One-R's and the new St Olaf Tap

The tenderloin business, like the restaurant business, is no stranger to the forces of change. Places open, places close, chefs and restaurant owners come and go. There are no shortage of stories people tell about their favorite places turning into something different under new management. St Olaf Tap has been taken over by a guy who named Lary, spelled with one letter R instead of two. The new owner has changed some things, but there is still a gigantic tenderloin hidden here in the bluff country of Northeast Iowa. The sign still reads St Olaf Tap: Put Something Big Between Your Buns. This is my second trip to St Olaf, my previous visit was recorded here.


Location: 106 S Main St. in St. Olaf, Clayton County, Northeast Iowa.


Directions:From Elkader, take Gunder Road or Highway 13 north and turn on County Road B65 to reach St Olaf. The St Olaf Tap the only building that looks open for business on the block.

Online at: They have entered the information age with a facebook page here.


The Tenderloin: The previous incarnation of this sandwich was more like a lightly breaded pork steak that just drooped over the bun. This one has a piece of meat cooked firmer to keep its shape when lifted by the bun. Instead of a light and thin layer of breading, there is a crunchier layer with a little more seasoning. There is a big difference in juiciness, with the new model on the thinner and dryer side. Served with your choice of fixings. Overall 8.2 out of ten, still good.

Price: $9.95
Also on the menu: Lots of typical bar food and fried stuff, burgers, chicken, and Friday Fish Fry.


Ambiance: What a difference a coat of paint makes, this place is totally transformed. Gone are the torn up stools, and now you can see the high ceilings of this old building. There are new booths and a bar with a flatscreen television to watch.
Service: It was one lady running the bar and waiting tables, with a guy cooking in the back.


Final Thoughts: Its always tough to compare something you just ate to a memory of an experience a few years ago. The St Olaf Tap was one of the first real "destination tenderloins" to market itself as the biggest or the best in the world. From what I can tell, they have been doing it for a long time. The previous owner operator was not shy about discussing the frustration of running a restaurant in what he called a "dying town". The new owner has put in the effort and energy to make this a better place, but the tenderloin is just plain different.

Blue Bird in Centerville

Centerville has one of the best looking, and largest, town squares in all of Iowa. It takes a while just to walk around the whole thing. A small sandwich board advertising homemade meatloaf and tenderloins led me into the Blue Bird while in Southern Iowa recently. This is a small town family restaurant in Centerville which has been operating in different forms under different owners in the same location since the twenties. It is not to be confused with the Bluebird Diner, the recently opened retro diner in Iowa City.


Location: 108 E. Jackson St in Centerville


Directions: Its on the South Side of the town square, look for the sign.

The Tenderloin: Listed on the menu as Hand Made Jumbo Tenderloin. The whole loin was pounded thin and developed a little wave shape. Breading formed a hard crunchy layer outside the white meat. The inside wasn't as soft as most others I have tried. This was an okay tenderloin. Served on a toasted corn dusted bun. Overall 7.0 out of ten.


Price: $4.75 with fries for a dollar more.
Also on the menu: Its homemade comfort food including meatloaf and a biscuits and gravy breakfast served all day.


Service: Its table service with an attentive waitress also running the counter.
Ambiance: This is a historic building on the square with old booths and an antique counter, but it has been refurbished multiple times under several owners over the decades. There are picture of what it used to be, but now its filled with stuff for sale.
Final Thoughts: In the past few years, all of my trips to Centerville have been during the winter months. That is not a bad thing by itself, except that the main drag through town has two seasonal Ice Cream Shops each with competing hand breaded tenderloins. The Double R Dairy Bar has a giant sign with a tenderloin on it, and I get the idea they sell up to a hundred a day in the summer. Raymond's Dairy Creme is also on my list to check out. Across the square the J& K Market has a website claiming their tenderloin is the "biggest in town" and "a labor of love". I just hope I can make it back during the summer someday.

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.

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.

Luana Tavern and Todd's Grilled Tenderloin

The Luana Tavern answers the phone by stating "Luana Tap". I get the idea this place opens at 8 in the morning and stays open until bar closing time. Unfortunately, they were sold out of breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches when I arrived at 1:45 in the afternoon. I asked about their grilled tenderloins, and they were sold out of the plain grilled tenderloin and the Mesquite BBQ grilled tenderloin. The only thing they could offer me was the Apple Cinnamon Grilled Tenderloin, and it turned out alright despite not being my first choice. If they are selling out of three different sandwiches at lunch time, they must be doing something right in this tiny burg in Northeast Iowa.


Location: 301 Main St. Luana, Clayton County in Northeast Iowa.


Directions: Highway 18/52 crosses this part of Clayton County, turn north at the gigantic Luana Bank building and cheese factory and take Old Highway 52 into town.
The Apple Cinnamon Tenderloin: The meat felt like it had been lightly tenderized, with most fat trimmed except for a tiny bit on the edges. This kind of grilled loin feels like it has tons of juice, and it runs out even forming a little puddle in the to-go box. The color ranged from the white of the pork loin to the good brown seared parts and a few darker bits. What sets this one apart is the aroma of pork and apples that filled my car for hours. That was something different. The flavor of the marination didn't overpower the classic fresh pork taste. Served on Texas Toast with butter on both sides, which adds calories and some crispitiness. This is a tasty sandwich, Overall 7.5 out of ten.
Price: $5.25


Also on the menu: the Luana Tavern has a daily menu with the basics like a breaded loin, burgers, chicken and other stuff. There are some out-there daily specials, like frog legs, broasted wings, hand breaded fish or sirloin steak.


Service: There was one lady running the bar and waiting tables, with a guy cooking in the back.
Ambiance: This giant building at the main intersection of Luana has followed the path of the town, from once being an Opera House, later a dance hall, and now a tavern with a dining room. The decorations are the usual "welcome hunters" sign, racing posters, beer signs, and bar games. There are tables and a bar for seating.


Final Thoughts: Its just seems out of place to pick up a sandwich that tastes like something from a pretentious big city bistro or gastropub in a town like Luana. The owner/operator/cook makes this place work, and it was packed with locals when I visited. I just wish they had a breaded loin in stock when I stopped by.

Smokey D's BBQ just north of Des Moines

Smokey D's is the BBQ and catering empire that grew out of a competitive BBQ team run by a central Iowa native that has won trophy after trophy across the country. The catering empire used to be based from a warehouse just north of here, with a walk-up counter and waiting area cluttered with competition trophies just sitting on the floor. The new location opened up around the same time the owner's BBQ team "A Boy and his BBQ" won the final round of BBQ Pitmasters on the TLC Channel. Later last year, a local food writer named the partners who operate Smokey D's as Restauranteurs of the Year in Des Moines.

Location: 5055 NW 2nd Street in Saylor Township just north of Des Moines.


Directions: Its right north of the 2nd St. offramp of I-80 on the north side of Des Moines beside the Harley Davidson Big Barn.


Online at: their website is here.

The Tenderloin: I have had three of these and each has come in a different shape. The pictured one has the classic butterfly cut into something resembling a "mitten". The mass feels like a little over eight ounces, and be too large to fit in a usual to-go container. Served with pickles and onions on a toasted bun. The breading feels like some fine bread crumbs, and forms a consistent texture that I hope is visible in the close-up photo. You can see little bits of seasoning above the white pork loin. The meat itself is chewy tender, with a good amount of juice inside. Let the record show that I prefer my tenderloins with Russ & Frank's Fiery BBQ Sauce under the bun. Overall 8.27 out of ten.

Price: $5.69 a la carte

The Farm Boy: This is best described as a breaded pork tenderloin with two slices of bread, about a pound of seasoned fries, smothered in gravy, and topped with bacon and cheese. The fries have a ton of salt thrown on top of them, and the flour in the gravy makes the whole thing just a little too thick with mountains of fried potato getting in the way of the tenderloin. By the time you are done digging and find the loin inside, your taste buds are basically dead. Served on a platter. It bears a slight resemblance to the "horseshoe" sandwiches of Springfield Illinois, which are built on slices of white bread topped with french fries and a melted cheese sauce. I simply can't recommend this thing to anyone.

Price: $12.79, listed on the BIG D section of the Menu.

Also on the menu: The menu stars with the BBQ basics of pulled pork, brisket, ribs with the usual sides. The new location has expanded the offerings with fried stuff, and a daily comfort food special.
Ribs come in a platter with a half rack and two sides for a low price of $11.99. The dry rub adds enough flavor on the surface to avoid needing any sauce.

The Mac and Cheese takes a pretty basic mixture but pumps in something like the same spice mixture found on the Garlic Bread or in the dry rub and other parts of the menu.

I really don't know why they decided to bread the wings they are smoked and fried before saucing. They come in three varieties, even though there are five different BBQ sauces at each table. The ranch dip tasted like they added something to the regular spices.

Service: Order at the counter after waiting in line, which passes a bunch of trophies and a signed picture of Guy Fieri. The food is brought to your table. There is a separate entrance and counter for to-go orders.
Ambiance: As recently as two years ago, this building was a dump of epic proportions known as Stagecoach Spaces with a busted sign visible for miles. It was rented out for events like poker tournaments, and I think I know someone who went to a rave with techno music, glowsticks, and lasers lights here. The renovation has been enormous, as parts of the building were falling apart. Half of the building is a Harley Davidson retail space. The dining area has a full bar along with counter seating, booths, tables and flatscreen televisions visible from any angle. Honestly I preferred the walk-up old location with the picnic tables outside in the gravel parking lot.
Final Thoughts: There is a long list of Championship Competitive BBQ masters who have failed to translate their success into operating a restaurant. Its also no secret that the Central Iowa BBQ Restaurant scene is a little crowded right now, with over thirty restaurants advertising their offerings as "BBQ". Smokey D's has grown over the years, and the new location is a big expansion from the last incarnation. My visits to the new location have found more people in line than actually sitting down and eating. I hope the highway crowds keep coming for the BBQ and the tenderloin.

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: