I was looking at the website of the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper and found an article about an old restaurant being brought back to life with new owners or refurbishings. The Town House menu claims the family restaurant has been in business since 1947. I don't know the details of who has relaunched this place or how much has changed, but they claim to have the "Towne's Best Tenderloin" so I had to make a stop.
Location: 112 N. Main St. in Burlington, Des Moines County in Southeast Iowa.
Directions: Its the last exit before the bridge over the river, on the east side of downtown Burlington.
Online at: facebook page is
HERE.
The Tenderloin: Described on the menus as the Towne House Tenderloin, The pork loin was cut wide open before intense tenderizing and the butterfly shape was clearly visible. The breading formed a darker golden brown color, and had a seriously salted and seasoned breading with good crunchy texture. The trim job that left too much fat in the meat, and the super thin parts that dried out left this feeling like it could have been better. Overall 7.2 out of ten.
Price: $7.99 with a side of fries:
Also on the menu: The menu is huge with steaks, pizzas, pastas, burgers, fried foods, sandwiches, and salads. I think the reopening has added some new stuff like Buffalo Chicken Empanadas or giant homemade tacos.
Service: There is table and bar service. I was in a hurry and the place was too dark for photos, so I had to grab the sandwich to go.
Ambiance: The outside looks old, like the vintage decades old signage in a yellow and blue color scheme. The interior was recently renovated with a long bar area, flatscreen televisions, and tables for groups.
Final Thoughts: My guess is that people with a last name of Towne must like to name their restaurant the "Towne House." By extension, calling a homemade tenderloin "Townhouse Tenderloin" makes sense too. I wonder if any other places are doing this?
hey
ReplyDeletei grew up in iowa and just stumbled upon this blog, its great. One request i could makes is that, if you're willing, you make a list based on your ratings so it would be easier for someone, like myself, to then create their own custom map based on ratings. This would make coming back home and taking a t'loin adventure much simpler, then collating the data myself.
thanks in advance
I have a google map on the left hand column, and I am working on getting the flickr page map to work right. Its hard to keep up on every little place but if you let me know where you are going I can give you some more specific tips.
ReplyDeleteTerry is the creator or the townehouse tenderloins, and nicks restaurant also features their style of sandwich but its a little thicker. You should check out the new Bigfoot Tenderloin coming to Nick's at 1106 Army Post Road in Des Moines, It's going to have 3 King Tenderloins, 2 sausage patties, 4 pickle spears and all the fixins, and it comes with a full onion ring order. IF you finish it in a certain amount of time you'll get it free, a t-shirt, and your name in the hall of fame. Its a cool challenge, and the tenderloins are really good! you should check it out.
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