Sneakers Eatery & Pub in Fort Dodge, Iowa

I've been driving around Fort Dodge and surroundings for a long time now. I went to local legend Community Tap & Pizza and found an okay tenderloin, but I've kept looking. Now it seems like plenty of places have come and go over the years in the downtown area and the commercial strip. I hadn't heard of Sneakers Pub until a few months ago, and it looks like the building used to be a different restaurant. I still don't understand the appeal of naming a bar after a pair of shoes, or having shoes in the sign.

Location: 1317 Central Ave in Fort Dodge, North Central Iowa.

Directions: Central Ave is just East of downtown Ft Dodge and can be reached by taking the Business 20 turn off and turning north on 12th St or 15th St.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This was a large cut of pork loin, at least eight ounces. The breading formed big crunchy flakes on all parts of the meat. The pork loin was dry on the edges and soft and juicy in one part, but the fat hadn't been trimmed well. Served on a giant toasted bun. Overall 7.4 out of ten.

Price: $9.25 with a side

Also on the menu: The menu is huge with burgers, wings, a "world famous rueben", fish, tacos and everything you've seen at sports bars before.

Service: There was one server working the bar and dining areas who was a little overworked when I was in.

Ambiance: This is a sports bar with a huge bar area and televisions and sports stuff tacked onto the walls.

Final thoughts: Sneakers was a nice sports bar with an alright breaded tenderloin. I haven't found a real good one in the city of Ft Dodge yet. Just a short drive from Ft Dodge I have found good tenderloins in Clare or in Paton or Ogden.

Belmond Drive-In in Belmond Iowa

The Belmond Drive-In has a tenderloin on the sign, and its 2016 IPPA Best Tenderloin in Iowa Contest plaque on the wall. Then they have a sign reading Best Tenderloin in a window, and then the shirts they wear say "Hand Breaded Tenderloins" and "Full of Awesome".

Location: 215 River Ave S in Belmond, Wright County, Northern Iowa.

Directions: you take Highway 69 North from Des Moines past Webster City and this place is on the south side of town.

The Tenderloin: This felt like one of the smaller sized loins, maybe less than seven ounces. The breading had a good golden brown color with hints of seasoning but nothing that tasted strong. It formed a very thin and slightly crunchy layer over the white loin meat. What made this tiny tenderloin good was the consistent tenderness and juiciness in the meat. Served on a higher quality toasted bun with the usual fixings. Overall 8.9 very good

Price: $5.88 after tax

Also on the menu: The menu has the basics of burgers, a melt sandwich, and hot beef with ice cream shop items for dessert.

Service: There was one person working tables and one person cooking when I was in.

Ambiance: The interior is covered with Belmond-Klemme Mustang gear, seating was available at a small counter or tables.

Final Thoughts: This tenderloin is a case of good things sometimes coming in small packages. This is my first stop in Wright County, and I hope to get back in this area when the weather warms up and more places are open.

Midtown Cafe in Newton Iowa

 A lot of places have come and gone over the years in Newton but this little place with the words CAFE visible on the square has been around for as long as I can recall. This is an older diner that specializes in burgers and breakfasts that had a bunch of families eating here when I visited.

Location: 120 1st St North in Newton, Jasper County in Central Iowa.

Directions: this is on the East side of the square across the street from the County Courthouse.

Online at: facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The description simply states that this sandwich is big enough for two. This came with two buns and a side along with the fixings. The first thing is that this is big and well bigger than the usual eight ounces that most places describe as "jumbo". The problem was that this seemed to lack moisture inside and the edges were especially dry. The middle had some good white pork loin meat that was soft enough to chew through easily. The breading was crunchy but not tasty and the whole thing felt like too much time in the freezer had sucked the moisture out. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.99 with a side

Also on the menu: Diner food classics like burgers or sandwiches. There is a full breakfast selection with an dish named The Annihilator, and more than one food challenge.

Service: its seat yourself table service with tables and booths and a counter in the back.

Ambiance: This is an old space with old fixtures and furniture in an old building known as The Midtown Building.

Final Thoughts: I had driven through Newton so many times over the years that I couldn't count. but finding a good tenderloin has eluded me. I had tried an old diner beside the Maid Rite, and I wanted to stop at a racing themed bar on the East side of town. But that place was closed on a Sunday when I was driving through, like how many racing themed bars are closed on Sunday? I remember when there was an Argentine steakhouse called Gauchos just a block of the square and I never made it in and now its been gone for ten years now.

Westside Family Restaurant in Grinnell Iowa

I haven't had the best of luck searching for tenderloins in Grinnell. I had a lousy tenderloin at the Dari Barn years ago, and lots of places have come and gone since then. Westside Restaurant seems to have persevered as a family dining option on this part of Grinnell for a long time now.

Location: 229 6th Ave West in Grinnell Iowa about an hour east of Des Moines.

Directions: This is on old Highway 6 on the western side of Grinnell.

Online at: Website is HERE.

The tenderloin: The cut was a little on the thin side but the meat was moist throughout. The breading had a light crunchiness and not much taste but had a good golden brown color. Served on a soft bun with your choice of fixings overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $6.95 a la carte

Also on the menu: full breakfast in the morning, homemade pies and a huge lunch and dinner selection like steaks or burgers or seafood.

Service: Its table service by some long serving waitresses.

Ambiance: The website says this location was a A&W Drive-In a long time ago, and it looks lika a dated eighties or older renovation. There are booths or tables in the dining area.

Final Thoughts: My attempts at finding a good tenderloin in Grinnell had been mostly frustration, I think I had one at a pizza place a long time ago, and I had tried Montgomery's Sandwich Shop but they didn't have a homemade loin. I may have to try the racing themed bar down the road in Newton on Highway 6 for my next stop.

Wobbly Boots Roadhouse in Clive, Iowa

Any time I visit a place with "Roadhouse" in the name I almost expect to see a wild bar scene with Patrick Swayze drop kicking a bunch of bad guys. My experiences have never really met those expectations. But Wobbly Boots is a chain of BBQ restaurants from the Lake of the Ozarks area which is kind of close to where Roadhouse was set. I've never heard anything good about this place, but they have a homemade tenderloin on the menu so I had to give it a try.

Location: 1301 NW 114th St in Clive, Suburban Des Moines Iowa. I usually have bad luck in side of the highway high traffic areas between chain restaurants like this place in Clive.

Directions: This is in between some other chain restaurants a block north of the intersection of 50th St and University in West Des Moines.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This was a large piece of pork loin cut and pounded into a consistent if slightly thin tenderloin sandwich. The crunchiness was good and consistent throughout although I couldn't taste anything in the breading. The meat inside was warm and bright white and good softness. This is better than the tenderloin I ate at another chain The Other Place. Served with LTOP on a large soft toasted bun. Overall 7.7 out of ten.

Price: $9.99 with a side of fries but I paid extra for

Also on the menu: The smoked meats are most of the menu but there are also burgers and salads and flatbreads.

Service: There is table service or bar service and it was like any other chain restaurant.

Ambiance: This space has been a different chain restaurant and was newly renovated a year ago when Wobbly Boots opened. There are televisions and exposed woodwork with old barn wood.

Final Thoughts: I have to warn people that I've never heard anything good about this place other than the tenderloin or the onion rings. Some people tell me that they don't reheat the meat from their smoker properly when they serve it so it all tastes a little off. The wings I had once tasted like they had too much smoke, and a lot of the side dishes were forgettable or worse like they were just bad.

Shakespeare's Pub & Grill in Iowa City Iowa

I had known about Shakespeare's for a long time, its been serving locals and townies on the East Side of Iowa City forever. Isn't it crazy how the dive bar on the east side with the busy parking lot seems to have the best tenderloin I've found in Iowa City. I have a couple more places over here to check out since I never made to to Iron Hawk before they closed last year.


Location: 819 S 1st Ave in Iowa City

Directions:I always get lost on this side of Iowa City, Shakespeare's is just a few blocks north of the old mall.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The meat inside was a thick cut of soft white pork loin. The batter formed a thick and crispy layer that included many pieces that stuck out for extra crunchiness. There was one little dark spot in the meat that I hope doesn't appear on other sandwiches they serve. This reminded me of battered loins from The Elms Club in Creston or Gramma's Kitchen in Walcott. Served on a very soft toasted bun with your choice of fixings. This was a nicely battered loin Overall 8.2 out of ten.

Price: $9.50 with fries.

Also on the menu: There are daily specials and the menu is bar food like burgers, sandwiches, and fried appetizers.

Service: There is bar service with wait staff slowly working through the crowded room.

Ambiance: the pub describes itself as an "East side watering hole", and the interior is dark with beer signs and a pool table and the bucket seats at the bar felt like they were decades old. I appreciate the font on their sign.

Final Thoughts: Blow, blow, thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind, As man's ingratitude.

Victory Lane Cafe in Des Moines, Iowa

Victory Lane has a sign with a car tire, and some window lettering that reads "pizza to go", its hard to tell whats inside this place while driving past.  The full name of this place is Victory Lane Motorsports Cafe and it is in a simple building on the East side of Des Moines.

Location: 3801 Easton Blvd. in Des Moines

Directions: You get to Easton by taking University east past the fairgrounds and turning north on East 29th or Williams St.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This felt like at least a half pound of pork in the sandwich. The breading was a thick layer that had little seasoning and badly needed some mustard. The pork inside was cut with the grain and not tender, and there wasn't much moisture inside. The bun was not toasted and the fixings were piled underneath. Overall this was an okay homemade bar food tenderloin. 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $7.29 with fries and a little extra for onion rings

Also on the menu: typical bar food burgers and fried stuff but with pizza and cavatelli.
I got some onion rings:

Service: This was bar service with a couple waitresses running the cafe on a busy Friday crowd when I was in.

Ambiance: The cafe is themed for watching racing and there are flatscreen televisions and racing gear everywhere. Seats are at table and at the bar, and they have a pool table.

Final Thoughts: Its been a while since I last visited a "neighborhood bar" and even longer since I've visited one on the East side of Des Moines. Most of the people here were getting the pizza or the cavatelli, and I might go with those on another visit.