Das Dutchman Essenhaus

Excellent service and delicious fried chicken!
My boyfriend’s family is from PA, so they grew up eating a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch food, which has a lot of German influences. I’ve tried mostly Pennsylvania Dutch desserts (like apple dumplings and shoofly pie), but this buffet covered it all. Being in the heart of the midwestern Amish country, all the food was homestyle cooking and would probably be my go-​to comfort food if I lived here. You can get the buffet or order food family style.
I was beyond excited when I saw their selection of pies, pastries, and other desserts. There were just so many different kinds of pie!!! Oh, and apple butter. Just try it on a roll or on your fingers :)
The size of the restaurant was also quite impressive. There are three buffet counters, a bakery with tons of baked goods and jams and butters and pies, pies, and more pies! They also have seasonal shops with lots of local goods.
Overall, it’s a wonderful place for a no-​frills meal. I definitely ate a little too much.

Its been several years since I have made the 3 hour drive up to Middlebury to eat at Essenhaus and I was not impressed at all this time.
There was 15 of us and we did the family style dinner. So everything is served in large bowl and everyone fixes their own plate. When we sat down the tossed salad was on the table waiting for us. Our waitress brought out 3 dressings, ranch french and we think honey mustard. She never told us.
The whole table has to decide what meats you want. Fried chicken alone is $ 17.50. To add one meat takes it up to $ 18.50. You can pick baked steak, ham or roast. We did the baked steak and it reminded me of pot roast with no veggies. I liked it better than the dry fried chicken. Or you could pick chicken and 2 meats for $ 19.50.
Now sides… You get to pick green beans or corn. We got corn. It was just corn. Also you get stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy and noodles. They also bring out white and wheat bread and they have peanut butter spread and apple butter on the table. The peanut butter spread was the best thing I ate!
Your drink and dessert also comes with your dinner. They have Coke products for those who love it or Pepsi. Now dessert… Homemade pies galore. I got the Dutch apple pie and it was good. The peanut butter and the chocolate peanut butter had whole peanuts in them. I know Kyle did not like that. He said it was just weird.
They also do a buffet. I didn’t walk over and look at it so I don’t know what was on it. You will have to check it out if you like buffets.
After or before eating they have plenty of shopping. Everything from candles to nic nacks. I even bought some star fish for my upcoming wedding. And there is a bakery where you can take home pies bread and that great peanut butter spread.
Really don’t see us making the trip back anytime soon.

Clean, excellent service, and very accommodating. You can do family style, buffet, or restaurant style.
They readily had the ingredients available for all menu items and immediately acknowledged that none of their hot items on the buffet are vegan. All vegetables have butter except for the steamed vegetable plate (restaurant menu). The breads, rolls, and Amish peanut spread is not vegan. However, you can get the salad bar for $ 9.99 (lunch price).
There are no vegan protein options (except sunflower seeds… provides a smidgen of protein) at all available on any menu (the cold salads… even the three bean salad… isn’t vegan either.) However, I planned ahead and brought roasted chickpeas and they were fine with me adding it to my fresh salad.
My dad is a Pesco vegetarian, but they did not have fish. He ate the macaroni and cheese off of the buffet and cottage cheese off the salad bar for his protein needs so all was well. His wife loved the angel raspberry dream dessert. Other meat eating members of the group loved the taco casserole.
I was happy that everyone in our group was able to dine together. My only suggestion is to offer chickpeas/​garbanzo beans on the salad bar. Then just plan ahead if you are vegan and bring your own protein source.

This is the go to place on a cold rainy day. I haven’t had anything here I didn’t like. Although, I tend to order the turkey dinner because it’s lighter. They have cute gift shops. The gift shops tend to be seasonal. Who would guess that they have one off the best football gift shops in the area. I got a really cute pair of Colts earrings. They also have a nice Amish bakery, where they sell pies, cakes, even jams, and Amish peanut butter. Also, they have Amish buggy tables, so it feels like you’re eating in an Amish buggy.
There is also miniature golf and carriage rides. It’s a beautiful place to take walks in the early fall. Warning: You’ll want a nap after you leave here.

Ein Kommentar vorab: Wieder einmal ist qype nicht in der Lage, einen Ort in den USA (Middlebury) zu erfassen. Der nächstgelegene Ort, den qype kennt, ist Chicago, der liegt nur einige hundert Meilen von Middlebury entfernt.
Ausländer kommst du zum ersten mal in diese Region in Indiana, so glaubst du, in eine andere Welt zu tauchen: Das AMISH-​Land. Wir fuhren mit unserem hochmodernen Wohnmobil durch diesen Landstrich und waren von Pferdekutschen als Hauptfortbewegungsmittel umgeben, Menschen in ihren traditionellen historischen Bekleidungen und jede Menge an Besonderheiten, die uns erstaunten, aber angenehm berührten.
Zu Beginn hatten wir noch Scheu und Berührungsängste, die legten sich aber sehr schnell, denn die Amish-​People waren offen, herzlich, gastfreundschaftlich und völlig unverkrampft uns gegenüber, die wir fragend, staunend, zögernd auf sie zugingen und die Eindrücke verarbeiteten.
Es gäbe viel hierzu zu schreiben, doch dieser Beitrag beschränkt sich auf Das Duchman Essenhaus. Es fiel uns geradezu vor die Füße, als wir hungrig nach einer Essensmöglichkeit Ausschau hielten. Und überraschend hier in den nördlichen USA, in Indiana, strahlte uns in großen Lettern an der Fassade des weißen Hauses das ESSENHAUS an! Also rauf auf den großen Parkplatz (die ja in den USA überall und immer groß sind) und hinein in die gute Küche. Trotz des Namens spricht hier keiner holländisch oder deutsch, aber das hatten wir nun wirklich nicht auch noch erwartet.
Das Dutchman Essenhaus besteht aus einem Restaurant, einer Bäckerei, einem Shop und einem Inn. Der Duft aus der Bäckerei war köstlich, wir ließen uns aber ins Restaurant geleiten.
Unsere Bedienung stellte sich — wie meist in den USA üblich — mit Vornamen vor und fragte nach unseren Wünschen. Gekleidet war sie in den typischen Usancen der Amish-​people inklusive einem Häubchen auf dem Kopf. Die Schuhe allerdings steckten in modernen Nike-​Sportschuhen.
Die Auswahl an Speisen ist groß, die Wahl fällt daher schwer. Aber da wir hungrig waren, schlugen wir voll zu, tender roast beef, mashed potatoes, Salat, Brot aus der Bäckerei und Amish Erdnuss-​Butter. Es hat vorzüglich geschmeckt! Die meisten Zutaten werden selbst hergestellt, auch alle Pastasorten.
Im diesem Amish-​Style Restaurant gibt es Frühstück von 08 — 11 h, Dinner von 11 — 20 h, am Freitag und Samstag bis 21 h.
Die Bäckerei hat die gleichen Öffnungszeiten.
Die Öffnungszeiten des Shops variieren je nach Jahreszeiten.
Für uns Fremde ist ein Besuch hier eine gute Gelegenheit, für die Zeit einer Mahlzeit in die Amish-​Welt einzutreten und vor allem gut zu speisen. Es gibt hier ansonsten weit und breit nicht allzu viel andere Gelegenheit. Nur — wer verirrt sich schon hierher?!
Wir möchten die Erfahrung nicht missen und geben sie als Tipp gerne weiter an Reisende nach Indiana ins Amish-​Country.
Der Hausspruch des Dutchman Essenhaus lautet:
Give thanks for the fullness of days spent together,
The friends that we pray will be with us forever,
The feelings we’ve shared, the food and good fun,
With faith that God’s blessings have only begun.