is topped with feta cheese, tomato, lettuce, and basil pesto sauce. The sandwich came with a choice of fries. Crystal went for the Garlic Parmesan Sidewinder Fries, which had a nice crisp, and a good texture inside. While her choices were very interesting, mine would be a special treat.
Hunka, Hunka Flavor
As I perused the menu, I came upon a sandwich made with an intriguing combination of ingredients. Once I found the 1st & Main Burger, my mind was made up. Now, this dish starts basic enough, as it has the best of a bacon burger. The addition of pepper jack cheese adds a little spice, but what comes next was surprising. How about slathering on some peanut butter and jelly? Oh yeah, this had to be tasted. My first bite was a big one so that I was sure to get all of the flavors. Wow! The creamy and sweet addition was the perfect complement to this juicy patty. Toss in a side of sweet potato fries, and I was in foodie heaven. It was definitely a delicious start in Dubuque. The burger was large, but the flavor kept bringing me back for more and more. By the time we left, I was completely stuffed.
Delicious Start in Dubuque
With our first culinary adventure being a complete success, our anticipation of future meals was riding high. Time for us to get out and do some major walking to burn some of this off. Fortunately, Dubuque has a pedestrian-friendly downtown, so we knew we would be getting our steps in. As we made our way toward the Fenelon Place Elevator, we reflected on the peanut butter burger. I thought of Elvis, and what his opinion of the sandwich would have been. I’m guessing he would have named it the “King” of burgers. How many of you would enjoy that addition on your burger?
