The Hawkeye Restaurant in Keokuk

I don't make it to Keokuk often, its more like a stop on the way to St Louis or parts further south for most Iowans. The pork tenderloin sandwich from Hawkeye Restaurant was mentioned at some point in USA Today as one of the best sandwiches in America.

Location: 105 North Park Drive in Keokuk, Lee County in far Southeastern corner of Iowa.

Directions: This is just off Highway 61 on the State Highway 218 route on the north end of town.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This was visually appealing with a great golden brown color and wrinkles of fried breading. The meat was tenderized and included some darker sections and small bits of rendered fat. Juiciness was above average with steam arising from the sandwich. Served on a large toasted bun overall 7.9 out of ten.

Price: $7.49 with a side for dinner.


Also on the menu: The gigantic menu includes steaks, seafood, pasta, and a "create-a-gumbo" option. You can take home their house sauces by purchasing at the front counter.


Service: There is table service but I just grabbed takeout from the front counter.

Ambiance: The popularity of the Hawkeye meant they outgrew their old location in a historic building in downtown Keokuk. The current location is huge but a little too much like a generic chain restaurant with a fake fireplace and countless rooms for dining and a bar area.


Final Thoughts: The Hawkeye Restaurant is the southernmost stop so far in the history of this blog. This starts my new route of Highway 61 tenderloins along the coast of Eastern Iowa. Just up the road are great tenderloins in Mediapolis, Augusta, Ft. Madison, Walcott, Davenport, Dewitt, and Balltown.

 

J & K Diner in Laurel, Iowa

A tiny hand painted sign grabbed the corner of my eye while driving through tiny Laurel, reading Diner Open. I figured it was worth a stop, I could have sworn this place had a different name the last time I came through, but that was a while ago. The J & K Diner is relatively new, and had a daily special board visible from the road telling me Liver and Onions were the special.

Location: 203 S Main St. in Laurel, Iowa, Marshall County just north and east of the Des Moines area.

Directions: Laurel is the town on the road between Newton and Marshalltown, and J & K Diner sits right on the State Highway that takes everyone through the town.

The Tenderloin: The first thing I noticed was the steam from the meat rising through the breading. This was a juicy cut of pork loin, but just a bit smaller than what some other places serve. The meat was tenderized and bright white in the middle, with grey meat on the outside. Parts of the edges had some tiny bits of fat that didn't take away from the great texture of the meat. The breading was just more crackermeal. Served on a toasted Kaiser Bun. Overall 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $5.25 a la carte

Also on the Menu: The menu has the basics like burgers or sandwiches and fried stuff, with a loomeat hamburger named the Mustang Burger, and full breakfast service in the morning.

Service: There was a high school aged waitress and I think the owner was doing the cooking. Each were making conversation with the customers.

Ambiance: I think the blinds that read Sue's Halfway Cafe were left here by the last tenant, the walls are decorated with signs with bad jokes like Beware Of Wife written on them. There is an old counter fixture and tables for seating.

Final Thoughts: Its always good to see a new place open in a small town when driving through for the last time. J & K and its tenderloin didn't blow me away, but it seems like a perfectly good place to stop for a snack in the small town of Laurel.

Flat Tire Lounge in Madrid and the Radish Express

The sign that says Radish Express seems to have been taken apart by the weather or something, but the menus all say Radish Express. The people behind The Radish Restaurant in Grimes have set up shop here beside the Flat Tire Lounge serving the patrons in this biker bar beside the trail for the summer.

Location: 304 S Madison St in Madrid, just north and west of Greater Des Moines.

Directions: Its the huge building by the bike trail on the road into Madrid, pretty hard to miss.

Online at: Website for Flat Tire Lounge is HERE. for The Radish in Grimes is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Listed on the menu as a breaded pork loin sandwich. The tenderloin here looked great with its perfect golden brown color and the visual appeal of the spices forming little dots in the breading. The bright white pork loin meat beneath was pounded out a little too wide and was thin and on the dry side. Other parts were thick with chewy texture and untrimmed fat. The bun was toasted to a dry texture as well, and the fries were a little overcooked, so everything on my basket was just overdone. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.00 the fires were $2.00 more.

Also on the Menu: Wraps, sandwiches, a grilled pork loin sandwich, full brunch in the morning and a full drink menu inside.

Service: The bar area serves drinks and the Radish Express has a walk-up counter.

Ambiance: This bar serves the visitors to the busy bike trail and it was packed when I visited. There is a patio outside and a large bar area inside. They let people wearing bike gear inside. There is even a pump outside in case your bike has a flat tire.

Final Thoughts: The Radish has developed its reputation as the place to dine in the fast growing suburb of Grimes for its luxurious Brunch and dinner options. Serving up food to the crowds, and I mean CROWDS, of people sound like a good match. I don't really even know when they start up or end their summer gig here.

Vinny's BBQ in Dakota City, Iowa

Pulling Pork Since 2005

Vinny's BBQ in Dakota City has been on my radar since the IPPA named it the first runner-up in their 2012 Best Tenderloin in Iowa contest. The people behind Vinny's BBQ also built the "World's Largest Pork Burger" at the 2012 World Pork Expo in Des Moines. There is a video on youtube of the burger being unveiled from a large cooking pot.

Location: 507 Main St in Dakota City, Humboldt County in Northern Iowa.

Directions: Its right up the road from Rustix in Humboldt, which recently switched to being a reception hall instead of a restaurant.

Online at: Facebok page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: First things first this wasn't especially big or huge and the bun wasn't toasted well. So appearances were not impressive. What really sets this tenderloin apart isn't just the amount of juice, but the flavor in the juice. Any kind of seasoning or marinade must have been tuned to get this to taste "swiney", the unmistakable essence of pork flavor. I don't know how they do it, but the juice tastes more like pork than other tenderloins out there.Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: 5.79 with a side of fries.

Also on the menu: The BBQ section includes smoked meats and ribs, and the sandwiches include a Pork Burger and Pork Chop sandwich.

Smoked Pork Chop, Pork Burger, Pork Tenderloin, I guess they like pork.

Service: There is table or counter service, but I think you always pay at the counter.

Ambiance: This is a Main St. brick building, and it looks like the original counter and booth area has been expanded to include two more table seating areas. The walls are covered with John Deere tractor stuff, kids drawings, and BBQ competition awards.

Final Thoughts: This is a great option for people traveling through now that Rustix has switched to a reception venue.I may have to stop back for the other pork options, because it seems clear these people are passionate about pork.

Its a Pickup Truck crowd.

Smitty's in Des Moines, Iowa

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, pause for water, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH. This is the sound of eating the King Tenderloin at Smitty's in Des Moines. Smitty's has been featured in Grourmet Magazine, early editions of the Roadfood Book, and KCCI's Cruising for Comfort Food segment. The periodic national exposure means Smitty's is the first place people think of when getting a breaded pork tenderloin in Des Moines.

Location: 1401 Army Post Road on the South Side of Des Moines.

Directions: Its a few blocks from the Airport. The old location was taken out when the runway was expanded years ago.

Online At: Website is HERE.

The King Tenderloin at Smitty's

The Original King Tenderloin: The first thing that gets people here is the size. This is a true half pound or more of tenderized pork loin. It gets pounded out into an extra wide shape that makes the sandwich seem even larger. The breading is a thick layer on either side that has a texture of cracker crumbs on top of cracker crumbs. Biting releases a shattering sensation that sends crumbs spreading in every direction. The thing about the breading is that it is all crunch, little seasoning if any to be tasted beyond a sprinkling of salt after cooking. The King Tenderloin is more about subtle flavor of the pork loin and cracker breading than anything else. I think I saw the fryer set to 325° and the large size of the loin makes for considerable cooking time. The pork meat inside is more steamy and hot than juicy, but very hot when it arrives in front of you. It gets pointed out that Smitty's cooks their tenderloins from the freezer, but a lot of places do this. Tenderloins are made earlier and pulled out to fry when a customer orders one. Judging by the archive newspaper articles on the wall, this has been done for some time. In theory they could run out of tenderloins late in the day with no means of making more. In practice there is a giant freezer with a gigantic stack of King Tenderloins and even more in the storage area. Tenderloins are served on an untoasted bun with basic fixings. Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: $7.25 for the large.

Also on the Menu: Diner grill classics like burgers, loosemeat burgers, fries, and shakes. In addition to the King Tenderloin, there are some other tenderloins with small additions like the Veggie Loin or Chili Cheese Loin. The simple flavors are found throughout the menu.

Taco Loin

The Taco Loin has the King Tenderloin topped with chili, cheese, the usual vegetables and a good amount of taco sauce.

Taco Loin inside view

Jack Burger

The only recent menu addition I can remember seems to the the Jack Burger. The description included onion rings and a special "Jack Sauce" that was lightly spicy. I have tried the burgers here once or twice and didn't think they were anything special.

Jack Burger inside

Its hard to pass up the tried and true side dish of Chili Cheese Fries. Accordion cut fries with the usual fast food chili and cheese mixture served with a fork. These came in a basket for $3.50

Chili Cheese Fries

The only side dish with the word homemade in the description is the Homemade Onion Rings.

Homemade Onion Rings

Service: Its table or counter service, not very complicated. A good portion of the customers are visitors from out of town taking photos of the tenderloin, and the waitress offered to hold up the sandwich for me while I was in.

Home of the REAL Whopper! claim is repeated often.

Ambiance: The building has its own charm as a piece of old roadside architecture from decades past. The ceiling is tilted down towards the back like many of these older roadside places. The decorations inside and out make it clear that this is the temple of tenderloins, with the signature sandwich represented over and over again.

I've never called the phone number.

Final Thoughts: A huge amount of the exposure comes from the proximity to the airport where out of towners arrive. People stop in on their way out of town to pick these things up before leaving Iowa. Another element is that people from the South Side seem to think anything from the South Side of Des Moines is the greatest thing on earth. The 'Loin is big and crunchy, also a great value. The facade and interior of the place maintain a classic roadside look that shows the owners care about and take pride in what they are doing.

Flatheads in St. Anthony, Iowa

Flatheads seems to be aimed at the angler end of the outdoors spectrum with its fish sign and interior decorations. When I sat at the bar the first thing the bartender recommended was the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. There is also a framed newspaper article on the wall from when the IPPA gave this sandwich an honorable mention in their annual contest in 2008.

Location: 104 W 3rd St St Anthony in Marshall County, Central Iowa.

Directions: I think its the only place to eat in St. Anthony, its on the north end of the old main street, visible from the county road.

Online at: Facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: First things first, the portion here is big, easily over the eight ounces most places refer to as "jumbo". The butterfly cut of pork loin had been pounded out wide, but was still soft when bitten into. The breading was seasoned with salt on top and had a great texture. Served with your choice of fixings on a corn dusted Kaiser bun.Overall 8.4 out of ten.

Price: $5.75

Also on the menu: The menu is large with fish like Walleye or Catfish sandwiches, burgers, pizza, a fish fry and a taco night. I think they added a gigantic tenderloin with toppings sandwich named Sasquatch.

Service: I just sat at the bar and had the bartender take care of me on both of my visits.

Ambiance: This is a small town dive bar with wooden board siding, beer signs, outdoors stuff, antlers, and a bar and tables for seating.

Final Thoughts: I love visiting small town bars when I know a big juicy tenderloin is found inside.  Flathead isn't that far off the State Highway or the roads leading to Marshalltown. Its a great stop when driving through this part of Central Iowa.

The Other Place in Clear Lake, Iowa

The Other Place is one of the most successful restaurant chains ever conceived in Iowa. The initial locations in the Cedar Falls and Waterloo opened in the seventies, then Mason City and Clear Lake in the eighties. Finally expanding to Kansas City and later Central Iowa in the past decade. The locations have stayed in business for decades, and the older ones look more like old pizza parlors from the outside. The Other Place in Clear Lake also suffered a grease fire in its kitchen in January but reopened just three weeks later.

Location: 200 Highway 18 West in Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County in Northern Iowa.

Directions: Its just a mile off I-35 taking the Highway 18 exit through Clear Lake. Its hard to miss the gigantic building.

Online at: website for the chain  with locations and menus is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Taking the bun off the top reveals some marks that look like this was in storage for a while. The breading was more of a fine layer than anything crunchy, once again little seasoning save some visible black pepper flakes. The meat had been tenderized thoroughly and pounded into a large triangle shape. This is one of the better chain restaurant tenderloins out there, and clearly hand breaded. Served on a gigantic bun with more than enough vegetables on the side. Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $8.75 with a side, but its a special on Thursdays for $7.45

Also on the menu: Like most chain sports bars the menu is huge with lots of stuff they might not be particularly good at making. There are soups and baked sandwiches, wings, fried appetizers, pastas, and their pizza is overloaded with cheese and toppings. The Mexican section even includes the "Biggest Burrito in Town", is that a realistic claim in Storm Lake, Iowa?

The sides available include homemade chips that were good salty crunchy things that paired well with ketchup:

Service: I was in during the off hours in the middle of the day, no wait for a table and nothing to complain about.

Ambiance: This is a very modern and new sports bar with a gigantic dining area and at least twenty televisions tuned into sports. There is a bar area, takeout counter, and outside patio space for special events and barbecues. The whole place is just huge.

Final Thoughts: The Clear Lake and Mason City area has a lot of choices for dining. While The Other Place isn't the best its still a good choice for groups or families who need a large menu and tons of televisions. Just across the street is the honorary Buddy Holly Place and the lake isn't far away.