Antler's Pub & Grill in Clare, Iowa

Clare is a town just north and west of Ft. Dodge that was settled by Irish people a long time ago. I know this because of a framed newspaper article hung on the wall at Antlers Pub & Grill, which appears to be the only bar or restaurant in the town. A recent IPPA best tenderloin contest listed Antlers Pub as a runner up.

Location:120 W. Front St in Clare, Webster County, Iowa.

Directions: If you are coming from Ft. Dodge., go north on Highway 169 until you reach county road C66 which leads to Clare.

Online at: facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This was served on a nicely toasted undersized bun that had a good bit of chewiness on its crust. The crisp breading had a nice darker brown color with a good amount of seasoning. The loin meat had a bit of a pink color and had a ton of juice inside. This reminded me of a tenderloin I ate in Dakota City with so much juiciness. Overall 8.5 out of ten.

Price: $7.95 with a side, I went with the homemade chips.


Also on the menu: Its bar food starting with burgers and fried stuff. There was chex mix in bowls at the bar when I stopped by.

Service: Small town bar service, nothing to complain about, just three people working the bar and kitchen.


Ambiance: I hope you like mounted animal heads, because there are about twenty of them, and tons of deer antlers. The interior has some nice exposed woodwork and televisions showing sports.

Final Thoughts: I still haven't found a great tenderloin in Ft. Dodge, but Clare is just a short drive up the road. I am still interested to know if the Palmer House in nearby Palmer is still open for business.

Brick St Market Cafe in Bondurant, Iowa

This new grocery store in the eastern suburb of Bondurant has an interesting story behind it. You can read about the owners of the Brick St Market by doing a google search for "Bondurant Lottery Winners". Its always nice to see people investing in their communities, and they are taking a big risk by building this grocery store here. Brick St. Market actually isn't the only restaurant in the Des Moines area where lottery winners invested their winnings into their business.

Location: 114 Brick St SE in Bondurant, just north and east of Des Moines.

Directions: Just follow Hubbell Avenue out of town until it turns into Highway 65, Brick St is just on the edge of Bondurant.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The local newspaper article claims the loin meat is softened with a tenderizing machine, and specifically states there is no pounding. The result is a very thick piece of consistently soft pork. The small layer of batter-like breading has a heavy dose of seasoning salt and a touch of pepper and maybe a little bit of something else. The bun seemed to be cut by hand, and while well toasted, the top was a little smaller than the base and things like proportions and ratios are important to me. Served with your choice of LTOP, overall 8.5 out of ten.

Price: $7.99 with a side. I went with the Sidewinder Fries:

Also on the menu: The cafe has a huge menu including breakfast, ice cream, burgers, deli sandwiches and a salad bar.


Service: The service on the day I stopped in seemed to be backed up by a huge group of locals who all arrived at once and sat together and ordered the same thing.

Ambiance: This is a newly built grocery store with a cafe area that includes a counter, booths, and tables for seating. The color scheme on the store and the baskets reminds me of Culver's.


Final Thoughts: This is as close as you can get to a small town award worthy tenderloin in the Des Moines area. They seem to be selling quite a few of these.

The Country House in Colo, Iowa

The stretch of Highway 30 between Colo and Nevada is home to a The Country House Restaurant, which earned a runner up plaque for the IPPA Best Tenderloin contest in 2011. They were also featured on KCCI's Cruising For Comfort Food feature a few years ago.

Location: 68168 US Highway 30 just outside of Colo, Iowa in Story County. Its about a 45 minute drive from Des Moines.

Directions: Turn south off of Highway 30 when you see Twin Anchors Campground, the Country House is next to the out of business service station.

The Tenderloin: This felt like eight ounces of pork loin that had been flattened out during tenderizing. The cracker crunch breading had just a hint of seasoning. The meat underneath was steamy and very warm, for several minutes after it was delivered to my table. The bright white meat was neatly trimmed with no fat. Served on a toasted sesame seed bun with all the fixins overall 8.3 out of ten.

Price: $7.50 with a side. I went with the fries which were thick steak fries lightly salted and served hot.

Also on the menu: The menu is simple, and I mean real simple like less than half a page for lunch. I think they have simplified it since my first visits several years ago. Think burgers and hot beef sandwiches, the daily special was grilled cheese tenderloin. There are also homemade pies on a sheet cooling on the counter:

Pies

Service: Its seat yourself table service, and you can pay at the counter or wait to have your ticket taken for you.

With Fries

Ambiance: The restaurant sign reads "Since 1991" and the building feels like a nineties building. There are tables and booths for seating, and some out of place pictures of European street scenes or vineyards.

Large Size

Final Thoughts: The Country House is a must stop on this stretch of highway in North Central Iowa. With Stones in Marshalltown and the Suburban Restaurant in Gilbert closed, this area doesn't have much to choose from after Flatheads in St Anthony.

Legal Limit Pub in Boone, Iowa

I've driven through Boone once or twice but rarely made it North from the main intersection with the freeway or the Dutch Bakery on the South edge of the downtown area. The Legal Limits won an honorable mention in the 2011 Best Tenderloin Contest held by the IPPA. This meant I had to drive up north of Mamie Eisenhower to check this bar out.

Location: 702 Allen St in Boone, Iowa, about an hour drive north and west from Des Moines.

Directions: You drive up Story St from the 4 way stop on Highway 30, through downtown, and turn right on Allen St.

Online at: Facebook page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: This tenderloin combined the giant crunchiness and moist softness that many purveyors strive for. The breading formed a hard crunchy and salty layer above the meat that took a delicious dark brown hue. The pork loin was thick and juicy, consistent throughout and well trimmed of fat. Served on a giant buttered and toasted bun with your choice of fixins. Overall 8.2 out of ten.

Price: $8.25 in a basket with a side, I went with the seasoned waffle fries..

Also on the menu: There is a full breakfast menu in the morning, then later burgers, fried snacks, sandwiches, and an Over The Limit Burger. They added some gigantic burger eating challenge recently.

Seasoned Waffle Fries

Service: The bar area is small with a register for takeout. Its table service for the rest of the dining area. Things just were not happening very quickly during my two visits.

Eating in at the Legal Limit

Ambiance: This is a dive bar in every way. The plastic furniture, the outdated beer signs, the video games, the graphic posters from the drink distributors covering every empty inch of the interior.

Final Thoughts: Sometimes you can't judge a book by its cover. The Legal Limit looks like an absolute dive with the tackiest decorations and worst furnishings of almost any place I've visited. The tenderloin is the best I've found in the Boone area. Its worth stopping in, even if you don't want to stick around for long.

Vinny's BBQ in Dakota City, Iowa

Pulling Pork Since 2005

Vinny's BBQ in Dakota City has been on my radar since the IPPA named it the first runner-up in their 2012 Best Tenderloin in Iowa contest. The people behind Vinny's BBQ also built the "World's Largest Pork Burger" at the 2012 World Pork Expo in Des Moines. There is a video on youtube of the burger being unveiled from a large cooking pot.

Location: 507 Main St in Dakota City, Humboldt County in Northern Iowa.

Directions: Its right up the road from Rustix in Humboldt, which recently switched to being a reception hall instead of a restaurant.

Online at: Facebok page is HERE.

The Tenderloin: First things first this wasn't especially big or huge and the bun wasn't toasted well. So appearances were not impressive. What really sets this tenderloin apart isn't just the amount of juice, but the flavor in the juice. Any kind of seasoning or marinade must have been tuned to get this to taste "swiney", the unmistakable essence of pork flavor. I don't know how they do it, but the juice tastes more like pork than other tenderloins out there.Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: 5.79 with a side of fries.

Also on the menu: The BBQ section includes smoked meats and ribs, and the sandwiches include a Pork Burger and Pork Chop sandwich.

Smoked Pork Chop, Pork Burger, Pork Tenderloin, I guess they like pork.

Service: There is table or counter service, but I think you always pay at the counter.

Ambiance: This is a Main St. brick building, and it looks like the original counter and booth area has been expanded to include two more table seating areas. The walls are covered with John Deere tractor stuff, kids drawings, and BBQ competition awards.

Final Thoughts: This is a great option for people traveling through now that Rustix has switched to a reception venue.I may have to stop back for the other pork options, because it seems clear these people are passionate about pork.

Its a Pickup Truck crowd.

Elm's Club in Creston

Downtown Creston is a typical regional Iowa town with a big train station and tall buildings like the newly renovated Hotel Iowana. The exterior of The Elms Club gives no hint that any kind of special sandwich lies inside. Walking inside and looking at the menu reminds the visitor that this was a 3rd place winner in a 2003 IPPA Breaded Tenderloin contest. I had been meaning to make it here earlier. A few years ago I came to this place on a Friday night only to find it was a bike night and the kitchen was closed with a bbq smoker selling pulled pork sandwiches outside.


Location: 108 North Elm Street Creston, Union County, south and west of Des Moines.


Directions: The Elms Club is on Elm St in the old downtown area of Creston, north of the railroad tracks and Amtrack Station. Follow the signs from the highway to find the business district.

Online at: A facebook page is HERE.
The Tenderloin: The thick and slightly seasoned batter made several crunchy knots on several edges of the tenderloin. Delicious looking golden brown outside lead to bright white pork inside. The whole sandwich felt heavy, but not too big for small appetites. The juiciness and thick white meat was tasty and just tender enough. This is a good one. Overall 9.0 out of ten.

Price: $4.25, an exceptional value.

Also on the menu: the usual bar food and fried stuff with burgers and chicken fried steak.

Service: Its bar service and the place gets busy for Karaoke and other events.

Ambiance: This is a darkly lit bar with tables, booths, and a counter for seating. The light comes from beer signs and flatscreen televisions. Taking pictures inside the bar were impossible, and most of my photos didn't get the color quite right.

Final Thoughts: The Elms Club in Creston is a low key small town bar with a very good battered tenderloin. Its as the sign reads: Drinks, Food, Pool.

Boonie's in Earlville

The sign in front of Boonie's reads "Fine Food & Good Friends", and this small town cafe seems to be the meeting place for this community in Eastern Iowa. A recent top five finish in the IPPA Tenderloin rankings put this tiny place on my to-do list earlier this year.


Location: 107 Northern Ave. in Earlville, Delaware County, Eastern Iowa.

Directions: Northern Ave. is the main drag through town, take the County Rd. X35 from the Highway 20 off-ramp.

The Tenderloin: The butterfly cut in the middle left parts inside very thick. The whole thing had a good size that felt like eight ounces before cooking. The breading left a significant crunchy texture outside the good size of pork loin meat. Served with your choice of fixings on a corn-dusted bun. Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: $4.95 with chips.
Also on the menu: The regular menu was typical cafe fare with Ruebens and Roast Beef Sandwiches, but the daily specials and desserts were on the Pie Board:
Service: There was one waitress and another guy cooking while I stopped in, each was attentive and the place is kept clean and efficient.
Ambiance: This is another small town get together place, its seat yourself table service with a bar area as well.


Final Thoughts: I had not previously found anything special between Dubuque and Manchester. There is no reason not to stop at a place like this while on the Eastern end of Highway 20.