Bonjour, friendly folks. Allow me to ask you a personal question: Are you a true Iowa Stater? Eating at Hickory Park, like campaniling, is a requirement here at ISU — didn’t you know?

OK, so I got to Hickory Park at 6:30 p.m. and was told it would be a 45-minute wait to be seated. I was busy admiring the wooden Indian Chief and a telephone booth Superman would appreciate when my name was called. A glance at my watch showed only 15 minutes had passed. (They move ’em quick at this hickory house).

Hickory Park is huge and can entertain 204 patrons at a time. (That’s 203 more than John Tesh can claim). Even so, I managed to get the worst seat in the house — right next to the beverage shack.

That aside, I opened my menu. Be forewarned. Hickory Park is not for the unhungry. The barbecue house of worship offers a large selection of entrees and prices ranging from grilled ham & cheese for $2.95 to beef ribs for $11.95.

I quickly decided on the Saucy Southerner. Quoting the menu, “It’s a combination of beef, pork, ham and turkey simmered in barbecue sauce and served on your choice of bun” (white, wheat or onion) for $3.50. They charged an extra 85 cents to add some mozzarella cheese on top.

That was the easy part; now I had to choose a side dish. You gotta respect a restaurant that offers more than french fries with your meal.

This handicap-accessible establishment offers BBQ bean, potato salad, coleslaw, hot applesauce, three bean salad, cottage cheese (my personal preference), macaroni salad or fries. An authentic soda fountain Vanilla Coke for $1.10 rounded out my savory dinner.

For the benefit of all you new people to ISU, let me equate something for you: Hickory Park and first dates. Believe me, I know … honestly, Hickory Park is ripe with successful date potential.

You’ve got all the elements — great food, mood lighting and a rustic decor, constant noise (so you’re not embarrassed by those awkward silences), a wonderful dessert menu prime for sharing and affordable, yet not overly cheap prices. What more could you ask for? (Faux pas — they don’t take credit cards).

Four birthday songs, three free drink refills and two dish drops later, I was ready to get down to serious business — dessert. Even though they specialize in 51 different sundaes, I went with the admittedly unoriginal, yet impeccable Rocky Road for $2.75.

It was undoubtedly delicious, but it melted before I could finish it. Hickory Park is currently at 121 South 16th St., but it will soon relocate to an even larger building nearby. The last my waitress knew, they were supposed to move in July 9.

5 stars out of five.

Kim Zangger is a senior in advertising advertising from Mt. Vernon.