J & K Market in Centerville Iowa

I have to thank one of the comments on my last post from Centerville recommending this place. The J & K has been open since 1970 on the north side of the Centerville town square. Its clearly a family run place with pictures on the walls and newspaper articles detailing the history of J & K Market.


Location: 113 W Van Buren St in Centerville, Appanoose County, Southern Iowa.


Directions: Its on the northwest side of the ginormous town square in Centerville.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Whole Hog: Whenever I see a tenderloin loaded up on topping I have to grab it. The bacon, ham and cheese didn't make the sandwich great but were juicy and savory on top of the tenderloin. The breading was a simple seasoning mix with a great crunchy texture. The best part here was the soft tenderized and well trimmed pork loin. Overall 8.5 out of ten.


Price: $4.50 for the Whole Hog, the regular jumbo tenderloin is $3.50, fries are a dollar more. They are treating the entire town like family members with these prices.

Also on the menu: Part of the menu refers to J & K as home to the "Original  Woppers" which are a list of deli sandwiches. There are burgers, other fried stuff and specials that round out the menu.


Service: Casual deli counter service to get your order in, then pay at the front counter. The owners do local promotions on a local radio station and youtube videos with the daily specials. I think they also do boat tours of Lake Rathbun.

Ambiance: The J & K is an old grocery store in the town square. The aisles are not wide and the handwritten graphics cover large parts of the walls and windows. There are a couple tables and three chairs outside for seating.


Final Thoughts: The immediate comparison for me is to B & B Grocery in Des Moines.For some reason on my last trip through here I saw more than one storefront graphic advertising "jumbo tenderloin" sandwiches. With other restaurants in town using the exact same verbiage, "homemade jumbo tenderloin", I wonder if J & K supplies these for them. Either way, the prices are absolutely rock bottom for good hand-breaded tenderloins in any small town in Iowa.

Findlay's Old Time Butcher Shop & Delicatessen Des Moines

Update #2 Winter 2010/2011: Sometimes restaurants move to new locations, only to come back to the same spot a few years later. I went to Findlay's and they have the same tenderloin, and some good mac 'n cheese side too. You can buy smoked meats in bulk now.

UPDATE: Findlay's moved to Knoxville in late 2009, they are just a block off the main square. I saw it was just a BBQ place with the same menu but no meat market. This current location is now named Two Rivers BBQ Market and Deli, they have a tenderloin but I haven't made it in try one yet.
This butcher shop has a wide variety of meats for sale, and a lunch menu that includes a homemade tenderloin. The big meat smoker outside told me that tasty meat would be served here. Unfortunately, subsequent visits have revealed the tenderloin is no longer on the menu. Bummer.

Location: 1951 Indianola Ave on the south side of Des Moines.

Directions: Take south 7th St. from downtown, turn on Indianola and find this building beside Italian-American cultural center.

The Tenderloin: The first thing I notices was the three-point shape of the meat. The dense, chewy consistency of the meat and exceptional pork flavor makes me wonder if this was slow cooked before breading. Dollops of mustard, ketchup, and red onions are between the bun and the tenderloin. Served on a soft but cold kaiser bun from a local bakery. Overall a solid 7.5 out of ten.

Price: 4.99 , with chips and a side for $1.50 more.

Also on the menu: Smoked meat BBQ sandwiches, a full meat selection for large orders including Turducken. Jerky was in stock when I stopped by.

Service: Counter service, it can take a few minutes to get your food.
Ambiance: Bright light from windows comes into dining area. There are signs with meat prices outside. The place gets crowded for the lunch rush.

Final Thoughts: Smoking the pork loin before breading and frying can bring out a world of flavor. This relatively new butcher shop has a solid tenderloin worth checking out, its too bad it was discontinued or moved to "seasonal" status.

For emergency Tenderloin craving: head further down Indianola and turn on Hartford to reach B&B Grocery for their Big Piggy Pork Loin or Real Tenderloins.

Hometown Meats & Delicatessen in Knoxville

A trip through the midget car racing capital of the world took me past Hometown Meats and Deli. Its blaring window sign meant I could not miss this tenderloin.

Location: 111 E. Robinson, Knoxville. about 40 minutes southwest of Des Moines.

Directions: Its just half a block off the square from the southwest.

The Tenderloin: I understood that this was under a heat-lamp after the person behind the counter only took about 15 seconds to put it together and ask what I wanted on it. The breading was crunchy partly from hardening under the lamp, and tasted the same as a zillion other average tenderloins. There was a thin chewy layer of pork loin with good pork flavor. The tenderloin only went slightly beyond the bun. The regular fixings are available if you ask for them. The bun is just pulled out of a bag. I think it may be wiser, maybe even cheaper, to buy these uncooked and fry them at home. 5.5/10

Price:$3.25, Friday special for $2.70

Also on the menu: Deli style sandwiches, beefburgers, tacos, and other fried stuff. There is a full meat selection as well.

Service: A handful of people shuffle around behind the meat counter. You have to tell them what you want on top of your sandwich, there is no fixings bar.

Ambiance: There is the meat counter area and a separate dining area in front. There were stacks of inventory boxes holding soda cans inside right in the middle of this area when I was here. Many locals were in and out, nearly all were getting the tenderloin.
Final Thoughts: This was just an okay second choice after I found that the Main St. Cafe had changed ownership and no longer served a tenderloin. The big sign on the window made it easy to find. This isn't the best heat-lamp style tenderloin, nor is it the best butcher shop variety.