Three states, three plates of nostalgia

A trip to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana restaurant legends

Can you really go home again? Or in this case, go back from home cooking?

Visiting an old dining favorite may not be the same as in the past now that COVID has changed restaurants across the country.

I put three legendary eateries on my travel itinerary on a recent trip — Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in Columbus, Ohio; Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and the Beef House Restaurant in Covington, Indiana. All of them serve up portions of memories along with heaping plates of food.

Schmidt’s Sausage Haus is a traditional German restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by John Naughton.)

I wish I could say that COVID had not impacted these restaurants — some of the best places in the country — but I cannot.

Let’s take Schmidt’s, a German restaurant known for protein-filled meals that can force you into a post-lunch or dinner nap. The star of the show was the “Autobahn” lunch buffet, an array of main dishes and sides that would take your breath away. Sausage stew, bratwurst of many kinds and rich mashed potatoes.

The Sausage Sampler at Schmidt’s. (Photo by John Naughton.)

But the buffet is no more, a victim of COVID, a server told me. While ordering off the menu is still a treat, it’s a disappointment compared to the way it used to be. (The biggest downfall due to the virus I’ve discovered is the Peachtree Buffet in Kansas City, which adapted into a tiny, non-self serve model of its outstanding soul food buffet of the past.)

Schmidt’s Sausage Sampler lets you try several different varieties of meats. But it’s certainly not the same as the old days, when roadfood-type TV shows stopped in to showcase the restaurant’s lunchtime spread.

Giant cream puffs are a feature at Schmidt’s. (Photo by John Naughton.)

You will, however, find that the giant cream puffs at Schmidt’s haven’t changed. They’re still rich and decadent, tender pastry shells loaded with rich cream filling.