Marion Maid Rite in Marion, Iowa

The family owned Maid Rite franchises are usually identified by a proper name in the title, an old location in the middle of a town, older or ancient fixtures inside, and conspicuous additions to the menu or the interior. Marion Maid Rite has all of those things, and its only been around since the Eighties.

Location: 1000 7th Ave,  in Marion, just outside Cedar Rapids in Eastern Iowa.

Directions: I think this is the old section of Marion, you get here by taking 1st Ave. NE from dowtown Cedar Rapids.

Online at: website with menu is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The bright white meat was just a little soft, with just a little juice. The one standout thing was the good cracker-like crunch. The breading had little seasoning but a nice golden brown color. Served on an untoasted sesame seed bun, overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $4.95

Also on the menu: The menu proudly state Hand Breaded Iowa Tenderloins, and goes on to claim "The Best Maid Rites in Years". That claim makes me wonder if there were some legendary loosemeat sandwiches served nearby a long time ago for local reference. In addition to the usual sandwiches, Marion Maid Rite has homemade pies, soups, and salads.

Service: There is a counter for seating and another for takeout orders, I think they do table service but I didn't stick around.

Ambiance: You realize is not a corporate Maid Rite when you walk in and see a display of decorative sticks and tie-dye shirts just past the door. There is an old counter area and booths for seating, it looks like they expanded into the space next door at some point for additional seating.

Final Thoughts: I would love to hear about any more old Maid Rites serving homemade tenderloins, I have heard Oskaloosa Maid Rite Diner advertises one. My next stop in Cedar Rapids area might be down 1st Ave at the old Riley's location near Coe College. They have a gravy smothered tenderloin and a horseshoe style breakfast loin on their menu I have to check out someday.

Dam Bar & Grill in Troy Mills Iowa

One sign claims this bar is home to the finest tenderloins in Troy Mills, another reads The Best Dam Tenderloin in Iowa. It may be referring to the best tenderloin near a dam, or on a dam, or in a town by a dam. There are a lot of dams in Iowa, so this is no small distinction.

Location: 5898 Main St in Troy Mills, an unincorporated community in Linn County, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: Troy Mills is on the road between the towns of Walker and Coggon, not exactly the most well-traveled route. The intersection of County Highway D62 and Troy Mills Rd is about 24 miles north of Cedar Rapids, accessible by county roads with no real direct route from the highway.

Online at: FACEBOOK PAGE

The Tenderloin: I saw the lady in the kitchen grab a rolling pin when I ordered the sandwich.I'm guessing the meat was pressed down before frying to get a good chewy texture. The moisture was good for such a thin tenderloin, and the breading was just a thin coating of golden brown with a hint of pepper. The trim job by whoever cut the meat was impressive, not a hint of fat in a giant loin. Overall 8.3 out of ten.


Price: $8.45 also available in medium and small sizes.

Also on the menu: The bar has drinks with goofy names like Hot Sex and the bartender wears a shirt reading "I had Hot Sex at the Dam Bar." There is the usual fried stuff and burgers, along with a Wing Night and Fish Fry.

Service: I was in during the off hours and there was a lady at the bar and another person cooking. Each were making conversation with the local regulars.

Ambiance: This is a small town bar with an outdoors theme in the decorations along with countless beer signs, some pictures of Troy Mills and sports trophies. There are tables and a bar for seating.


Final Thoughts: I've been to plenty of these small town bars and the Dam Bar was a good clean place with friendly service and a good loin. Its right up there with Butch's River Rock Cafe in Oakland Mills when it comes to eating a tenderloin near a dam.

Little Bohemia Cedar Rapids Hot Loin of Pork

Little Bohemia Neighborhood Bar & Eatery has slowly been renovated, restored, and reopened since the Great Flood of 2008. The bar began serving beer again in late 2010, along with part of their food menu. They brought back the fried food a few months later in 2011. Grant Wood drank here, Marvin Cone painted a picture of the building, and visitors to Cedar Rapids Czech Village have been stopping into Little Bo's for years now.

Location: 1317 3rd St SE in Cedar Rapids, Southeast of Downtown and a few block from the Czech Village. Its a sign of the times that a new bar & grill has opened across the street, along with an antique store on the opposite corner.

Directions: Its at the corner of 3rd St SW and 14th Ave SE, which is across a bridge from 16th Ave SW the main drag through the Czech Village area.

Online at: FACEBOOK PAGE.

The Hot Loin of Pork: This is described on the menu as a breaded pork loin, served with homemade mashed potatoes, sliced bread, and pork gravy. The freshly ground black pepper gave just the right amount of extra spice and texture to the creamy gravy and potatoes. The bread absorbed the gravy but so did the breading on the loin. The pork gravy on the breaded loin made this a great dish. The uneven surface of the bar meant the gravy moved around while I was positioning the dish to take photos. Overall 9.0 out of ten.

Price: $8.49
Also on the menu: There is a breaded tenderloin, made rite, and the Goulash is the special. Most of the menu is taken up by standard bar food like wings and fried stuff along with Czech beers. According to a newspaper article, the previous owner had served pig ear and snout sandwiches. It might be time to bring those back.Service: I came in during the off hours, and only an off duty employee and the owner were there. They warmed up the fryer to make the loin.
Ambiance: The bar is in a historic building which has housed a bar or restaurant since it was built around 1883. The beer signs and Czech puns are mixed with antiques with wood furniture and fixtures.
Final Thoughts: I don't have anything to compare the reopened places in this neighborhood with what the area was like before the flood. The nature of the neighborhood has changed, there once were thousands of people living in historic homes nearby. Now local pubs and restaurants have to promote themselves as destinations for people living in the suburbs or the corridor.

Starlite Room in Cedar Rapids

The Starlite Room, or Jim's Starlite Room, is a family restaurant serving greasy comfort food in the same place for 50 years and counting. Little blue stars are behind the burger in the sign, another banner claims "Great Tenderloins". They have a multi generational customer base in this section of Cedar Rapids that keeps the place filled with large groups eating burgers and fries and other fast foods.

Location: 3300 1st Avenue Northeast in Cedar Rapids, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: First Ave is the main route from downtown Cedar Rapids to Marion and place beyond. The Starlite is in an old strip mall behind a Dairy Queen.

The Tenderloin: This felt like a good seven ounces when I picked it up. Breading was a thick layer covering a triangle shaped loin. The good thick white meat had steam coming out of it that permeated the breading and the bun. The loin had been tenderized significantly by hand. Served on a large toasted bun, Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $5.50

Also on the menu: the half pound "The Superburger" seems to predate the recent gourmet or upscale burger trend by a few decades. The rest of the menu is filled with fried stuff and other sandwiches.

Service: I grabbed takeout from the bar area, but there is table service in the dining area.
Ambiance: This location has been here for a long time and the interior is split into a bar area and a dining area with booths that was filled with families when I visited. Wood paneling, flatsceen televisions, a fortune-telling machine, and ugly electric signs dominated the interior of this neighborhood dive.
Final Thoughts: The Starlite keeps its crowds coming for its friendly atmosphere and superior fast food cuisine. I've slowly been making my way through Cedar Rapids tenderloins and my only real disappointment has been the Tic Toc Restaurant. My next stop in Cedar Rapids will have to be the reopened kitchen at the Little Bohemia bar that has been on my list for years now.

Al's Blue Toad in Cedar Rapids

Driving down the main street of the Little Bohemia neighborhood in Cedar Rapids brings a visitor past several small businesses with signs in Czech. I never got around to trying any tenderloins here before the big flood came through. Over the years since 2008 many businesses have reopened, while others have decided to make major changes or move on. The owner of the old Zindrick's Restaurant used the time after the flood to reorganize and remake the restaurant. The space is now home to both the Blue Toad, and the adjacent space is now the Red Frog operated by his sister.

Location: 86 16th Ave. SW in the Czech Village area of Cedar Rapids.

Directions: The closest exit from 380 is at Wilson Ave, I think there are signs pointing the way to the Czech Village area.

Online at: website is here.

The Tenderloin: Described on the menu as the Cajun Breaded Tenderloin. It felt like they took and regular tenderloin and tossed it in a mix of cajun seasonings. It tasted like a lot of salt on the outside of the breading. The white pork meat had been pounded into a butterfly shape visible in the pictures. Edges of the sandwich easily tore off the center and felt soft while chewing. The seasoning overpowered the breading but had some great spiciness, the Cajun mayo was good for the thick cut fries. Served with all the fixins on a soft toasted bun. Overall 8.2 out of ten.

Price: $8.55 with fries and slaw.

Also on the menu: Czech stuff including roasted pork loin, goulash, or chicken paprika. Along with bar foods like burgers, sandwiches and salads.


Service: It was table service with a bar area that looked busy.

Ambiance: Its a modern bar restaurant with flatscreen televisions and tables or booths for seating. Beer signs illuminate the blue interior along with natural light.

Final Thoughts: I had only visited the Czech Village a couple times prior to the flood, so I can't say whether the places reopening here restore the neighborhood to what it once was. The Little Bohemia district was once a neighborhood with small businesses catering to people living nearby. Today it is a destination for people from other parts of Cedar Rapids or the Eastern Iowa Corridor. My next stop in this area will be Little Bohemia Bar, a place whose kitchen has slowly expanded its selections since reopening a year ago and is serving a tenderloin once again.

Westside Maid Rite in Cedar Rapids

Special Note: This review is for Westside Maid Rite in Cedar Rapids, not for any other Maid Rite anywhere else. They are not all the same.

Maid rite is a chain, but it has a unique franchise structure. There are new Maid Rites in distant cities or new development areas with rigorous product homogenization. Then there are owner operated "heirloom" Maid Rites, most easily identified with a proper name in front of the name. These ones often have been run independently by the same family for decades, and often deviate from the regularity of fast food franchises. Some heirloom Maid Rites get tired of paying the franchise fee and just take down their sign and repaint in any color but red and white. The vast majority of all these places serve up a frozen tenderloin.

I knew that any Maid Rite location could serve a handmade tenderloin, but had never heard of one until reading an ad in Tidbits Newspaper where Westside Maid Rite advertised a half pound tenderloin, clarifying that it was the "biggest & best in town" and "hand made daily". I really can't tell if this location is run by the same folks who run the other one in Cedar Rapids, or the one in Marion. The Marion Maid Rite on the other side of town serves a "homemade giant iowa tenderloin" which they describe as "Best One Around!" along with homemade onion rings and pies.


Location: 621 1st Ave SW just outside downtown Cedar Rapids in Eastern Iowa.


Directions: First Avenue is the main drag through town if you are going east or west on Highway 151, or you can just find it by taking 1st street from downtown and looking for the small red striped shack.

The Tenderloin: The first thing I noticed was a huge appendage of soft pork meat sticking out on one side. The whole sandwich is a big soft piece of pork with crunchy cracker-like breading that reached a good golden brown color. Its not thick, but is a little steamy inside. Served on a soft, very soft bun. Condiments were tucked under the meat and made a mound of onions and ketchup. This is an uncomplicated sandwich. Overall 7.4 out of ten.

Price: $4.79 a good value

Also on the menu: There is the usual Maid Rite stuff, like Maid Rite sandwiches, chicken sandwich and bowls of chili. This location also serves goulash, roast pork, and has a waffle breakfast on Sundays.


Service: Counter service with food brought to your table.
Ambiance: The dining area is small with booth seating and pictures of the flood and rebuilding effort.


Final Thoughts: Cedar Rapids is a proud town that takes its tenderloins seriously. I know I am not really doing this town justice by starting out here. The Westside Maid Rite is just one of several places which have reopened since the flood. I also made it to the Czech Village to try Al's Blue Toad, and I will try to make it to Little Bohemia when they get their deep fryer running again.