David's Milwaukee Diner in Hotel Pattee Perry Iowa

The Menu

The Hotel Pattee has closed and reopened more than once in the last few years. Its hard to see how a luxury hotel fits into this town in Dallas County with its packing plants and old railroad tracks. The website claims David's Milwaukee Diner is named for David Jackson Pattee, and the Milwaukee Railroad that once employed many in Perry. This diner is on the left hand side when you walk through the grand entrance.

Location: 1112 Willis Ave in Perry, Dallas County, Iowa.

Directions: Take Highway 141 north and west of suburban Des Moines, turn up Highway 144 the main road into Perry.

Online at: Website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This had some very crisp and crunchy breading that had a cracker like texture and a darker brown color. The meat had been tenderized but wasn't soft to the touch. There was a little moisture and the meat was white throughout. This had average thickness. The lack of seasoning in the breading, or any flavor was almost alleviated by the inclusion of spicy mustard. Served on a very warm bun. Overall, this was a very average tenderloin. 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.99 with a side, I went with the homemade chips.

Homemade Chips

Also on the menu: Lunch is a modern version diner fare, so in addition to burgers and sandwiches you have four kinds of macaroni and cheese and several salads. There is a separate menu for Breakfast and Dinner.


Service: Full service with a hostess seating you, and there is a counter selling "pattee cakes" and other things.

Ambiance: The high ceilings and old fixtures, and dark woodwork added to the ambiance. The dining area is named The Arrow Room, made to look like a train's dining car. I had never visited this space over the years, but the interior was meticulously detailed with artwork and objects reflecting Perry's railroad history.


Final Thoughts: I don't pretend to know if this incarnation of the the Hotel Pattee will stay open for the long haul. But I do know that this tenderloin will not be the make or break menu item that keeps its diner busy. Perry has some good Mexican and Latin places, and this diner seems to be banking on nostalgia to get people to visit. The space is beautiful, but the sandwich was nothing special.

Hotel Pattee

Lou's Diner in Woordward, Iowa

Lou's Diner is in a historic building that was once the city hall of Woodward and was home to a pizza restaurant until 2001. Lou's won a plaque as first runner up in the 2005 IPPA Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest, so any trip through Woodward is incomplete without stopping here.

Location: 220 S. Main St in Woodward, Dallas County, Central Iowa.

Directions: This is just down the street from my last stop. Woodward is about twenty minutes north and west from Des Moines.

The Tenderloin: This sandwich completely filled the to-go box each time I have come here. The shape was a classic butterfly cut which had been pounded out to a huge width. I tasted very little seasoning in the crunchy breading. Served on a buttery toasted kaiser bun. Overall 8.1 out of ten.

Price: $6.25 a la carte

Also on the menu: The menu is big with a full breakfast selection and homemade pies and handmade onion rings as the highlights.

Service: There was one old lady waiting tables and another cooking when I stopped in. I think they get busy for breakfast.

Ambiance: This old building has been renovated and reused in many different ways over the years. The kitchen is open, but some supplies are kept in the dining area. There are two dining areas and a bar, and the walls are covered in farm themed decor.

Final Thoughts: I don't think I've heard a single word about Lou's since they won their IPPA plaque eight years ago. They just seem to be going along on local business and doing just fine.

Cayenne's Cafe in Woodward, Iowa

Cayenne's Cafe is named for a pepper and seems to be one of the younger businesses on Main St. in Woodward. Judging from the hanging banner behind the bar I get the idea Cayenne's sells prime rib sandwiches when the High Trestle Trail Bridge opens for the summer.

Location:121 S Main St in Woodward, Dallas County in Central Iowa.

Directions: You take Highway 141 north from 80/35 and turn north at Highway 210 which turns into Main St in Woodward.

The Tenderloin: This is described as a breaded tenderloin on the menu, but its a very unusual one. It doesn't appear to be deep fried, and there are no deep fried items on the menu so they probably don't have a fryer. The pork loin meat is breaded with a little bit of crumbs and a lot of spices. Not anything hot, just a lot more from the spice rack than I am used to. One side of the loin was golden brown while another was orange. The juiciness of the loin meat meant a lot of steam got into the breading and made a wet orange layer that stuck to the bun. This was close to being something tasty but there just wasn't any crunch to go along. Served with all the fixings on a toasted bun. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $5.95 a la carte

Also on the menu: the sign tells people of a salad bar and deli sandwiches. There is also pizza, a frito pie, and a breaded hamburger.

Service: I came in and just one person was working tables while another was cooking.

Ambiance: This is a restored main street building with high ceilings and an old bar and open kitchen. There are tables for seating and cayenne pepper decorations hanging from the lights.

Final Thoughts: My next stop in Woodward will probably be just south on Main St at Lou's Diner.

Dexfield Diner and Pub in Redfield, Iowa

Noticing a pork tenderloin served hot beef style, with mashed potatoes and gravy, on the menu made this place a must stop on my latest trip through Redfield.

Location: 904 1st St in Redfield, Dallas County, just West of Adel in Central Iowa.

Directions: Redfield is on Old Highway 6 just a few miles West from Adel, it can also be reached from Exit 100 off of I-80 to the south.

Online at: Website with menu is HERE.

The Hot Tenderloin: This came to my table in the shape of an ice cream sundae, like the meat sundaes that get served at the state fair. I asked the waitress if the tenderloins were made here and was given the response that they were breaded here. Fair enough, the breaded tenderloin at the bottom of this was tenderized well but still thick. This could have used some slices of bread to absorb some of the gravy. The mashed potatoes and gravy were piled high but just weren't special, I got no taste of any pork in the gravy and the potatoes were just scoops of the same stuff you can find anywhere.

Price: $8.99

Also on the menu: Its a small diner and pub menu with burgers, sandwiches, prime rib, and some healthy options like salads or wraps. There was a special cooler filled with homemade pies that looked delicious.

Service: The place was not two busy but there were two servers working the tables and a cook in the back.

Ambiance: This is a very clean space with booths, tables, and a bar for seating. The high ceilings were typical of an old Main St building. The walls were covered in memorabilia of the local high school football team, including a shrine to a State Championship in 1974, and some Northwest Missouri State stuff as well.

Final Thoughts: The height made for good presentation, but I would get the regular tenderloin next time I am here.

Patrick's Restaurant in Adel

I've made frequent trips to Adel a bunch of times over the years, and had tried plenty of places looking for a homemade tenderloin here. This recently opened place in a newly constructed building had a hand-breaded tenderloin on the online menu, so I drove by and checked it out.


Location: 211 S. 7th St in Adel, near the bike path and just west of Waukee and the Western Suburbs.


Directions: Take University from Des Moines, or the Highway 169 exit from I-80 into Adel, this place is a block north and east of the main intersection south of town.

Online At: http://www.aweserv.com/patricks/

The Tenderloin: The meat formed a normal triangle loin shape when viewed from above. The butterfly cut left one half much thicker than the other. Sticking the sandwich in a take-out wrapper meant one of the edges curled up, but that was fine by me. Meat was bright white and steamy, hidden under a fine layer of crunchy breading. The bun was just gigantic and dwarfed the sandwich itself. Overall an okay 7 out of ten.

Price: $7.25

Also on the menu: The menu is big, with sandwiches, salads, steaks, pasta, pizzas and a full breakfast.
Service: Its seat yourself table service with a bunch of waitresses running around, but I had to grab my sandwich to-go from the counter.

Ambiance: This is a newly built building with large tables for seating and natural light coming in from the windows.
Final Thoughts: I've had a hard time finding homemade tenderloins in Adel. The old Horseshoe Lanes on the West Side of town used to serve one, but I never made it there before it closed down years ago. I've found good tenderloins in other parts of Dallas County, but the best I have found so far is still at Fat Randi's in Van Meter. The next place I need to check out in this County is probably Lou's Diner in Woodward.

Cozy Cafe in Clive

Cozy Cafe occupies the corner of a strip mall in Clive that resembles every other strip mall in the Western Suburbs. A couple Des Moines restaurant veterans turned this location into a comfort food option for people driving along Hickman Road west of Des Moines, and it has a Grounds For Celebration franchise inside serving a full menu of coffee drinks.

Special Note: Cozy Cafe opened in February 2010 in a western section of Clive. It is not to be confused with the Corner Cafe, another suburban retro diner serving comfort food in nearby Urbandale since April 2010, staffed by former employees serving a menu from the closed Urbandale Cafe. That place is down the street from the original Des Moines retro diner, Stella's Blue Sky, now open on 100th st. Cozy Cafe is owned by the folks who operated The Rock Restaurant, and previously ran Pat's Corner Cafe on Ingersoll, and some other place before that.

Location: 15950 Hickman Rd. in the Dallas County side of Clive.


Directions: Its next to Wendy's on Hickman Rd/Highway 6 on the way to Waukee and Adel.


Online at: http://www.cozycaferestaurant.com/


The Tenderloin: This thing is a great size and value, and heavy to pick up. The meat is in the classic pork loin butterfly cut that ends up in a sort of triangular shape. The uneven thickness of the meat made some parts much thicker than others. The overall juiciness retention of the meat was exceptional. There was just enough seasonings to add some taste to the breading. The two slices of American cheese were an extra 35 cents. Served with fixins on a large soft toasted bun. Overall 7.943 out of ten.


Price: $5.95, on special with a drink on Thursdays.
Also on the menu: The house specialty is the cavatelli, dating from when the owners served Helen and Pat's Cavatelli, and there is the usual diner fare of coneys and burgers. There are also homemade dessserts, daily soups and a full breakfast served until eleven. The coffee counter and drive-thru have a full selection of espresso drinks. Sides are served a la carte.

Ambiance: The strip mall is less than five years old, and this place has a small dining are with booths for seating. There is new colorful tile and natural light on the decorations.
Final Thoughts: The Cozy Cafe is serving up classic Iowa comfort food for people who don't even know Hickman as the road to Adel. Additionally, you can now get a tenderloin and chase it with a Red Eye without leaving your car. I never made it to Pat's Corner Cafe on Ingersoll before it closed, but people had recommended their Hot Beef Sandwich, and homemade chips to me back then. I may have to head back someday to try the one of the Cavatelli dishes. I just hope I can make it back before the operators of this place move on to open another restaurant.

Fat Randi's in Van Meter

Van Meter is a small town of 866 people just outside West Des Moines, its most famous for being home to former major league pitcher Bob Feller and there is a billboard on the freeway advertising his "museum". You can see the town by looking past the gravel pit south of the freeway. An honorable mention in the top five tenderloins in Iowa in 2007 meant that I had to make the trek almost 10 minutes from West Des Moines to check out this sandwich.

Location: 405 Grant St. in Van Meter, just 8 miles beyond West Des Moines, in Dallas County.

Directions: You take the freeway past the Jordan Creek exit, and turn south to drive past the gravel pit. This pub and grub is next to an auto shop on the old main street in behind the Casey's in Van Meter.
The Tenderloin: This one has a nice golden brown color in its fine layer of breading. The meat is nice, juicy and thick.The first time I ordered one it came with an onion ring on top, but I haven't been given one on my subsequent trips. There was a leaning tower effect with all the toppings. Overall 8.0 out of 10

Price: $7.00 with a side.

Also on the menu: A typical pub and grub menu with fried stuff, burgers, and frozen pizza. The specialty is the Fat Randi burger with fresh ground beef.

Service: Table and bar service. The lady that owns and manages the place, Randi, isn't really fat.
Ambiance: Its a small town bar with tables to eat at and Tv's. The walls are covered with cheap beer puns like "liquor in front, poker in the rear" on painted signs.

Every year the cities of West Des Moines and Waukee seem to creep farther west, and since the new mall was built this town seems closer to Des Moines than it used to be. Van Meter may be turning into a bedroom community for people who work in West Des Moines, but Fat Randi's is an authentic small town pub and grub with a good tenderloin.