J & K Market in Centerville Iowa

I have to thank one of the comments on my last post from Centerville recommending this place. The J & K has been open since 1970 on the north side of the Centerville town square. Its clearly a family run place with pictures on the walls and newspaper articles detailing the history of J & K Market.


Location: 113 W Van Buren St in Centerville, Appanoose County, Southern Iowa.


Directions: Its on the northwest side of the ginormous town square in Centerville.

Online at: website is HERE.

The Whole Hog: Whenever I see a tenderloin loaded up on topping I have to grab it. The bacon, ham and cheese didn't make the sandwich great but were juicy and savory on top of the tenderloin. The breading was a simple seasoning mix with a great crunchy texture. The best part here was the soft tenderized and well trimmed pork loin. Overall 8.5 out of ten.


Price: $4.50 for the Whole Hog, the regular jumbo tenderloin is $3.50, fries are a dollar more. They are treating the entire town like family members with these prices.

Also on the menu: Part of the menu refers to J & K as home to the "Original  Woppers" which are a list of deli sandwiches. There are burgers, other fried stuff and specials that round out the menu.


Service: Casual deli counter service to get your order in, then pay at the front counter. The owners do local promotions on a local radio station and youtube videos with the daily specials. I think they also do boat tours of Lake Rathbun.

Ambiance: The J & K is an old grocery store in the town square. The aisles are not wide and the handwritten graphics cover large parts of the walls and windows. There are a couple tables and three chairs outside for seating.


Final Thoughts: The immediate comparison for me is to B & B Grocery in Des Moines.For some reason on my last trip through here I saw more than one storefront graphic advertising "jumbo tenderloin" sandwiches. With other restaurants in town using the exact same verbiage, "homemade jumbo tenderloin", I wonder if J & K supplies these for them. Either way, the prices are absolutely rock bottom for good hand-breaded tenderloins in any small town in Iowa.

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.

Little Chicago Pizza & Gyros in Mason City

After repeated trips to Mason City, I felt the need to update my post about the Suzie-Q Cafe. Then a recent Urbanspoon comment left by user reviewer named Jim made me consider trying another Spic-N-Span tenderloin just a block down the street in Mason City. Little Chicago Pizza and Gyros gives little indication that there is any tenderloin inside. The menu board doesn't even list the tenderloin, its only on the folding takeout menu. I think I read in the newspaper website that Little Chicago took its Spic-N-Span batter recipe from the owners of Sluggo's, which occupied the same space, but now I can't seem to find the article.


Location: 11 2nd St NE in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, in Northern Iowa.


Directions: Its right in the middle of downtown Mason City, about 8 miles from I-35, Highway 65 is the north-south street on either side.

The Tenderloin: This is described on the menu as "Spic-N-Span style", dipped into their special batter. I have to make it clear that I didn't do any side-by-side comparison with the Suzie-Q, but this tenderloin was in batter without any kind of spicy note. It felt more like classic seasoning salt mix. What stood out was the softness and juiciness of the loin inside. The steam in the pork meat and the tenderizing made the whole sandwich soft. Served on a kaiser bun with your choice of fixins, Overall 8.0 out of ten.

Price: $4.29 also available "Gangster Style" with fries in a combo for a little extra.

Also on the menu: Burgers, pizza, they have a spinning cone of Gyro meat, and other Italian sandwiches.


Service: Just basic carry-out service, nothing to write home about.

Ambiance: I walked in the door and saw the counter and just a couple tables and a cash register counter in front of the kitchen and menu board. Their facebook page shows a dining area but I must have missed it.The classic gyro meat supplier poster with the Greek woman looks out the window, and patriotic posters cover the interior walls.


Final Thoughts: I may need some locals from Mason City to help me out here with some questions I have after eating here. Was there once a diner named the Spic-N-Span in downtown Mason City, in the area that is now a downtown mall? What happened to that place, did it close over 30 years ago and people still want Spic-N-Span tenderloins? Are there more Spic-N-Spans out there for me to try?

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.

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.

Susie's Kitchen in Stanton

Stanton has a sign on the road into town naming itself the "Little White City" and is the birthplace of an actress from Folgers Coffee commercials. The water tower is shaped like a coffee cup with graphics reflecting the Swedish heritage of the town. In more recent times, Stanton has become locally renowned for its Swedish-American Cafe, Susie's Kök or Susie's Kitchen serving up comfort food to travelers along Highway 34 in Southwest Iowa. Susie's Kitchen has been featured in The Iowan magazine and Roadfood among other places.

Location: 404 Broad Ave. in Stanton, Montgomery County in Southwest Iowa.


Directions: The road south from Highway 34 veers to the west and turns into Broad St, leading a visitor right in front of Susie's Kitchen.

The Tenderloin: The owner of Susie's Kitchen explained to me that the tenderloin was made by breading the loin then putting it on top of a flat grill. This is not deep fried or pan-fried like nearly every other place. As a result, the texture of the breading is free of any oil or grease. The color of the breading is a bright white with golden brown and darker marks from the grill. This breading method is clearly healthier than what most other places use. The flavor just wasn't on par with others, and the loin felt a little dry. There just isn't any grease on this whole sandwich. You will notice the butter in the toasted bun. Overall 7.5 out of ten.

Price: $7.00 with a side.

Also on the menu: There is the usual breakfast and lunch with sandwiches. The Fruit of the Forest Pie and other Swedish foods are the specialty.

The Swedish Pancake with Linggonberry Jam were something special. It felt wrong to order just one on the side. These have a fine texture and the jam brings berry flavor over the top. Highly recommended.
Service: The owner of this place was walking between the tables and a local high school aged kid was waiting tables.

Ambiance: This is a small town main street cafe with tiny Swedish designs like what is on the giant coffee pot and lots of wood paneling.


Final Thoughts: Susie's Kitchen served breakfast all day, and in Stanton "all day" means until the place closes at two in the afternoon. Plan on getting here early for the great pancakes and pies. The tenderloin will probably please people looking for a healthier version of the classic breaded pork tenderloin, because its not deep fried.

Gators Grill & Spirits in Burlington

This whole neighborhood on the west side of Burlington always seems to have tons of traffic that must be going to the Casino nearby. The place seems to be chain restaurant type of area with just a few local places. The parking lot of Gator's Grill & Spirits was overflowing with cars on a Tuesday at lunchtime, so its not like this place is a secret. I just can't drive past a sign with an alligator in a suit.

Location: 3313 Agency St in Burlington, Des Moines County in Southeast Iowa.

Directions: Its the same Highway 61 exit as Catfish Bend Casino, but turn south to find Agency St and the big sign with a gator in a top hat.

Online at: website with menu and auto-play music is HERE.

The Tenderloin: The first thing I noticed was the great pounded-out shape with tear away edges to grab and eat. The interior was not as moist as I like, and this was true throughout the large portion here. The breading had some huge cracker crumbs falling off as I ate. Served on a toasted bun with your choice of fixings, Overall 7.2 out of ten.

Price: $7.69 with a side.
Also on the menu: the menu is huge with pages of steaks, seafood, pasta, sandwiches and other stuff.

Service: I went to the bar to get some take-out, but there are two dining areas and service was slow because of the huge crowd at lunchtime during my visit.
Ambiance: I can't help but think this building held a chain restaurant as its last tenant. There are two large dining areas with tables, booths, and televisions to watch.

Final Thoughts: This wasn't the best tenderloin I've found in the Burlington area, I will get the Tender Trap and Fat Annie's in Augusta written up soon.