Cole's Ice Cream in Slater, Iowa

"Every time David Sturdy breads and fries up a homemade tenderloin for a customer he thinks of his son. After all, it is his son’s recipe he uses when he makes what he proudly boasts is the best tenderloin around."

From an Ames Tribune article titled Little Shop Keeps up Memory of Fallen Marine. May 09, 2012 by Michael Crumb. Back in 2002 the family closed the Ice Cream Shop down and David's oldest son Brandon joined the Marines, fighting in Iraq and dying at the age of 19 in Falluja. Cole's reopened in 2011, and the breaded tenderloin is a third of their food sales. That is some pretty heavy emotional stuff for a fried pork sandwich.


Location: 101 E 6th Ave in Slater in Story County, Central Iowa.

Directions: 6th Ave is Highway 210,  the main drag through town between Madrid and Huxley. Its about 30 miles north of Des Moines.

Online at: Facebook Page is HERE.

Important Note: I think this place closes down for the winter, if so then try again when spring rolls around.

The Tenderloin: This was a thick slab of pork loin between the buns to make this sandwich. The seasoning was a bit on the heavy side with a good dose of salt and pepper in the breading. In the pictures you can see some salt added on top after cooking. The tenderizing didn't break apart the grain of the pork loin, so there is some soft chewiness to the thick cut. Served on a large untoasted bun with pickles and onion. Overall 8.4 out of ten.

Price: $4.99

Also on the menu: Full ice cream menu with Picket Fence Ice Cream from Woodward. The food includes the usual burgers, hot dogs, and fried stuff.


Service: It was just one guy running the whole show when I was there, not much to complain about.

Ambiance: There is a small inside space but the outside is your regular small town ice cream place with a gravel parking lot and wooden picnic tables. There is a counter with a register inside and a walk-up window for ordering when its warm outside.

Final Thoughts: The multiple hand painted signs reading GIANT TENDERLOIN beckoned me from the highway, and I was not disappointed by my stop from the road. Slater is close to the new bike trail and bridge over the lake that has been drawing a stream of visitors to the area. Next I will have to drive down Highway 210 to the Town & Country Cafe in Madrid and Lou's Diner in Woodward.

Leon's Malt Shop in Vinton

Vinton is a small town close enough to Cedar Rapids and Waterloo to allow its residents to commute to work in each city. It has a well maintained main street with cute streetlights lit up at night, and a large park north of town. But I had never found anything good to eat while cruising up and down the main drag. While driving into town on Highway 218 one day, I couldn't help but notice the word Tenderloin hand painted on the side of a tiny ice cream stand. This made me pull into the gravel parking lot like a bee to honey.


Location: 210 North K Ave. in Vinton, Benton County, Eastern Iowa.


Directions: Highway 218 turns into K Ave as it passes through the west side of Vinton, the Malt Shop is on the east side of the road.


The Tenderloin: The meat was cut in a butterfly pattern visible from above, with three parts sticking far from the bun. Breading was a lightly seasoned crackermeal that turned into a nice golden brown color. The meat was white throughout, although one side was thicker than the other. The whole thing felt like it weighed about seven ounces. Texture included above-average juiciness. The bun is huge and untoasted. Served with your choice of fixins, Overall 7.2 out of ten.


Price: $4.85 a good value a la carte

Also on the menu: Its a relatively simple menu with fried stuff, hamburgers and a full selection of ice cream and sweet stuff.


Service: Its counter service with local kids running the show and what looks like the owners around as well.
Ambiance: The small interior is filled with nostalgic Coca-Cola themed decorations and pictures of the local high schoolers. The seating inside is limited, but there are tables for seating outside.


Final Thoughts: I can't remember if Leon's is open year round or only seasonally. I could have sworn I visited this place one winter day and it was closed for the season. Each online review I found of Leon's mentioned the tenderloin, and I can confirm that its a solid homemade sandwich.

Postscript: While I was going through the City of Vinton website and checking out the other restaurants in town, I visited a page for the High 5 Sports Bar, which had a note at the bottom reading:

Oh! We do have a 5 lb tenderloin, 5 inches high with 5 toppings. If you can eat it all in two hours or less it's free. To attempt this huge tenderloin you must give us 24 hours advanced notice to prepare it. What happens if you don't eat it all - well you pay just $35.55.

Has anybody out there ever tried this thing or even seen it? It appears the place has only been open since late 2010. This would appear to the the only eating challenge involving only a tenderloin, not a tenderloin stacked with all sorts of other stuff on top.

And check out Sweet Corn Day Festival:

Fountain on Main in Reinbeck

Grundy County is the center of German immigration to Iowa. Back in 2010, some people from Ostfriesland region of Germany came to Grundy Center and signed a partnership agreement to encourage cultural ties and youth exchanges. With all these German descendants, I thought there would be more tenderloins in places like Gladbrook, Conrad, or Grundy Center. However, after the Townhouse in Wellsburg, I haven't found anything in my trips to Grundy County. Reinbeck appears to be a quiet small town close enough for people working in Waterloo or Cedar Falls. A recent drive through led me to check out this place on main street.


Location: 413 Main St. in Reinbeck, Grundy County, in Eastern Iowa. About 20 miles southwest of Waterloo.


Directions: You get to Reinbeck by driving on Highway 175, Main Street runs parallel but one block south.

The Tenderloin: This was described as a quarter pound homemade loin on the menu. The bun and vegetables to meat ratio was skewed towards the bun and veggies. The breading had a good crunchy texture and a good golden brown color. The meat was decent thickness and trimmed completely. Served on a toasted bun with your fixings, including Romaine lettuce. Overall 7.2 out of ten, an okay tenderloin.

Price: $7.00 with a side, I went with homemade chips.


Also on the menu: Full ice-cream selection, and hot food a little different than most other ice-cream shops. Panini sandwiches, salads, wraps, spinach stuffed or crab rangoons, and funnel fries topped with powdered sugar like at the State Fair.


Service: I came during the off hours, and two people were working the counter and the kitchen between them.

Ambiance: This place is the classic drug store ice cream shop remodeled into a restaurant. The classic counter seats are still there, or you can sit at a table. One side of the interior is filled with Reinbeck memorabilia.


Final Thoughts: Its really tough to give some sort of serious critical review on small tenderloins because the sample I eat is so small. In relative terms, a quarter pound of breaded pork loin is still a good size sandwich. This little ice cream fountain surprised me with its unusual menu and old fashioned interior.

Goldie's Ice Cream Shoppe in Prairie City

In the few short years since this space was turned into Goldie's Ice Cream Shoppe, it has been featured in a Des Moines Register article about small town ice cream stands, then KCCI TV had their Cruising For Comfort Food feature visit here. Last October, the Iowa Pork Producers Association gave Goldies its coveted and prestigious Best Tenderloin in Award. The owner, Brad Magg, created his own catering company when he was still in High School. Since then he has taken over the ice cream shop, been elected to the City Council of nearby Colfax, and promoted a Demolition Derby all before turning 24 years old. His next step could be world domination, or perhaps an even bigger demolition derby.

Location: 304 W 2nd St in Prairie City, about 18 miles east of Des Moines in Jasper County, Central Iowa.

Directions: You take East University from Des Moines, it turns into Highway 163 and Goldies is just past Casey's from the Prairie City exit.

Online at: There is a facebook page

Award Winning Tenderloin

The Tenderloin: This has to be at least eight ounces after cooking. The lightly seasoned breading forms some gigantic crumbs on the edges. The meat is very tender with a consistent texture. According to the IPPA press release, the pork loin is cut and tenderized at the meat department at Fareway in Pleasant Hill. Served with all the fixings on a large untoasted bun. Overall 8.63 out of ten.

Mingo Special with Italian Sausage

The Mingo Special: this is made with seasoned Italian Sausage from the Mingo Locker, and a slice of provolone cheese on top. I had trouble trying to eat one of these while driving, the sausage was all over the place.

Magg Combo

The Magg Combo: This is a tenderloin topped with a cheeseburger. The ground beef is from the nearby family farm run by the Magg family, processed at the Mingo Locker. This one works better as a sandwich than the other combo deal. Each one gets a good melt job on top of the beef.

Price: $5.50 for the regular tenderloin a la carte, or $7.75 for one of the combo sandwiches. The prices haven't changed since at least 2008.

Also on the menu: There are daily specials to go with the usual burgers and salads, a full ice cream selection. The feature dessert item seems to be the Suicide Twister. The drive-thru window sells coffee in the morning. The menu used to have a note reading "we sell farm raised steaks!"

The PC Dog: This is a cheese stuffed hot dog wrapped in bacon:

PC Dog

The Chili Cheese Fries: these came in a little bowl. For a small extra price you can get lightly battered "Goldies Fries".

The Fried Cauliflower: I never forget the vegetables.

The Tenderloin Strips: This was described on the menu as a tenderloin without a bun, cut into strips. I guess this is for people allergic to buns, or on low carb diet plans:

Tenderloin Strips

Service: Its table service with mostly old ladies waiting tables. There is a walk-up window and drive-thru for ice cream orders. In the mornings this place serves coffee, PC PERK, from the drive-thru window.


Ambiance: Its not much from the outside, but the interior is brighter with the classic ice cream shop look, and specials written on a chalkboard. There are a few booths and tables, plus a counter for seating. When the weather is good you can sit at picnic tables outside. Since the IPPA award last fall, its been tough to get a place to sit.

Final Thoughts: I put this place on my own list of the best tenderloins near Des Moines after trying the two sandwiches that were tenderloins with toppings. I've seen the owner a few times running around the kitchen, and understand he is an advocate of small towns in Iowa. As a general rule, I think you get a better sandwich experience in the small town cafes and places like this then at any big or expensive restaurant in Des Moines. I recommend picking up the Magg Combo to anyone on the road to Pella.

Update April 2011:
Goldies was featured on the second season of IPTV's Iowa's Simple Pleasures, the above screengrab is the former owner and founder, Golda.
Check out the video here.
Or visit the show page:
http://www.iptv.org/simplepleasures/default.cfm

Dairy Mart in Glidden

From the outside, Dairy Mart has all of the looks of a classic Lincoln Highway roadside Ice-Cream shack. The signs covering the building mention homemade tenderloins at least three times in large letters. This was not the kind of place I could just drive past. According to Wikipedia, Glidden is the hometown of Merle Hay, the man the mall in Des Moines was named after. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of a giant rooster across the parking lot.

Location: Google maps only lists a post office box, but one online index says 325 E 9th, but its on Highway 30 in Glidden, (population 1,253) in Carroll County, Western Iowa.


Directions: This is on the road to Carroll. Its on the south side of the highway, just east of town. Look for the rooster, or the giant ice-cream cone on top of the building.

The Tenderloin: This was a pretty good size, about eight ounces after cooking, for the price they ask for. The grain of the pork loin was still present after tenderizing, the whole thing just wasn't that tender. The thin pork bent upwards and extended just beyond the bun. The signs advertise this as a great homemade tenderloin, but its more of a value model based on my sample. Overall 7.0 out of ten.
Price: $4.19


Also on the menu: Broasted Chicken, Burgers, and a full ice-cream and malt dessert selection. I suspect the Triple Veggie Burger is just three hamburgers topped with vegetables.
Service: There is table and counter service inside, and a walk-up window during the summer.


Ambiance: The owner takes good care of this place to keep it looking like a classic Lincoln Highway stop for food and ice-cream. The inside is a little cramped with smaller tables and seats, but that is just how authentic roadside places are.
Final thoughts: The Dairy Mart is a well-maintained and classic-looking ice-cream stand beside the Lincoln Highway. The tenderloin is homemade, but not really anything special. This place is worth stopping in for the Ice-Cream or other menu items. There are a few restaurants in Carroll I need to check out on my next trip to this part of Iowa.

Misty's Malt Shop in Keosauqua

Van Buren County is known for its old-fashioned small town lifestyle without the modern life amenities of electric stoplights or fast food. The small towns are charming and unspoilt. Along the main street of Keosauqua just north of the Des Moines River is a small ice-cream shop with a selection of sandwiches including a homemade tenderloin.


Location: 106 Main St. in Keosauqua Iowa, (population 1,066) the seat of Van Buren County in Southeast Iowa. At least 2 hours drive from anywhere busy or important. Well outside cell-phone range.

Directions: Take the only road leading into town, State Highway 1, just north of the river. The Malt Shop is the second building on the east side of Main Street.
The Tenderloin: This clearly stuck out beyond the sesame-seed bun, showing the classic triangle tenderloin shape. The massive size was a great value and the sandwich was truly filling. From the sides, a slight warping was apparent. Beneath the dusty breading was a soft and moist white pork inside. Steam rose upon easily tearing edges off the tenderloin. The edges were a little dryer and not as tender, with some parts browner than others. Overall 7.9/10

Price: $5.00
Also on the Menu: A full selection of Ice Cream choices, homemade chips, other fried stuff and breakfast in the mornings.


Service: Counter service inside with a window for people to order from outside. The tenderloin took about five minute to fix.
Ambiance: Brightly lit interior with tables and booths for seats. Windows were heavily decorated for High School Homecoming Week during my visit. There is a mural of a cow painted on the front of the building.


Final Thoughts: Van Buren County is one of the nicest parts of Iowa that few people ever visit. Its food scene is mostly untainted by the commercial fast food and pizza chains that take up so much space in town squares across the state. This small ice-cream shop is just a part of the great places in Van Buren County.

Dari Barn Sweet Shop in Grinnell

Just down the road from the liberal arts college is the Dari Barn. This ice cream stand carries on the great tradition of barn-shaped dessert stands that have lines stretching in front during the summer months.

Location: 1810 6th Ave in Grinnell, Iowa.

Directions: Drive east on Highway 6 from downtown Grinnell, look for barn-shaped building.

The Tenderloin: After ordering, I was asked If I wanted "everything" on the sandwich. What I got was a whole garden of veggies between a large bun. The pork loin is cut fresh, and was nice warm and crispy, but way too small. The bun was not toasted. This is a thin cut of pork loin dwarfed by the fixings and bun. 5/10.

Price: $3.97

Also on the menu: a large selection of ice-cream favorites, soft-serve, frozen yogurt, fried stuff, baked potatoes, hot dogs, and sandwiches. "More than malts" indeed.

Service: You order from a small window and talk to a teenage kid, who gives you a number to wait for.

Ambiance: Classic small-town ice-cream stand. Picnic tables for sunny days, and a gravel parking lot.

Final Thoughts: I think the reputation of this sandwich preceded my trip and led to disappointment. The thin cut of pork loin is the most boring form of tenderloin sandwich. This is a nice place for dessert, but skip the tenderloin.