10th St. Station in Ft Madison, Iowa

The newspaper clippings on the side of the wall indicate that 10th St. Station was once one of the oldest Maid Rite franchises. Ft Madison is not far from where Maid Rite started, and the building is old, continuously serving lunch for over seventy years.

Location: 616 10th St in Ft. Madison in Lee County far Southeastern Iowa.

Directions: This is best reached by taking the Business 61 Route through town and turning north on 10th St.

The tenderloin: This was listed under a section marked "Award Winning" on the menu. I felt a little bit of juiciness when I bit the meat portion. The breading had no discernible taste and did not stick close to the meat. The whole sandwich felt like it had been in the freezer a little too long. Served on an untoasted loosemeat burger bun with your choice of fixins. Overall 6.5 out of ten.

Price: $5.50, also available in small size. I think the menu listing the price was out of date, my total with fries was about seven dollars.

Also on the menu: This is a former Maid-Rite franchise, so there are loose meat sandwiches, and some Mexican items like fried tacos or enchiladas. They had some pies on the pie board.

Service: Its counter service with payment at the register.

Ambiance: The building is old, the fixtures are old, its like stepping back in time. Seating is at a classic u-shaped counter.

Final Thoughts: The tenderloin at 10th St Station was not good enough to make me forget The Fort Diner or some other places in this part of Iowa. But I do like visiting the old former Maid Rites, and this is one of the oldest hamburger places in Iowa.