Book excerpt: Nobody does comfort food like Midwesterners. Whether it’s coconut cream pie or savory cheese soup, spare ribs or cornbread, there’s a restaurant in the Heartland that makes it best. Dawn Simonds compiled this essential guidebook to more than 230 unique restaurants, where home cooking is an art. All of these restaurants share a dedication to cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients and serving delicious food in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Simonds offers colorful descriptions of the restaurants and their owners, assessments of the food, price guides, directions for getting there, and other important details. With Best Food in Town as a guide, readers are certain to find restaurants to satisfy any comfort food craving.