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Burwell’s Country Neighbor is charming repurpose for a 140-year-old schoolhouse
by Pam Soreide, Betty Sayers and Phil Soreide

Although spring is still weeks away, a few days of unseasonably warm weather gave the Rural Foodies spring fever and brought to mind the pleasures of camping, hiking, bird watching and road trips.

We received an email from a reader recently, praising the Country Neighbor restaurant near Burwell as worth the drive. Because Burwell is right next door to the Calamus Reservoir, an 11,000-acre State Recreation Area in the Sand Hills that boasts great camping and boating facilities – at least in warmer weather – we decided to combine an early reconnaissance of the area with our culinary adventure.

We must learn not to be so impetuous.

Our first mistake

We all live in Holdrege and a glance at the map told us Burwell is pretty much straight north on U.S. 183. We should have given the map more than a glance.

Thinking we had about an hour’s drive, we piled into the car one Saturday afternoon, figuring we could explore the reservoir and associated camping options, visit nearby Fort Hartsuff, and still have plenty of time for the Country Neighbor and a delicious meal.

But it turns out Burwell is actually about two hours north of Holdrege, and what had started as a sunny winter day began to turn threatening. By the time we realized our true situation, we were fully committed.

In the gathering dark

We gave up on visiting Calamus, but the Country Neighbor is where it is because of Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park, just a few minutes away. We had hoped to at least see the visitor center, but it was past 5:00 when we arrived so we had to content ourselves with a short stroll around the grounds and a gaze into one or two windows. Fort Hartsuff isn’t as plush or as developed as Fort Robinson, and you cannot stay in the historic buildings, but it was a place with a lot of history and if it had been open it would have made an interesting tour. Next summer, maybe.

As we stood in the stiff breeze and last of the sunshine outside the Country Neighbor, we were charmed by its curb appeal — it really did almost feel as if we had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner. A former schoolhouse, the building is deceptively large and features a white picket fence surrounding a side-garden with a big covered patio — an obvious spot for dining and events in warmer weather.

Opening the door, we were enveloped by the warmth — cozy smells, a comforting bustle, and tables full of families; tables with cowboy hats; tables with young couples. It’s easy to believe that everyone within 50 miles had the Country Neighbor in their plans that night.

Nothing fancy

The menu was solid Nebraska fare, with meat and potatoes well represented and nothing too exotic or hard to pronounce. For people like us, it would be hard to go wrong. We ordered drinks and a glass of Chardonnay, along with an appetizer of corn fritters while we negotiated which of us would get what. When the fritters came, we found them crispy outside and tender with steam on the inside, nicely accompanied by the ranch dressing.

After some discussion, we settled on a rib eye, a slice of prime rib, and a sirloin-with-shrimp combination. The boring among us got the baked potato; the true adventurer ordered the rice-and-broccoli bake, which turned out to be a wonderful choice.

About that time, we noticed an order of chicken fried steak being delivered across the aisle. “Do you suppose it is too late to change my order?” I whispered. “Yes,” my companions concurred, a little too quickly, I thought. Fortunately, our own meals soon came, with generous portions, tastefully plated, and done as we had requested. A cutting board loaded with a fresh loaf of homemade bread was also welcome.

We get the full story

As we were eating, the owner and inspiration behind the Country Neighbor, Marcia Vodehnal, came to welcome us, sitting comfortably with us to chat.

She told us she had dreamed of opening a tearoom and had her eye on a vacant schoolhouse built in the 1870s and used as a school until it was decommissioned in 1957. Wondering how she could lend the building new life, her path one day crossed that of a Department of Economic Development official, and she mentioned her dream.

“Well,” he said, “if you were to locate it here close to the Fort that would be a good thing for everyone. There isn’t a place to get even a cold drink, a souvenir or an ice cream anywhere around.”

One thing led to another and the little schoolhouse was lifted off its foundation and moved to a new location near the Fort.  After years of renovation – Marcia showed us the photo album and the painstakingly refinished floors — the Country Neighbor restaurant opened in 1995.

A wide draw

We asked Marcia where her clientele came from. She smiled, and said “Well, that table over there comes up from Broken Bow — and those folks are here from Grand Island — and, oh! Those people are back from Ord!”

We had been watching the front door open and shut, letting in groups of four, five, seven, ten people into the crowded entry. Surprisingly large, the restaurant seemed to accommodate them all, but we were impressed that an eating place in the country several miles from Burwell could attract such a crowd on a winter evening. Marcia assured us that it was way busier in the summer when they have polka Sundays and barbeques outside. In all, she estimated they serve over 40,000 meals a year.

Marcia told us they age and cut their meat themselves and had recently won third prize in a Nebraska Beef Council competition, coming in just behind Skeeter Barnes and Johnny’s Steakhouse in Omaha. She created many of the recipes herself, including a sweet onion dressing that she has bottled and is marketing in 123 grocery stores. She also told us that she had learned to bake pies in Girl Scouts, so, of course, we had to try some of that, too.

Mile-high pie

Our server brought us a mile-high piece of apple pie and a piece of banana cream pie with whipped cream and a cherry, accompanied by large cups of great coffee.

As we finished our conversation with Marcia, it seemed as if the groups of people flowing through the front door had increased if anything as the evening went on. Finally, I said to my friends, “You know, I think they could use our table...” and we said our good-byes and went out to the car to drive home.

As we headed south in full dark and a cold wind we wished – not for the first time! – that we had waited another month or two or three for this particular adventure, but having had it we were relaxed, happy and content.

And maybe next summer, we’ll do it again.

Who to Contact

Country Neighbor
82007 Fort Ave
Burwell, NE 68823
Marcia Vodehnal
(308) 346-5049
www.thecountryneighbor.com
February through December, Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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