Are you a true ice cream lover? Are you the type of person who polishes off a pint (or maybe even a quart) of fudge ripple without a second thought? If so, this place is about to make all of your dreams come true with its massive sundae challenge. And if you're not that into ice cream, there are tons of other delicious choices to satisfy every appetite.
The small city of Pierce is located in northeastern Nebraska, just northwest of Norfolk. It's one of those quintessential midwestern towns, with friendly people, strong community ties, and lots of locally-owned businesses.
One of those is J's Place, a family-run ice cream and burger joint that opened in 2016. The building itself has been standing for nearly 100 years.
It was a gas station for many years, then in the 1960s it became a restaurant. More recently, the Short Stop Drive-In was housed here. After some renovations, upgrades, and additions, new owner Wanda Backus opened this sweet little hometown eatery named after her mother, Judie.
People love this place for many reasons, but the biggest - literally - may be the Pierce Pounder. This enormous ice cream sundae consists of chocolate chip cookies and three piles of ice cream (you can choose from chocolate, vanilla, or twist) covered in toppings.
You'll choose three to five toppings of the more than 40 types that are available. When it's all constructed, it will weigh more than a pound and a half - depending on the toppings, it can weigh in at more than three pounds!
The sundae costs $9.99, which is a steal for the amount of food you're getting. But even better, if you manage to finish the whole thing you'll be immortalized as one of the successful challengers.
The current champion (not pictured) finished it all in two and a half minutes. Can you imagine the brain freeze that must have caused?
Don't worry if you can't possibly stomach that much ice cream. There are other treats to enjoy that are a bit smaller...though this huge cookie monster banana split is nearly as big!
Get your ice cream in a homemade waffle cone or waffle bowl, both of which are the perfect combination of crisp and chewy.
Pile on your choice of toppings and create your very own edible masterpiece. If you describe what you want, the friendly workers will do their best to make it a reality.
Or if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, get your sundae in the unique brownie bowl or churro bowl. These may be the ideal ice cream delivery systems, and you'll wonder why you ever ate out of a non-edible bowl.
Wanda has dreamed up several unique concoctions to serve in the store. One of them is the Rocket, a vanilla ice cream cone dipped in one of six delicious flavors.
If you have room for dinner after your ice cream - because this is the kind of place where it's ok to eat dessert first - there's a whole lot of yummy food on the menu. The burgers are a local favorite; the 5-ounce patties come in six varieties.
Also notable: the pizzaburger, which consists of a deep-fried beef and pork patty, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and your choice of "deluxe" options on a toasted bun.
Pan-fried chicken is another specialty. Once a Friday-night-only special, you can now order a big, heaping plate of chicken and sides any day of the week as long as you order at least 24 hours in advance. It's totally worth a bit of planning.
Tons of other menu options are available. How about a big salad? Or if you're craving bacon and eggs, you'll be happy to know that you can order breakfast any time of the day at J's Place.
Other treats include sno cones, cheese frenchees, breaded cauliflower, and dessert nachos. Wanda also makes delectable cream cheese mints in a staggering array of flavors and homemade Christmas cookies and candy.
J's Place is closed for part of the winter; for current hours, specials, news, and pictures of folks who have conquered the Pierce Pounder, check out the restaurant's Facebook page. You can also find the full menu and more on the J's Place website.
Need to relax and walk off some of those calories? There's a beautiful arboretum in Pierce that's the perfect destination. Check it out - along with nine other peaceful places - in this article from the archives.
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