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.

Big Dave & Holly's and Le Claire Iowa

Big Dave & Holly's was once a Dairy Sweet, and its sign has ice cream cones and a burger with facial features greeting the visitor. The building has survived its fair share of great floods at this location with pictures documenting the water levels. Locally known simply as "Big Daves", this is small town style ice cream place right next to the river on the north side of Le Claire.


Location: 1204 N Cody Rd in Le Claire, just outside Bettendorf and the Quad Cities in Eastern Iowa.

Directions: Cody Road is Highway 67, the Great River Road, the main street through Le Claire reached from the last exit on I-80 before the bridge over the river.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The portion was a great size, filling the entire plate. I could hear the cook battering this thing and dipping it into the hot oil. The breading had a salty batter type of consistency. Interior meat was thoroughly tenderized but had a bit of a mushy texture with a gray-ish color. Served on a large untoasted bun that couldn't handle the weight of the sandwich, with your choice of fixings. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $6.00

Also on the menu: The sign reads Tenderloins, Ice Cream & More, and the "more" seems to be burgers and daily specials like tacos or jambalaya.

Service: There was a school aged kid taking orders and another person cooking when I stopped in.

Ambiance: The interior is small and cramped with a couple counters and tables for seating. There are picnic tables outside and views of the train tracks and the river.

Some notes about visiting Le Claire:

Big Dave & Holly's was visited on the American Pickers episode White Castle on the Farm. Its the location of a dramatic scene involving intense phone conversations and paper shuffling. After eating at Big Dave's on the north side of Le Claire, I figured it was worth walking in the footsteps of The History Channel and checking out the town.

Taking the road from I-80, there are several new strip malls on the way to the historic shopping district. For a person from Des Moines, the immediate comparison is to say its like Valley Junction upon the Mississippi. According to the NY Times article, the guy from the show bought a downtown building after negotiating the asking price down by $150,000. It appears the town of Le Claire was developing into a boutique shopping destination before the show started pulling in over 5 million viewers in weekly installments. The local media shares credit for the turnaround to the opening of an Iowa Welcome Center, a couple of new restaurants, and some active local residents.

I've been to some other towns in Iowa that promote themselves as antique "destinations" that just aren't interesting to visit. Le Claire's Main St. area was near fully occupied and busy with visitors while I was there. The growth of the tourists, small businesses, shops, and the rest of the town mark a sharp contrast to other river towns in Iowa.

The Antique Archaeology garage/storefront building is just off of Cody Rd south of the main shopping area. Visitors can walk inside and look around at some of the odd finds and antiques. A bunch of young women were running the shop, and most people here seemed to be just looking around and taking pictures before buying a t-shirt. They have other branded items at low price points. There were some motorcycles wheeled out in front of the garage with Not For Sale stickers and short description, but I honestly can't tell them apart from any other motorcycle.

Big Muddy's Bar and Grill in Burlington

The local paper had a poll for Best of Burlington a few years ago, and Big Muddy's was listed in the category of Best Tenderloin. I had been around downtown Burlington before, but had never made my way up Front Street before. This place reopened after the floods of 2008, and draws in crowds with its river view and high end atmosphere.

Location: 710 North Front Street in Burlington, Southeast Iowa.

Directions: This place is underneath the gigantic bridge between a hill and the Mississippi River, take N Front street from downtown and park across the street.

Online at: they have a facebook page here.

The Tenderloin: Picking up the sandwich, it felt like about seven ounces after cooking. The meat was a medium thickness butterfly cut with a few marks from being stored for a long time. The breading was a thin and fine layer that had just a little seasoning but a good golden brown color. This was a truly okay breaded pork tenderloin. Served with all the fixings on an un-toasted bun. Overall 7.0 out of ten.

Price: $7.99 with a side, I chose the homemade chips.

Also on the menu: The menu is big, with steaks, sandwiches, seafood, homemade chips, other fried stuff, even frog legs.

Service: Its table service with a bar as well. I came during the off hours so the place was nearly empty and I had a good view even though I was by myself.
Ambiance: This is a large riverfront building with natural light pouring in from the patio area. Its on the high end of places in Burlington or Southeast Iowa, the building might be an old railroad building with the high ceilings and exposed brickwork.

Final Thoughts: I run into plenty of places recommended in local publications Reader's Polls or Best Of.... lists, and find many to simply be the busiest places in town. Big Muddy's looks like it has plenty of food on the menu, but calling this tenderloin "the best" misses the mark. I wish I had ordered the frog legs or fish entrees. I also checked out El Taco Casa nearby based on the same poll and was just not impressed with their frequently recommended tenderloin. On my next visit to Burlington I plan on checking out Uncle Ronnie's in West Burlington or the Tender Trap on Sumner St in the south side of town.

If you are visiting Burlington, be sure to check out Snake Alley, it is the crookedest street in all of Iowa: