Editor's note: Ground Zero is roadtripping to area restaurants this month.

Photographer Robert Becker and I spent last Friday in Pawnee City to work on a story about Dan Whitney, aka Larry the Cable Guy.

Whitney spent his childhood in the quaint southeast Nebraska town, the county seat for Pawnee County.

About 105 minutes from Lincoln, the town affords many daytime sightseeing opportunities, including the SchillingBridge Winery and Microbrewery, the Pedal Clinic (a tractor and pedal toy museum) and the Pawnee Historical Society and Museum.

While you're there, you may want to stop at the town's only cafe for a bite to eat. The Parkside Cafe is your typical diner, with breakfasts, burgers, salads and soft-serve ice cream.

The cafe has been a fixture of the community for 50 years, according to Teresa Shaw, who co-owns the diner with her boyfriend, Terry Hasty. The couple bought the cafe in August.

Parkside used to be a drive-in where townspeople came for ice cream. It still has the look from the outside of an old-time drive-in.

A sit-down dining area that seats around 40 was added when it became a full-service cafe.

Shaw and Hasty feature daily lunch specials, ranging from meatloaf to hot beef sandwiches to hand-battered fish filets. They cost $6.50 each and are served until they are gone.

The menu, as I noted before, features what you would expect from a cafe: burgers, sandwiches, salads and breakfast fare.

I had the patty melt with fries ($7.50), and Robert had the cheeseburger ($7.50). We enjoyed our lunch with Pawnee City residents Bruce and Betsy Spitser, who showed us around town.

The food was good, but not gourmet. My burger was fine, but there was nothing special about it. Just typical diner fare.

We suggest trying one of the daily specials. The fish filets were popular on our visit, and I wished I had tried one. The specials also come out of the kitchen a bit faster than menu items.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.