Bridge Cafe & Supper Club in Farmington

Farmington is a small town on the Des Moines River in Southeast Iowa best known for a Strawberry Festival each June that includes free strawberries and ice cream from Berry Concerned People. It is also the town closest to Shimek State Forest, which seems looks like 9,000 acres of undisturbed oak forest. The Bridge Cafe and Supperclub was my second choice to eat here, after another place was closed during my visit. I was lucky to find a good tenderloin in a place I didn't expect.

Location: 101 Olive St in Farmington, Van Buren County, in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Its right beside the bridge into town over the Des Moines River.

The Tenderloin: Listed as half pound pork loin sandwich, the lady running things told me this was made at a local meat locker. The white meat was thick and had the consistency of being tenderized by hand. The breading formed a thick edge and had a good crunchy texture. Served with your choice of fixins on an untoasted bun. Overall 7.7 out of ten.

Price: $6.25

Also on the menu: Breakfast, fried stuff, homemade soup,  hot beef sandwiches and homemade pies listed on a pie board.


Service: There was one lady waiting the counter and another cooking when I stopped by.

Ambiance: This place doesn't look like much from the outside. There is a dining area for special events, a dining room with tables and an antique counter area that has fallen into disrepair with torn seats and wobbly stools.

Final Thoughts: This is now the fourth place I have checked out for a tenderloin in Van Buren County. I think I had my best luck at Misty's Malt Shop in Keosauqua  and AJ's Bar in Mt Sterling. I wish I could make it to small town festivals like the Strawberry Festival but the timing never seems to be right.

Little Bohemia Cedar Rapids Hot Loin of Pork

Little Bohemia Neighborhood Bar & Eatery has slowly been renovated, restored, and reopened since the Great Flood of 2008. The bar began serving beer again in late 2010, along with part of their food menu. They brought back the fried food a few months later in 2011. Grant Wood drank here, Marvin Cone painted a picture of the building, and visitors to Cedar Rapids Czech Village have been stopping into Little Bo's for years now.

Location: 1317 3rd St SE in Cedar Rapids, Southeast of Downtown and a few block from the Czech Village. Its a sign of the times that a new bar & grill has opened across the street, along with an antique store on the opposite corner.

Directions: Its at the corner of 3rd St SW and 14th Ave SE, which is across a bridge from 16th Ave SW the main drag through the Czech Village area.

Online at: FACEBOOK PAGE.

The Hot Loin of Pork: This is described on the menu as a breaded pork loin, served with homemade mashed potatoes, sliced bread, and pork gravy. The freshly ground black pepper gave just the right amount of extra spice and texture to the creamy gravy and potatoes. The bread absorbed the gravy but so did the breading on the loin. The pork gravy on the breaded loin made this a great dish. The uneven surface of the bar meant the gravy moved around while I was positioning the dish to take photos. Overall 9.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.49
Also on the menu: There is a breaded tenderloin, made rite, and the Goulash is the special. Most of the menu is taken up by standard bar food like wings and fried stuff along with Czech beers. According to a newspaper article, the previous owner had served pig ear and snout sandwiches. It might be time to bring those back.Service: I came in during the off hours, and only an off duty employee and the owner were there. They warmed up the fryer to make the loin.
Ambiance: The bar is in a historic building which has housed a bar or restaurant since it was built around 1883. The beer signs and Czech puns are mixed with antiques with wood furniture and fixtures.
Final Thoughts: I don't have anything to compare the reopened places in this neighborhood with what the area was like before the flood. The nature of the neighborhood has changed, there once were thousands of people living in historic homes nearby. Now local pubs and restaurants have to promote themselves as destinations for people living in the suburbs or the corridor.

Susie's Kitchen in Stanton

Stanton has a sign on the road into town naming itself the "Little White City" and is the birthplace of an actress from Folgers Coffee commercials. The water tower is shaped like a coffee cup with graphics reflecting the Swedish heritage of the town. In more recent times, Stanton has become locally renowned for its Swedish-American Cafe, Susie's Kök or Susie's Kitchen serving up comfort food to travelers along Highway 34 in Southwest Iowa. Susie's Kitchen has been featured in The Iowan magazine and Roadfood among other places.

Location: 404 Broad Ave. in Stanton, Montgomery County in Southwest Iowa.


Directions: The road south from Highway 34 veers to the west and turns into Broad St, leading a visitor right in front of Susie's Kitchen.

The Tenderloin: The owner of Susie's Kitchen explained to me that the tenderloin was made by breading the loin then putting it on top of a flat grill. This is not deep fried or pan-fried like nearly every other place. As a result, the texture of the breading is free of any oil or grease. The color of the breading is a bright white with golden brown and darker marks from the grill. This breading method is clearly healthier than what most other places use. The flavor just wasn't on par with others, and the loin felt a little dry. There just isn't any grease on this whole sandwich. You will notice the butter in the toasted bun. Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $7.00 with a side.

Also on the menu: There is the usual breakfast and lunch with sandwiches. The Fruit of the Forest Pie and other Swedish foods are the specialty.

The Swedish Pancake with Linggonberry Jam were something special. It felt wrong to order just one on the side. These have a fine texture and the jam brings berry flavor over the top. Highly recommended.
Service: The owner of this place was walking between the tables and a local high school aged kid was waiting tables.

Ambiance: This is a small town main street cafe with tiny Swedish designs like what is on the giant coffee pot and lots of wood paneling.


Final Thoughts: Susie's Kitchen served breakfast all day, and in Stanton "all day" means until the place closes at two in the afternoon. Plan on getting here early for the great pancakes and pies. The tenderloin will probably please people looking for a healthier version of the classic breaded pork tenderloin, because its not deep fried.

Gators Grill & Spirits in Burlington

This whole neighborhood on the west side of Burlington always seems to have tons of traffic that must be going to the Casino nearby. The place seems to be chain restaurant type of area with just a few local places. The parking lot of Gator's Grill & Spirits was overflowing with cars on a Tuesday at lunchtime, so its not like this place is a secret. I just can't drive past a sign with an alligator in a suit.

Location: 3313 Agency St in Burlington, Des Moines County in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Its the same Highway 61 exit as Catfish Bend Casino, but turn south to find Agency St and the big sign with a gator in a top hat.

Online at: website with menu and auto-play music is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The first thing I noticed was the great pounded-out shape with tear away edges to grab and eat. The interior was not as moist as I like, and this was true throughout the large portion here. The breading had some huge cracker crumbs falling off as I ate. Served on a toasted bun with your choice of fixings, Overall 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $7.69 with a side.
Also on the menu: the menu is huge with pages of steaks, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and other stuff.

Service: I went to the bar to get some take-out, but there are two dining areas and service was slow because of the huge crowd at lunchtime during my visit.
Ambiance: I can't help but think this building held a chain restaurant as its last tenant. There are two large dining areas with tables, booths, and televisions to watch.

Final Thoughts: This wasn't the best tenderloin I've found in the Burlington area, I will get the Tender Trap and Fat Annie's in Augusta written up soon.

Starlite Room in Cedar Rapids

The Starlite Room, or Jim's Starlite Room, is a family restaurant serving greasy comfort food in the same place for 50 years and counting. Little blue stars are behind the burger in the sign, another banner claims "Great Tenderloins". They have a multi generational customer base in this section of Cedar Rapids that keeps the place filled with large groups eating burgers and fries and other fast foods.

Location: 3300 1st Avenue Northeast in Cedar Rapids, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: First Ave is the main route from downtown Cedar Rapids to Marion and place beyond. The Starlite is in an old strip mall behind a Dairy Queen.

The Tenderloin: This felt like a good seven ounces when I picked it up. Breading was a thick layer covering a triangle shaped loin. The good thick white meat had steam coming out of it that permeated the breading and the bun. The loin had been tenderized significantly by hand. Served on a large toasted bun, Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $5.50

Also on the menu: the half pound "The Superburger" seems to predate the recent gourmet or upscale burger trend by a few decades. The rest of the menu is filled with fried stuff and other sandwiches.

Service: I grabbed takeout from the bar area, but there is table service in the dining area.
Ambiance: This location has been here for a long time and the interior is split into a bar area and a dining area with booths that was filled with families when I visited. Wood paneling, flatsceen televisions, a fortune-telling machine, and ugly electric signs dominated the interior of this neighborhood dive.
Final Thoughts: The Starlite keeps its crowds coming for its friendly atmosphere and superior fast food cuisine. I've slowly been making my way through Cedar Rapids tenderloins and my only real disappointment has been the Tic Toc Restaurant. My next stop in Cedar Rapids will have to be the reopened kitchen at the Little Bohemia bar that has been on my list for years now.

J's Homestyle Cooking in Cedar Falls

This longstanding comfort food diner is wedged in between student apartment buildings and the UNI Campus in Cedar Falls. For a college town, this place felt like a meeting place for the older townies.


Location: 1724 W 31st St in Cedar Falls, just south of the UNI campus and the UNI Dome.

Directions: Its about four miles north of Highway 20 just off Hudson Road in Cedar Falls. Look for the tall sign.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Described on the menu as 14 oz. and lean cut pork meat. The point of distinction here is that the large cut of pork loins is trimmed of fat completely. This makes a big difference when you are eating a super jumbo tenderloin. The breading is just a thin golden brown layer that gets moistened by the steam in the meat. Served with your choice of fixings on a huge fresh baked bun. Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: $9.99, half size available for $7.99
Also on the menu: The menu is huge with breakfast, baked goods, broasted chicken and daily specials. They have a loosemeat burger named "J's MADEWRONG", a cheese stuffed "JUICY J's BURGER", along with classics like hot ham or Rueben sandwiches.

Service: there is a small counter but most people get table service and eat in booths.
Ambiance: This place shows its age. Its not old enough to have a nostalgic appeal like an older diner would, and its kept clean. But it still has tons of wood paneling and a baked goods display.

Final Thoughts: The dictionary definition of homestyle food from Google reads "Such as would be made or provided at home; simple and unpretentious". One of the online coupons for this place claims "We put the HOME in HOMESTYLE". J's Homestyle is like eating at a grandmothers house, from the decorations to the cookies.

Sneaky's Chicken in Arnolds Park Okoboji

Sneaky's Chicken is part of a long running tradition of fried chicken places with raccoon mascots. Who among us can honestly say they would drive past a fried chicken place with a big raccoon on its sign. For their new location near Okoboji, Sneaky's added sunglasses, a visor, beach towel and most importantly sandals to its raccoon mascot.


Location: 293 Hwy 71 North in Arnold's Park, right off Lake Okoboji in Northern Iowa.


Directions: Highway 71 is the main drag into Okobji, and Sneaky's is just south of the bridge across the lake.

Sneaky's Pride: This sandwich is described as "famous" and "hand breaded" in its description. It felt like seven ounces of pork meat in the classic mitten triangle shape. The meat was cut with the grain and a little on the thin side. The texture was a great hard crunch on the outside with chewy and dry pork inside. I can't help but think this is the same kind of breading they put on their fried chicken. Served on a huge toasted bun. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.99 with two sides and pickle slice.

Also on the menu: fried chicken, side items, fried chicken, fish, fried chicken, burgers, fried chicken, chicken gizzards, fried chicken, sandwiches, fried chicken, and catering or picnic size orders of fried chicken.

They took a usual cole slaw mix and topped it with what must have been paprika for some extra color:
Service: I came in during the off hours and went straight to the take-out counter. I think its table service for dining in or on the patio.


Ambiance: This is a newly remodeled space that was just recently turned into Sneaky's. I don't know what was here before, but the dining area was open and bright, and you might be able to see the lake from the corner of your eye from the patio. I snuck out of this place without getting a picture of the building.
Final Thoughts: The Sneaky's Chicken location in Sioux City is in more of an older roadside fast food style of building several decades old. I saw the menu board there and it only listed Sneaky's Pride, and I didn't put together that that was the name for their tenderloin. I haven't written up many sandwiches in this part of Iowa because I don't make it that often. Sneaky's was only my second choice after another place was closed. I'm sure this place gets busy during the summer months when the lake is packed with families.