Best Catfish and Fried Chicken Anywhere

Since I can remember, my family has always ventured to Rip's Tavern in Ladd, Ill., for the best catfish and fried chicken around.

My father and mother took us as children along with all of their friends. I was just a toddler the first time I ate there. Now, my sisters and I take our families to this small town tavern. And believe me it is not a nearby restaurant. It's not fancy, and there's really nothing too special about the building.

But the cheap prices, the fantastic food and the friendly waitresses and bartenders keep people coming back in droves. If you ever go there, just ask people who are standing in line how long they have been going to Rip's and how many miles they drive to get there. You would be amazed.

We have to travel 90 minutes from my home in Iowa to get there for the best fish around. We don't make the journey very often. But I always look forward to the drive, the conversation and the anticipation of eating the perfectly fried catfish.

I know people who live in Chicago and its suburbs who travel the 60 or 70 miles to get to Rip's, too. It becomes a tradition for many families. And the funny thing is you usually have to wait in line - especially during the summer - to get a table in the small tavern.

I remember waiting in line more than an hour with my father, and he isn't a patient man. But this was the one place he would wait for hours. Some of the same waitresses that served us as kids are still there, and I'm in my late 40s.

The original tavern, which opened in 1936, burnt down awhile back. But they rebuilt, remodeled a little, and opened it up again to great fanfare. They didn't change a thing in the recipes. The great taste of the fish and chicken remain the same.