Location: 11 2nd St NE in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, in Northern Iowa.
Directions: Its right in the middle of downtown Mason City, about 8 miles from I-35, Highway 65 is the north-south street on either side.
The Tenderloin: This is described on the menu as "Spic-N-Span style", dipped into their special batter. I have to make it clear that I didn't do any side-by-side comparison with the Suzie-Q, but this tenderloin was in batter without any kind of spicy note. It felt more like classic seasoning salt mix. What stood out was the softness and juiciness of the loin inside. The steam in the pork meat and the tenderizing made the whole sandwich soft. Served on a kaiser bun with your choice of fixins, Overall 8.0 out of ten.
Price: $4.29 also available "Gangster Style" with fries in a combo for a little extra.
Service: Just basic carry-out service, nothing to write home about.
Final Thoughts: I may need some locals from Mason City to help me out here with some questions I have after eating here. Was there once a diner named the Spic-N-Span in downtown Mason City, in the area that is now a downtown mall? What happened to that place, did it close over 30 years ago and people still want Spic-N-Span tenderloins? Are there more Spic-N-Spans out there for me to try?
Yes. There was a diner on 2nd St SE called Spic N Span. The mall is there now. I vaguely remember the place getting torn down for the mall. But I never went in there.
ReplyDeleteDale Cory owned the Spic N Span and it was on 2nd St SE in a small brick building with counter stools and not much else. There was always a big pot of chili cooking in the corner but the tenderloins were what everybody came in for. They were a nice pork cutlet dipped in a crunchy peppery-tempura style batter and then fried in the oil. They came usually with onion, mustard and pickle and were wrapped in wax paper. When you got a bag of them "to go", the brown bag was speckled with hot oil by the time you got home. They were good!!! It closed in about 1978+/-
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Sound Emporium at 2nd and Federal, and remember walking over to the Spin n Span and picking up tenderloins by the bag. We fondly referred to them as "gut busters".
ReplyDeleteI've never tried Suzie-Q's (or Little Chicago's) tenderloins, and have no idea how they compare.
My grandfather originally owned Spic N Span. My aunt recently found the original recipe for the Spic N Span tenderloin. My grandfather retired long before I could try his recipe, and I've never had the Suzie Q version, but my father told me that there was frequently a long line for Grandpa's famous tenderloin.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather owned Spic N Span. My aunt recently found the original recipe for the Spic N Span tenderloin. I never had the pleasure of tasting the original myself, because my grandfather was disabled by several strokes before I was old enough to appreciate the food. I've also never had a Suzie Q tenderloin. But my father fondly relayed memories of a line outside the door at Spic N Span. There must be something to the myth.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteAny chance you would consider sharing your grandfather's recipe? My mother was from Mason City, we lived in Waterloo. As a small child, we would take a drive to Mason City just to have a tenderloin at Spic 'n Span! I remember your grandparents well.
Thank you.
sdgram
Hey OzzyC, have you shared the recipe anywhere? Maybe you should share it on the Pursuing Tenderloins facebook page. This kind of thing is very important to a small number of people.
ReplyDeleteThanks