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Cedar Rapids restaurant staffers take over Lizzie’s Dining Car in Marengo
Train-themed restaurant gets a new engineer
Oct. 24, 2024 5:15 am, Updated: Oct. 24, 2024 8:06 am
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MARENGO — All aboard! A Marengo restaurant has a new engineer driving the train to Flavortown.
After manning multiple kitchens and managing several restaurants in Cedar Rapids, a crew of three new owners are bringing new food and service to a restaurant of their own.
The new route at Lizzie’s Dining Car & Caboose Bar started in July under the direction of owners Brie, Sebastian and Aiden Simmons.
Diners at the long, narrow, restaurant can enjoy a bite or a cocktail on the journey to wherever they’re going.
If you go
What: Lizzie’s Dining Car & Caboose Bar
Where: 1041 Court Ave., Marengo
When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Website: Find Lizzie’s Dining Car & Caboose Bar on Facebook
Phone: (319) 741-6036
Details: Find wings, burgers, sandwiches, a specialties like potpies alongside a full cocktail bar in an immersive train-themed dining room. Entrees average $13 to $15.
Tickets, please
Through an arch of suitcases piled high, a narrow hallway turned into a train’s dining car awaits passengers.
Each booth, adorned with red and gold curtains, hearkens back to a time when train travel was not only elegant for those with means, but one of the only viable methods of long-distance travel. At Lizzie’s Dining Car, it’s not just a quick bite to eat — it’s about enjoying the ride along the way.
Each booth, which can comfortably seat two or maybe stretch to squeeze in four diners, has a “window” with TVs showing endless footage of the world’s most picturesque train rides.
“The experience is definitely one of a kind, you’re not going to find anything like it,” said co-owner Sebastian Simmons. “Obviously, the layout of the place is very unique.”
At the back, a bar and outdoor patio sit perpendicular to the dining room. There, diners can find a full list of cocktails and seasonal options, including Bloody Mary options, Moscow Mules, and a reserve of specialty whiskeys.
How it started
After many years working in the restaurant industry, the Simmons trio — couple Brie and Sebastian, as well as Sebastian’s brother, Aiden — have gone in on the venture as owners.
Brie Sebastian previously opened and managed twin Oak Hill Jackson neighborhood restaurants, Oak Hill Tavern and Glazed and Infused under Epic Catering LLC, with Sebastian and Aiden helping from the kitchen.
Aiden has been helping Brie in various kitchens since he started at Vinton’s former Old Hospital Pub in 2021, before moving to Raging Ryno’s and Oak Hill Tavern.
“I’ve always loved cooking at home, and the more I got to do it in a professional setting, the more I loved it,” Aiden said.
As Oak Hill Tavern’s owner decided to close the restaurant and reopen it as the revived Riley’s Cafe, the trio decided to go in on a new opportunity by investing in themselves. Thanks to a connection from a listing agent who was a regular at Oak Hill Tavern, they found Lizzie’s Dining Car for sale by owner.
The Marengo restaurant, started by Lizzie Colony in 2023, took a turn after Colony decided to pursue motherhood. Colony sold the restaurant to the Simmons in July.
Making the food their own
With a turnkey theme, the Simmons have made the restaurant their own by putting their mark on the menu.
“It’s really just putting our own personal touch on the food. We spiced it up,” Sebastian said. “It’s been (about) pouring a lot more into the food and the service and making it our own.”
With affordable entrees, appetizers, soups and salads, it’s a trip most can indulge in.
The new owners have brought with them popular specialties they honed at Oak Hill Tavern — blueberry jalapeno barbecue sauce, fried pickles, a proprietary fry seasoning, good breading for onion rings and a competitive tenderloin recipe.
“People absolutely love our onion rings,” Aiden said. “For fries, most places tend to do (only) salt and pepper, and that’s a big mistake.”
Wing Wednesdays bring a special sauce each week, too.
“If people like whiskey and wings, they’ll have a good time,” Sebastian said.
Other holdovers from Lizzie, like her famous potpies, remain popular staples on the menu.
The brothers, who grew up in Fairfax, appreciate the opportunity to elevate the food scene in Marengo — a town of a similar size — with their first venture in ownership.
“This is very much our speed,” Sebastian said. “They deserve something that’s not just cheap, greasy bar food.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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