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.

Bluebird Diner in Iowa City

While cruising through restaurant websites looking for places to try, this diner in Iowa City reminded me of a place I had visited earlier in Waterloo. Bluebird Diner has a mission to serve homemade comfort food made with fresh and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Between this place and Newton's Paradise Cafe in Waterloo, Eastern Iowa seems to have a couple of better, new, retro self-styled "diners" than any of the new diners I have found in Central Iowa.

Location: 330 East Market Street in Iowa City, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: Its across the street from Johns Grocery on the north side of downtown Iowa City.

Online at: their website is HERE.


The Tenderloin: In the dim light that made my photos turn out bad, the sandwich had a medium size and shape that was between a mitten and the triangular loin cut. The white meat was cut with the grain and didn't feel like it had been tenderized. There was a good cracker crunch and just a little seasoning in the breading. The whole thing just wasn't tender enough. Served with all the fixings on a soft toasted bun. Overall 7.1 out of ten.

Price: $8.75 with a side, also available grilled or blackened. They gave me a mountain of lightly seasoned fries with my sandwich.

Also on the menu: Comfort food including a full breakfast menu with burgers, sandwiches and daily specials for dinner.

I sat right in front of the Cinnamon Rolls, and figured they were worth taking a picture:
Service: It looked like two student waitresses and a cook when I visited during the off-hours. The receipt included cute phrases like "It was our tweet to serve you" and "have a pheasant day!"

Ambiance: I think this building was a paint store when I went to school in Iowa City long time ago. The exterior was designed to resemble Edward Hopper's 1942 painting Nighthawks, my camera couldn't really capture the dark light after the sun went down. The diner in Nighthawks has no door, but the Bluebird has a door with a curtain inside.

Final Thoughts: I would come back to this place to try the breakfast items that sound good like the Biscuits & Gravy or the Egg Omelet choices. I haven't spent enough time trying tenderloins in Iowa City since I last wrote up Midtown Family Restaurant a couple years ago. My list of places to check includes Hamburg Inn No.2, Shakespeare's Pub, and a long list of small town cafe's in the area.