Bridge Cafe & Supper Club in Farmington

Farmington is a small town on the Des Moines River in Southeast Iowa best known for a Strawberry Festival each June that includes free strawberries and ice cream from Berry Concerned People. It is also the town closest to Shimek State Forest, which seems looks like 9,000 acres of undisturbed oak forest. The Bridge Cafe and Supperclub was my second choice to eat here, after another place was closed during my visit. I was lucky to find a good tenderloin in a place I didn't expect.

Location: 101 Olive St in Farmington, Van Buren County, in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Its right beside the bridge into town over the Des Moines River.

The Tenderloin: Listed as half pound pork loin sandwich, the lady running things told me this was made at a local meat locker. The white meat was thick and had the consistency of being tenderized by hand. The breading formed a thick edge and had a good crunchy texture. Served with your choice of fixins on an untoasted bun. Overall 7.7 out of ten.

Price: $6.25

Also on the menu: Breakfast, fried stuff, homemade soup,  hot beef sandwiches and homemade pies listed on a pie board.


Service: There was one lady waiting the counter and another cooking when I stopped by.

Ambiance: This place doesn't look like much from the outside. There is a dining area for special events, a dining room with tables and an antique counter area that has fallen into disrepair with torn seats and wobbly stools.

Final Thoughts: This is now the fourth place I have checked out for a tenderloin in Van Buren County. I think I had my best luck at Misty's Malt Shop in Keosauqua  and AJ's Bar in Mt Sterling. I wish I could make it to small town festivals like the Strawberry Festival but the timing never seems to be right.

AJ's Bar & Grill in Mt. Sterling

Mt Sterling is a small town on a small hill with two claims to fame. When the local mayor tried to outlaw lying in 2003, New York Times sent a reporter to AJ's Bar & Grill to interview locals, and other media outlets picked up the story nationwide. The second claim to fame is the gigantic tenderloin known for "miles around" in the hill country just north of the Missouri Border. A local newspaper article compared AJ's Jumbo Tenderloin to the Gunderburger in terms of local legendary giant sandwiches. I had to check this place out after someone from the local tourism office pointed me in the right direction.


Location: 101 Elm St. in Mt. Sterling (population 36), in Van Buren County, Southeast Iowa. This is about as far out of the way as it gets.


Directions: Highway 2 is the main road through the southern tier of counties in Iowa. Take County Road W20 4 miles south to Mt Sterling. Follow the sign pointing to AJ's.

Online at: try the Villages at Van Buren website, one of the best local tourism site in Iowa, HERE.


The Tenderloin: This one is significantly bigger than the plate it is served on. It has the usual attributes of the super-jumbo tenderloin, extreme thickness in some parts, edges a little crispier than the middle. Juice bursts from the center when a fork is stuck inside. The fork and knife that give the picture scale are necessary to cut the edges off and make the thing workable. The breading seems to be a double dip of egg wash and seasonings before deep frying. They put the ketchup on the mustard on for me, but I would not have added this much ketchup. Overall 8.5 out of ten, worth the trip off the Highway.


Price: $9.00

Also on the menu: There is a smaller tenderloin, a tenderloin bits appetizer, along with the usual burgers and fried stuff.

Service: One lady was working the bar while a guy in back cooked. I think they were the co-owners.
Ambiance: This is a Hunters Lodge with exposed concrete floor, wood paneling and particle board walls, along with taxidermy animals of all local varieties mounted on the walls between beer signs. The windows have a great view overlooking the Fox River Valley, and its acres of protected wetlands and tree groves.
Final Thoughts: Any person who has traveled most of Iowa would be surprised to see how much land isn't being farmed when driving the county road into Mt. Sterling. This small part of Iowa is turning into a hunters paradise, with hundreds of acres of fallow fields, and shallow water wetlands and wooded areas filled with animals. AJ's Bar & Grill and the rest of Mt Sterling is a welcoming place for these people. The town with just 36 people, and which may have had more dogs than people at one point, seems to be hanging on. Check out the antique church on the way into town, the locals have been trying to maintain it for a while now.

Bonaparte Retreat in Bonaparte

Bonaparte is a small town in Southeast Iowa, and is part of the Historic Villages of Van Buren County. Van Buren County places limits on things like commercial signage, and the villages are maintained by residents to reflect the areas heritage from a time when the Des Moines River was busy with commerce, and mill towns dotted the landscape. The building that now houses this restaurant was once a grist mill powered by the river, making flour for larger markets. The town was known as Meek's Mill before being incorporated as Bonaparte.The Bonaparte Retreat has been featured in Midwest Living and The Iowan magazines.

Location: 731 1st St. in Bonaparte (population 458), Van Buren County, in Southeastern Iowa.

Directions: Bonaparte is best reached by taking Highway 2 across Southern Iowa. County Road W40 takes you 2 miles north into town. You can also take the scenic route by driving County Road J40 from Keosauqua. Its only two and a half hours drive from Des Moines.

Online At: http://bonaparteretreat.com/

The Tenderloin: This one had a shape like an oven mitt when I unwrapped it. Your get decent thickness in the cut of pork, but the meat only slightly extends beyond the bun. Softness is above average, and the meat comes apart easily. Breading adds some crunch, but not much in the way of seasoning. Served with your choice of fixings on a sesame seed bun. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price:$4.25 a la carte, a good value.

Also on the menu: the lunch menu is small but it has some fried vegetable appetizers along with the usual salads and sandwiches. The Dinner menu has steaks and seafood, and homemade pies for dessert.

Service: Its table service, and takes a while for food to be prepared. Watching a lady use the giant antique cash register is a plus.

Ambiance: The building oozes with atmosphere in its natural lighting and antique furnishings. There is a great view of the river, but tables near the windows fill up fast.

Final Thoughts: The setting in a historic building in the best kept historical towns in Iowa with the high ceiling of the mill, and relics of its prior incarnation, is great. Although on my next visit I will probably be to try some of the other cuts of meat on the dinner menu. I still maintain the best tenderloin I have found in Van Buren County is at Misty's Malt Shop just up the road in Keosauqua. This was a good value in a nice small town.

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.