Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa

The Drake Diner has a reputation as a place where Drake students go to eat with their families when their parents come to town for a visit. The menu graphics reinforce the family appeal of this place. The Drake Diner has a good thing going with all these Drake students and guests from the hotel next door, the place is busy and probably gets more people than any other spot in the Drake neighborhood.

Location: 1111 25th St near Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Directions: you turn south on 25th from University Ave while driving through the Drake neighborhood in Des Moines.

Online at: Website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The tenderloin doesn't look big at first, and feels like just six or seven ounces compared to the bigger ones I've seen at other places. The breading has a great golden brown color and forms a fine thin layer but doesn't have much seasoning to it. The pork meat has a consistent texture like it was tenderized in a machine at the meat department, and the white pork loin meat was steamy and moist. This was an okay homemade tenderloin. Served with onion and pickle on a big soft toasted bun. Overall 7.3 out of ten.

Price: $9.49 with a side of accordion fries.

Also on the menu: They serve a lot of breakfasts with huge portions of eggs or pancakes or hash browns. Their lunch menu includes half pound burgers and other diner staples. Local specialties include a rarebit burger served open faced and topped with melted cheese or a deep fried cheese frenchie sandwich. Then there is a big ice cream and dessert menu.

Service: There is table service at the booths or counter service at the counter.

Ambiance: I think the building was built to resemble a classic diner from the fifties, there is a large counter area and booths and a patio area for seating. There is a lot of neon lighting.

Final Thoughts: This was a decent tenderloin at a diner famous for breakfasts and burgers. I still want to try the Rarebit burger sometime. I think I saw a plaque of recognition from the Iowa Cattlemen for their annual burger competition.

Oskaloosa Maid Rite

A sign on the road into Oskaloosa alerted me to a special one dollar off deal for a homemade tenderloin from the local Maid Rite franchise. I've visited plenty of Maid-Rites, and most serve frozen fritters instead of homemade pork tenderloins. I have found homemade tenderloins at Maid Rites in Cedar Rapids and Monroe, and at some family owned locations that ended their franchise agreements and don't call themselves Maid Rite anymore.

Location: 902 A Ave. West in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa.

Directions: Ave A is Highway 92, the main drag from Highway 163 heading from Des Moines.

Online at: Facebook page is HERE.

The tenderloin: This had an obvious handmade pork loin shape, complete with a finger of meat sticking out on the side. The breading formed a tasteless and dusty layer with just minor crunch. The meat inside was a bright white that had been trimmed, it wasn't especially tender. Good moisture, but not juicy. This was a really okay tenderloin for a franchise restaurant. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: These are usually $4.99 and available in a basket for $7.99

Thanks Gary

Also on the menu: The usual Maid Rite Diner menu, with loosemeat burgers and fried stuff. There is a pork fritter for people who want to save a dollar and eat a pork fritter.  If they serve nachos with loose beef on top, wouldn't they be Nacho-Rites?

I was pleasantly surprised by the homemade fries, they had just the right amount of crispiness and were warm and lightly salted.

Hand cut fries

Service: I ordered at the counter, food is brought to your table.

Ambiance: This is a recently built Maid Rite franchise in the Maid-Rite Diner template. Its stuffed with retro diner decor and neon signs, there is a counter and booths and a table shaped like the Maid Rite sign.


Final Thoughts: I had stopped at Maid-Rite when my first destination, Julie's Homestyle Cafe on Market St. was closed. It turns out Julie's has some short hours, and I will have to make it back to try to eat there.

Jerry's Main Lunch in Burlington, Iowa

The sign still lists an five digit phone number from forever ago, and the media reports Jerry's has been open since 1946. Jerry's Main Lunch has been featured recently in Edible Iowa River Valley, the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper, and WQAD television in the Quad Cities in a feature about landmark restaurants.


Location: 501 S Main St. in Burlington, Des Moines County in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: You have to take Main St south from downtown and Jerry's is on the West side of the street.

The Tenderloin: The crackerlike breading expanded from the loin meat and left an empty space that made the sandwich look bigger. It felt like a good seven ounces of pork, and the meat was steamy and hot. There was a hint of black pepper on the outside. Served on a soft toasted bun with your choice of fixins. This was more about the experience of eating in a classic old diner than the actual breaded pork tenderloin. Overall 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $4.70 also available in smaller size.

Also on the menu: the specialties are the Breakfast Mess and the Jerry Burger, the menu is mostly standard diner fare with daily specials and homemade pies.

Service: Its counter service and the food is made right in front of you.

Ambiance: Its a brick diner building from almost seventy years ago with fourteen seats on an L-shaped counter. The walls are covered with photos or old newspaper stories, and you can buy a t-shirt while you are here.

Final Thoughts: There aren't many places with as much history or family tradition as Jerry's Main Lunch. I think the family were talking about furniture when I stopped in during the off hours. When I see Jerry's thriving it makes me surprised that nobody is trying to make it work at the old Valentine Diner parked beside the river in Muscatine. Just a reminder you can see my list of tenderloins near Highway 61 HERE.

The Country House in Colo, Iowa

The stretch of Highway 30 between Colo and Nevada is home to a The Country House Restaurant, which earned a runner up plaque for the IPPA Best Tenderloin contest in 2011. They were also featured on KCCI's Cruising For Comfort Food feature a few years ago.

Location: 68168 US Highway 30 just outside of Colo, Iowa in Story County. Its about a 45 minute drive from Des Moines.

Directions: Turn south off of Highway 30 when you see Twin Anchors Campground, the Country House is next to the out of business service station.

The Tenderloin: This felt like eight ounces of pork loin that had been flattened out during tenderizing. The cracker crunch breading had just a hint of seasoning. The meat underneath was steamy and very warm, for several minutes after it was delivered to my table. The bright white meat was neatly trimmed with no fat. Served on a toasted sesame seed bun with all the fixins overall 8.3 out of ten.

Price: $7.50 with a side. I went with the fries which were thick steak fries lightly salted and served hot.

Also on the menu: The menu is simple, and I mean real simple like less than half a page for lunch. I think they have simplified it since my first visits several years ago. Think burgers and hot beef sandwiches, the daily special was grilled cheese tenderloin. There are also homemade pies on a sheet cooling on the counter:

Pies

Service: Its seat yourself table service, and you can pay at the counter or wait to have your ticket taken for you.

With Fries

Ambiance: The restaurant sign reads "Since 1991" and the building feels like a nineties building. There are tables and booths for seating, and some out of place pictures of European street scenes or vineyards.

Large Size

Final Thoughts: The Country House is a must stop on this stretch of highway in North Central Iowa. With Stones in Marshalltown and the Suburban Restaurant in Gilbert closed, this area doesn't have much to choose from after Flatheads in St Anthony.

Steve's Place in Burlington, Iowa

Steve's Place has a sign that claims it is "The place to be!" Although I would not have entered based on the message on the sign, but the print ad reading "our homemade tenderloins are great" made this stop necessary. This bar on the edge of the downtown area of Burlington is a real dive, a dive among dives.

Location: 852 Washington Ave in Burlington, Southeast Iowa.

Directions: You can get here by taking the Main St exit from the state highway and turning on Washington St.

The Tenderloin: I had to grab one to go because there was no light inside the bar. This felt like six ounces of in a shapeless form in a delicious golden brown color. The tenderized meat did was a bit limp and seemed to flop over the toasted bun. The breading had little seasoning and steam from the meat took away any kind of crunch. This was still a decent dive bar tenderloin. Overall 7.5 out of ten.


Price: $4.50 a great value.


Also on the menu:  mostly the usual fried stuff you find at every bar,  along with steak and burgers. I think Thursday is taco night.


Service: I think the grill is only open from five to nine in the evening. You need to sit at the bar to get service.

Ambiance: This is a dive bar decorated with photos of Marilyn Monroe and figurines of knights in suits of armor. The building is old and the bar fixtures are showing their age. There was a crowd of people standing outside the door smoking.


Final Thoughts: I've had tenderloins at several places in Burlington so far and none have stood out or above the Short Stop in New London or the Apron Strings in Mediapolis. My next stop in Burlington will probably be at Jerry's Main Lunch on Main Street.

Sale Barn Cafe in Lamoni Iowa

There is something about livestock auctions and food that just goes together. These are major get together locations with a specific function in the farm economy of Iowa. There are sale barns all over the place in rural Iowa, and many serve food on sale days. There have to be a few that stay open during the week, and I stumbled across one in the far south of Iowa in Lamoni.

Location: 900 East Main St. in Lamoni, Decatur County, Southern Iowa.


Directions: Take the Highway 65 exit from I-35 and turn West. The road turns into Main St in Lamoni and the Sale Barn Cafe is close to the city center.

The Tenderloin: The pork loin had been cut into a basic triangle shape. Breading felt like a little bit of cracker crunch and just a touch of seasoning. The white pork loin meat was steamy and warm while tenderizing had left the grain of the meat barely disturbed for a nice chewy texture. The edges had a little bit of untrimmed fat that could be chewed apart and did not take away from the enjoyment of the sandwich. Overall 7.8 out of ten.

Price: $7.50 a la carte

Also on the menu: There is a hot beef sandwich and tenderloin served hot beef style, something called a Chuck Wagon, burgers and sides. The daily specials come with a roll and a couple sides. The pies and other desserts are often made with fruits from the local Amish farms. They also sell homemade bread.

Strawberry Pie

Service: Its basic seat yourself table service with a register at the counter in the back.

Ambiance: Its a cafe inside a livestock auction building with wood paneled walls and tables for seating. The outside will smell like cows on a hot day.


Final Thoughts: Its no secret that livestock auction houses will have some good food. The hard part is getting into town and knowing the when and where to go. My internet searches have not found any other sale barn cafes with regular weekday hours, and information about any others would be appreciated.

 

Darrell's Place in Hamlin, Iowa

Darrell's Place is an aluminum siding building with a gravel driveway parking lot and a giant antenna on the roof. Its at the "busy" intersection of highways 44 and 71 in Western Iowa, in a town with less than 300 people. The autobiographical stories on the walls tell of a farmer from near Exira who decided to open this restaurant back in the eighties, and its word of mouth reputation slowly spread throughout the small burgs of Western Iowa.

Location: 4010 First St in Hamlin, Audubon County in Western Iowa.

Directions: Take the Highway 71 exit from I-80 and drive north through Brayton and Exira and find Darrell's place in Hamlin at the intersection with Highway 44.

Online at: facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The cutting and trim job on the pork loin meat is meticulous and yields a smaller size piece of meat with a juicy and chewy texture. The sandwich feels like six ounces, much smaller than the jumbo loins sold elsewhere. The tenderizing is very consistent so there are no thin drys spots or tougher thick parts. Breading is a super fine and super thin layer of golden yellow with just a touch of seasoning that keeps the steam inside from escaping. Served with pickles and onions on an a small untoasted bun. Overall 9.3 out of ten.

Price: It was $4.25 a la carte the last time I stopped in.

Also on the menu: The menu is big with fried appetizers, sandwiches, burgers and other entrees. But seriously, why bother with anything other than the tenderloin and dessert. I went with the Butterscotch pie picked out from the Pie Board and appreciated the creamy and sweet filling:

Butterscotch Pie

Service: This is a seat yourself table service restaurant, and a couple waitresses are spread throughout the dining area. The small town place gets busy and the food isn't fast, so be prepared for a little wait.

Ambiance: The walls are wood panels covered with everything from t-shirts to newpaper articles about the IPPA award to posters from the local high school sports teams. The seating includes a bar area and tables for groups.

Final Thoughts: The story of Darrell's Place is also the story of the IPPA Best Tenderloin in Iowa Award. The 2003 award was the first one given out, and the IPPA even published a list of places nominated for the award before giving out the top five. That list was the first real guide to finding breaded tenderloin sandwiches, and the IPPA contest with its exposure on rural AM radio still reaches the small town diners more than any modern internet search, newspaper articles, or restaurant review websites like yelp or urbanspoon. I have to wonder if Darrell's Place was the reason they started the award in the first place.

Duncan's Cafe in Council Bluffs, Iowa

Duncan's cafe has been serving up breakfast and diner food in downtown Council Bluffs for a long time. I get the idea that Duncan's sells a lot of tenderloins, some other people were eating them as I walked through the dining area.

Location: 501 S. Main St. in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County in Western Iowa.

Directions: The cafe is at the corner of 5th and Main St. in the old downtown area. You have to enter a hallway area to reach Duncan's.

The Tenderloin: The size was good, this thing dominated the multicolored plate with potato chips. The meat portion would be described as steamy but not moist and definitely not juicy. The breading felt dusty but had a distinct salty seasoning blend. Served on a large toasted bun that felt like the Rotella buns that come from Omaha. Those are good buns. Overall 7.1 out of ten.

Price: 7.00 with fixins and a side of ruffled potato chips.

Also on the menu: The menu is just regular diner food like chicken fried steak or daily specials, with full breakfast options served on big skillets.

Service: Its just table service with a counter for paying the bill and grabbing to-go orders.

Ambiance: The outside of the building is a historic main street facade, but the interior is unsophisticated small town diner with tables and booths and bright colored plates. I almost expected the plates to start beeping and lighting up.The exposed brick walls are covered with just plain random and weird pictures.

Final Thoughts: I have not exactly spent much time in Council Bluffs over the years. I read a local article a long time ago that pointed me towards the Railway Inn and LPL Lounge. I still haven't found a real good one any closer than the Dairy Sweet in Dunlap. My next stop might be a roadhouse in Beebeetown if I can find the time to drive through during the day.