Two takers for Lincoln Cafe tattoos -- so far

Was it the French fries for life, the community spirit or a dedication to food? Sounds like it was a combination of all three.

A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned a promotion under way by Matt Steigerwald, owner/chef of Lincoln Cafe in downtown Mount Vernon.

Anyone who gets a tattoo that says “food is important.” will get free French fries for life at his restaurant.

Since then, two women have taken Steigerwald up on the offer.

Rachel Antonuccio of Iowa City was the first to take the plunge. Now a lawyer, Antonuccio, 30, worked at Lincoln Cafe while a student at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. She started as a dishwasher, worked as a waitress for six or seven years and finished her stint at the Lincoln Wine Bar.

“I am wedded to that place,” she says.

Working at the Lincoln Cafe introduced her a whole new world of culinary creations. Steigerwald changes his dinner entrees daily, using fresh fish, local heirloom meats and organic vegetables.

“He's not afraid of flavor,” Antonuccio says. “It's well balanced and so interesting.”

While she says the French fries are delicious, her decision to get the tattoo was more about camaraderie with the cafe.

Her “food is important.” tattoo on her right foot isn't highly visible but that was by design. As a lawyer, she is often at the courthouse, where there is a certain sense of decorum, she explains.

Karen Mills of Mount Vernon got the tattoo on her right arm a few days after Antonuccio got hers.

Mills had been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while but was unsure about what to get. A regular at the Lincoln Cafe, she went with the “food is important.” tattoo after Steigerwald announced the offer.

“It's a sentiment I could get on board with,” she says. “This is a small town. I know Matt and his partner, Kim. We are neighbors.”

As Mills got her tattoo at Insidious Ink just down the block from the wine bar, Lincoln Cafe manager Elizabeth Gibson brought her a plate of French fries.

While Mills agrees the cafe has the best fries around, she says she probably won't order them every day - even though she could.

She usually orders a sandwich which comes with a side of chips. Substituting fries costs extra - a couple bucks Mills will now save each time.

But it may take awhile to recoup the cost of the tattoo, she says. “Maybe about six months.”