Apron Strings in Mediapolis, Iowa

I think the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper had a local poll for the best tenderloin in Southeast Iowa a while back. The Apron Strings was one of the nominees, and Mediapolis is conveniently located on the road north from Burlington. Get here early for the breakfast and lunch specials, because Apron Strings closes at two in the afternoon.


Location: 608 Main St in Mediapolis in Des Moines County, Southeast Iowa..

Directions: This is just off Highway 61 on the main drag through Mediapolis, just north of Burlington.

The Tenderloin: I liked the soft homemade bun this was served in. Buns don't have to be toasted if they are soft yet firm enough to hold up the sandwich. This tenderloin had a good eight ounces of well trimmed pork loin. The meat was well trimmed and bright white inside. Overall 8.4 out of ten.


Price: $4.95


Also on the menu: There is a full breakfast service along with "noon specials" for lunch. I think they claimed to have homemade cole slaw for a side.

Service: There are two dining areas with table service as well as a counter area. I grabbed my loin to go and paid at the counter.

Ambiance: This place has a very rustic atmosphere with tiny tables and booths. Wood paneled walls with aprons set the tone.


Final Thoughts: I love pulling up to small town diners with vintage soda logo signs and superlative claims of culinary excellence. Be sure to check out my list of other tenderloin places along old Highway 61 on the list I've compiled HERE.

The Hub Towne House in Burlington, Iowa

I was looking at the website of the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper and found an article about an old restaurant being brought back to life with new owners or refurbishings. The Town House menu claims the family restaurant has been in business since 1947. I don't know the details of who has relaunched this place or how much has changed, but they claim to have the "Towne's Best Tenderloin" so I had to make a stop.

Location: 112 N. Main St. in Burlington, Des Moines County in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Its the last exit before the bridge over the river, on the east side of downtown Burlington.

Online at: facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Described on the menus as the Towne House Tenderloin, The pork loin was cut wide open before intense tenderizing and the butterfly shape was clearly visible. The breading formed a darker golden brown color, and had a seriously salted and seasoned breading with good crunchy texture. The trim job that left too much fat in the meat, and the super thin parts that dried out left this feeling like it could have been better. Overall 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $7.99 with a side of fries:

Also on the menu: The menu is huge with steaks, pizzas, pastas, burgers, fried foods, sandwiches, and salads. I think the reopening has added some new stuff like Buffalo Chicken Empanadas or giant homemade tacos.

Service: There is table and bar service. I was in a hurry and the place was too dark for photos, so I had to grab the sandwich to go.

Ambiance: The outside looks old, like the vintage decades old signage in a yellow and blue color scheme. The interior was recently renovated with a long bar area, flatscreen televisions, and tables for groups.

Final Thoughts: My guess is that people with a last name of Towne must like to name their restaurant the "Towne House." By extension, calling a homemade tenderloin "Townhouse Tenderloin" makes sense too. I wonder if any other places are doing this?

TC's Point After in Dewitt and Chuckie's Tenderloin Truck

Storefront on Old Highway 61

This is an entry about one tenderloin sold in two places. It all started in Dewitt, Iowa, along Old Route 61 at TC's Point After. Its a small town sports bar with a large menu. It sounds like Chuckie sold his stake in TC's Point After in order to take his tenderloin truck to locations far from Clinton County, Iowa. Its been spotted in Denver, San Diego, and at Cactus League baseball spring training sites in Arizona. A recent spotting at the Iowa State Fair meant I could get a chance to try the mobile version. This is also the first homemade pork tenderloin I've found at the State Fair, most concessions use the awful half-pound frozen fritters.

Location: 719 6th Ave. in Dewitt, Clinton County, Quad Cities area in Eastern Iowa.

Directions: Its on Old Higway 61, the original main street through Dewitt, now you have to take a turn off the State Highway to drive up along 11th St to reach 6th Ave.

Online At: you can try to follow TC's or the mobile trailer at their facebook page HERE.

Outside the Point After in Dewitt

Chuckie's Famous Tenderloin: The video interviews with Chuckie include references to "special flour" and 14 seasonings inside the batter itself. There is a lot of depth in the texture of the batter, this can be seen by the little dots or different seasonings. Chuckie even calls his center cut of pork loin the "ribeye of the tenderloin". The tenderizing is done "fresh" at the mobile trailer, and I take this to mean they cut and mechanically tenderize it to order. The loin is not big, it feels like six ounces. The result of the preparation is a great subtle breading flavor with nice soft white pork loin. This is a good sandwich served on an untoasted bun. Overall 9.1 out of ten.

Wrinkles of flavored batter

Price: Vending fees and other things affect the prices at any truck. From a video on the QC news website shows a setup in San Diego, California with the tenderloin being sold for ten dollars a la carte. At the Iowa State Fair it was $8.00 for a tenderloin with waffle fries. The picture below is from a while ago at TC's Point After, so don't get angry if its gone up.

Its Good!

Also on the menu: The sign outside TC's Point After reads Steaks and Prime Rib along with Food and Spirits. The menu is huge with burgers and daily specials. The truck was literally just tenderloins and waffle fries.

Food Truck Setup at Iowa State Fair

Service: Just regular sports bar service in Dewitt, I grabbed the loin to go. The truck looks like a two person operation when I visited during a slow time.

At the 2013 Iowa State Fair

Ambiance: The Point After in Dewitt is a very clear Chicago Cubs and local teams sports bar. It has dated woodwork and old fixtures, thankfully covered by sports junk. Its pretty dark inside, so pictures were impossible. I think they do group tours to visit the Cubs in Chicago.

In a basket with waffle fries.

Final thoughts: This is a sandwich that travels well. I mean it gets around more than any other tenderloin. I know some small town cafes will have mobile trailers for local county fairs or dirt track racing nights. These rarely leave the State of Iowa. I can say with some confidence that Chuckie will be back at San Diego Chargers home games this fall. I would guess they would be available for events in the Southern California or Arizona area too.

That is one happy pig.

 

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.

 

11th St Precinct Bar in Davenport Iowa & Grilled Tenderloins

The 11th St. Precinct Bar & Grill won an award for best tenderloin in the Quad Cities a couple years ago. The newspaper running the competition included grilled and breaded tenderloins from all parts of the Quad Cities area. There is a large golden pig trophy wedged between two flatscreen televisions behind the bar area marking their triumph. 


Location: 2108 East 11th St on the intersection with Mound St in Davenport, Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: This is technically in East Davenport a small commercial area of renovated historic buildings just off the River Road between Davenport and Bettendorf.

Online at: Website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Listed on the menu as the "famous" half pound jumbo grilled tenderloin. The first thing that sticks out is the great color on this grilled loin. The alternating white of the pork loin meat checkered with the grill marks and seared edges. It has a great charred surface with just a bit of seasonings added during the grilling process. The texture of the pork loin is firm on the outside but chewy in texture, just the right amount of time on the hot grill. Served on a buttered and toasted bun. This is the best grilled loin I've eaten so far.

Price: $8.50 with a side.

Also on the menu: The grilled tenderloin is the star of the menu with its own section, its local awards are highlighted on the menu and other graphics There are other choices like specialty pizzas, pasta, burgers and bar food fried appetizers.

"The Big Kahuna" Spicy Pepperjack Bacon Tenderloin: Fitting for a sandwich with seven words in the title, this had layers of Hoagie Roll, Grilled Pork Loin, Pepperjack Cheese, Bacon, Spicy Giardiniera dressing, lettuce, onions, tomato, and lettuce. The star of the sandwich is the sliced grilled pork loin. The Spicy Giadiniera with peppers packs an acidic and spicy punch that you just don't find in most sandwiches in Iowa. I would love to say that this sandwich is some meaningful meeting of Iowa and Chicage style sandwiches, but its more of just a combination of ingredients that kinda works together.

Price: $9.75 with a side for lunch.

Service: I just sat at the bar and the bartender took care of my order and made conversation with some of the regulars.


Ambiance: This has been a bar and grill for decades but was renovated recently with modern fixtures and flat screen televisions. There is a bar area and seating space, big windows facing the street and an area for live bands on weekends.

Final Thoughts: The online reviews of the 11th St Precinct seem to have a few things in common. The new renovation is just like every other new bar built anywhere, and the grilled tenderloin is the tastiest sandwich of its kind by any estimation. There are other grilled tenderloins in the Quad Cities area, but driving across one of the bridges into Illinois is not on my list of things to do. I will eventually get around to stopping by The Filling Station in Davenport and TC's Point After in Dewitt to try their breaded tenderloins sooner or later.

The Tender Trap in Burlington, Iowa

The Tender Trap had a drawing of a raccoon on the front of the menu, and its not the first place with racoon graphics where I have stopped in for a tenderloin. I get around Burlington often, and this place was near the top of my list for a recent visit.

Location: 2222 Summer St in Burlington, Des Moines County, Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Just fly in on your private jet because its right by the airport.

Online at: Tender Trap used to have a website with a menu, pictures, and mail order but it isn't there anymore.

The Tenderloin: The heart of the sandwich was a giant triangle of tenderized pork loin. It easily filled the takeout package it had been stuffed into. Interior meat was juicy. The crackermeal breading had been fried to a deep golden brown with great crunchiness and crumbs spreading everywhere. Served on a large toasted bun. Overall 8.2 out of ten.


Price: I think it was $8.50 with two sides thrown in, but my notes are short so don't quote me on that one.


Also on the menu: The menu is huge with the usual fried stuff, chicken tenderloin sandwiches, steaks and prime rib along with daily specials. The special sandwich is The Trapper made with chicken breast, ham, and bacon.

Service: I ordered take-out from the bar the two times I stopped in. Nothing to complain about.

Ambiance: This is a racing themed bar with booths, a bar, and a ton of space for seating. There is a serenity fountain tucked away in one corner, weird.


Final Thoughts: This was better than the other tenderloins in the Burlington area I have already tried. It might take me a while to decide how it compares to restaurants further out in the Southeast Iowa region like Apron Strings in Mediapolis, Short Stop in New London, or the Hawkeye Restaurant in Keokuk.

Fat Annie's Augusta Tap in Augusta, Iowa

The sign reads Giant Tenderloins, the name on the sign is Fat Annie's Augusta Tap, and I just had to stop in during my last visit to Southeast Iowa. Fat Annie's is not related to Fat Randi's in Van Meter, nor is Augusta to be confused with the Augusta Restaurant in Oxford.

Location: Its on the busy intersection of Augusta Main Road and Augusta Mill Road, beside the Skunk River in the unincorporated township of Augusta in Des Moines County, Southestern Iowa.


Directions: The closest town is Wever, but most people are driving along Highway 61 between Burlington and Ft. Madison. Take Highway 61 to State Highway 16, then go north on County Road X-38 which runs over a bridge into Augusta.

The Tenderloin: This was a huge sandwich, weighing well more that the 8 ounces that many places give me. the sandwich was almost too big to get a picture from my car as the sun was setting. The meat was tenderized well and a little piece on the edge fell off when I unwrapped the tin foil. Most of the sandwich was thick and closer to moist than juicy. Breading had a cracker crunch and left crumbs everywhere. The kaiser bun just couldn't handle the wight of the oversize sandwich and fell apart. Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $6.00

Also on the menu: the regular fried food and bar staples are here in abundance, including burgers and fried chicken. Fat Annies is close to the Big River, and serves carp and catfish like other bars in this area.

Service: Typical small town bar style, with bartenders making small talk with regulars who seemed to have been there forever.

Ambiance: There is the usual old wood paneling, booths, dark atmosphere, beer signs, and outdoors photos. But the wall seems to be covered with carpet fragments cut into a large geometrical mural then stapled to the wall. The bar area and back seem to be covered in floor lamination, the whole place just boggles the mind.

Final Thoughts: Augusta looks like an old mill town, and Fat Annies seems to be the oldest building close to the river. The ambiance of the historic building seems to be lost with the latest renovations. I've seen some small town dive bars in my time but this place is epic.I took photos and notes about the tenderloin but all that I can remember is the decorations of the interior.

Gramma's Kitchen in Walcott, Iowa

I have found my fair share of battered tenderloins while driving through Iowa. The slight difference in texture and crispiness sets them apart from the breaded tenderloin sandwiches. The pictures come out a little different because of the smoother surface on the batter coated pork loin. Gramma's Kitchen in Walcott was voted your 2011 IPPA Best Tenderloin in the State of Iowa, and it is described as "famous" on their menu.

Location: 3408 N Plainview Rd in Walcott, Iowa just outside Davenport next door to the World's  Largest Truck Stop.

Directions: This is on the north side of the Interstate at exit 284, Across from the giant truck stop with a giant sign you can't miss.

Online At: Website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: Getting this in a to-go box, it opens up like a package of fish-n-chips with a giant battered strip of pork stretching across the container. The meat felt like a seven ounce triangle of pork that took a great shape after being battered and fried.You can see in the picture that the loin formed something of a curled up shape that held the fixins and the bun in place on top. The batter was crunchy on the edges, but the middle and inside could be described as "fluffy", something rarely seen in pork tenderloins. Served with all your fixins to stack under a toasted flour-dusted bun. Overall 8.7 out of ten.

Price: $8.50 with side of fries.

Also on the menu: The menu has the comfort food classics like Iowa Chop, Cured Ham, Meatloaf, and pies along with some of the usual stuff you see everywhere. The Checkered Flag menu has sports bar items and a Pork Chimichanga.


Service: The restaurants owned by the Heart of America Group are a lot of things, but they are all fast, efficient, clean, can handle groups and you never need a reservation. I think they serve any item from the Checkered Flag or Gramma's Kitchen in both dining areas.

Ambiance: I didn't have time to dine in, but there is a gift shop area in front of reception with Iowa and  farm-themed stuff for sale. The dining are is made out to look like some imaginary Gramma out there somewhere. There is another entrance to the building with an entirely separate restaurant, the racing themed sports bar-like Checkered Flag.


Final Thoughts: Gramma's Kitchen may have the most convenient location of any tenderloin in Iowa. Smitty's in Des Moines is close to the airport, but more people drive through Iowa on I-80 than any other way through Iowa. The truck stop across the street is very busy year round. Gramma's Kitchen is not a small-town mom-and-pop place, but their professional culinary team had put together a competitive loin.