Pork Tenderloins

CajunKing


Miracle whip

makes them slide down easier

Yuck to Miracle Whip....    Mayo is my BPT condiment of choice. There is a difference.

I've always liked Miracle Whip, but it sure isn't the condiment I'd put on a BPT... too sweet. After trying mustard and not finding it to my liking, I've concluded that plain ol' mayo is the only condiment that belongs on a BPT ( IMHO, of course! ) 

I need to find a good BPT here in the Milwaukee area, besides Culvers or Machine Shed..Help!

annpeeples


I need to find a good BPT here in the Milwaukee area, besides Culvers or Machine Shed..Help!

Johnny Vs Classic Cafe in West Allis, WI

Don't I always know of a place?

http://web.mac.com/davydd/Site/Pork_Tenderloin_Sandwich_Blog/Entries/2007/3/18_Johnny_V%E2%80%99s_Classic_Cafe%2C_West_Allis%2C_WI.html

Glad this thread popped up again.  We had our first BPT at the Hob Nob Corner in Nashville, Indiana, and while it was not gargantuan, it was a nice portion and clearly homemade, as opposed to frozen and fried.  Being newbies, we weren't sure of the condiment choice, so we put on a dab of mayo (my husband also opted for a smear of coarse ground mustard).  It was great.  Glad we didn't choose wrong; you folks seem to have validated our choice of condiment.  Also, we suspected this was pork loin and not tenderloin, and you all seem to agree that this was OK.  It was a delicious sandwish, and we're eager to sample more.

Thanks, Davydd...knew you would come through!!!

sudie,

They are almost always pork loin though I have had a few true tenderloins in restaurants and make my own with true tenderloin.

Davydd:

I'm a transplanted Iowan now living in Atlanta.  Have you ever found one in Georgia...or Alabama...or the Carolinas?

John

I haven't explored the Carolinas, Georgia or Alabama yet. We may get that way next January/February to and from Florida if plans go well.

In North Carolina the closest might be a pork chop sandwich but no breaded pork tenderloin has been reported by any of my emissaries and scouts amongst my RV friends.   North Carolina is odd. It is the second largest (next to Iowa) pork producing state with quite a bigger volume than Indiana, Illinois or Missouri. Yet no tenderloins. They like their BBQ pulled pork with a mustard vinegar.

I've mentioned this before. Places that have pork tenderloin sandwiches rarely have an internet presence so finding them that way is difficult. I thought Minneapolis/St. Paul was bereft of them when I started out but have identified 33 restaurants with them and maybe only a few could be found with an internet search. You have to just get out and search. Look for independent cafes and diners or bar/grills that have maybe just a little more than a burger menu. In the Twin Cities they are popular at bowling alleys that serve food.

I recently had a first rate BPT , as good as the one's at the three Nicks restaurants in Huntington and Roanoke, at Jinnys Cafe , a small plain Jane eatery, in tiny Bryant Indiana about 35 miles south of Fort Wayne or southeast of Huntington Indiana. Not a fancy place but good home style small town cooking.
 
It's a huge tenderloin dipped in butter milk and seasoned cracker meal and served on a 6" bun , overlapping the bun by several inches and fried to light golden brown. Very juicy and tasty. Well worth a Roadfood stop if you are ever in the area. I had home fries with the BPT -also very good.

Pam's Corner Cafe.  Mooresville, Indiana
 
She advertises her BPTs.  Joann and I both ordered one.  What a disappointment. 

Pounded too thin.  Breaded too thick.  Fried too long.
A recipe for disaster.
 
Sapphire and Babette (yellow Lab, Bichon Frise) got the leftovers. 
Sorry, Pam.  Not recommended.
 
If you're in the area and lusting after a quality BPT drive a few miles north to Coachman's in Plainfield (just off the I-70 exit) and enjoy a fine specimen.
 

It's so difficult to not plug the locals, especially when they have such a fine product.

Stopped in Dunlap, Iowa, a couple weeks ago to help Larry add to his count, on how many 'Pork Tenders' were sold this year at the Dairy Sweet.

Sorry, my family didn't think it was necessary to take any photos of the sandwiches. But I guarantee, the next time we are passing thru there, ..., We will stop & add to the count again! They were excellent, ...

edit

I would have never thought to look for breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches at BBQ places.  I was in Des Moines earlier this week and had one at a place specializing in BPT, Smitty's.  I did drive by a small town Chinese restaurant in North-West Indiana last year that had a big sign in front that said they had tenderloin sandwiches at lunch.

gregsgoatfarm

...Coachman's in Plainfield (just off the I-70 exit) and enjoy a fine specimen. ...

Here here. I forgot about them, oh my. Between Coachman's in Plainfield and Mayberry in Danville, a great BPT is a short, mouth-watering drive away.    Coachman's sells beer, big extra point there.

I'm way behind being a good 23 days into our swing out west camping trip that leaves me mostly where wifi does not exist. However, I can add the states of Wyoming, Montana and Nevada with BPTs. We mostly spend our nights in National Forests, state parks and National Parks. Right now we are in Zion NP in Utah and heading back east with a couple more weeks to go.

I was able to stop at the Augusta Restaurant in Oxford, IA and tried the 2008 Iowa Pork Producers First Place BPT. I forgot the camera but I brought half of the BPT home and photographed it. Use your imagination to picture a BPT twice the size of what you see in the picture below.



The crust contains panko crumbs which gave the sandwich an interesting crunchiness. The crust did not reheat well at home. The pork seemed more hand-pounded than tenderized through a machine. The meat was flavorful & thick. The BPT is served with fries or sweet potato fries and arrives with homemade mayo and cost $10.

A recent trip through southeast Iowa took me to some tenderloins in hard to reach places, each had been on my list for a while.
 
First is Butch's River Rock Cafe in Oakland Mills, an unincorporated township in Henry County. Its a five minute drive from Mt. Pleasant, next to a dam on the Skunk River. This place was formerly known as Oakland Mills Store, and would sell live bait in one room and make tenderloins in the other. The slogan on the sign, We're Here to Feed Ya, Not Fatt'n Ya Up reflects the new operators focus on "healthy" fare. The menu included such "healthy" options as bacon cheeseburger salad and chili cheese fries. They also have an Elk Burger.




 
Second is from the Bonaparte Retreat in the historic Villages of Van Buren County. This is a former grist mill built in 1878, now the first floor is a restaurant with a tenderloin for lunch:

Davydd, I tried your recipe for breaded pork tenderloins and they turned out great. Being a Floridian, transplated from Indiana in 1978 due to my son having asthma, I have longed for these for many years. Now my craving has been more than satisfied. I made extra and  I am going to freeze each breaded treasure to enjoy at our leisure. My wife, whom I attended high school in Indiana with, was also impressed. Thanks for sharing your recipe. 

accasbel

gregsgoatfarm

...Coachman's in Plainfield (just off the I-70 exit) and enjoy a fine specimen. ...

Here here. I forgot about them, oh my. Between Coachman's in Plainfield and Mayberry in Danville, a great BPT is a short, mouth-watering drive away.    Coachman's sells beer, big extra point there.

 
Mayberry is excellent.  And right next door is Bailey's Pub, with their own hand-made BPT.  Also very, very good. 

This delectable morsel was ordered, photographed, and consumed today at The Friendly Tavern in Zionsville, IN.  Very fine example of the breed.  Yum.

For us transplants from Indiana to south Florida. I think I have found a place for the breaded Tenderloin. I was told the owners are from the Chicago area.
Rooster's corner on Atlantic and Rock island. Margate, Tammarac, Coral Springs area.
I will be there Friday night and will update next all next week

Steve 
  

Wow those all look so good. I really want to try The Fat Man!

Went to Scotty's Brewhouse downtown Indy branch (One W. Virginia Ave.) today for lunch.  Had their very good BPT.  A bit steep at $10.75 with one side, but the location certainly played a part in that.  Good to get out for one after a dreary winter.

Some recent tenderloin additions this year…

Gunflint Trail Center grilled tenderloin


The Farmer's Kitchen Tenderloin, Atlantic, IA


The Auslander Schnitzel Burger, Fredericksburg, TX


The Remington Grill Tenderloin, Spirit Lake, IA


Smitty's, Leonore, IL


106th Street Grill grilled tenderloin, Carmel, IN


106th Street Grill breaded pork tenderloin, Carmel, IN


Broad Ripple Brewpub grilled tenderloin with Buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese, Indianapolis, IN


I am up to 99 different tenderloin restaurants in 15 states and looking for number 100.

I hope these weren't all on one trip, your cardiologist will be after you!

I don't think you have hit Blackberry Inn in Elburn Illinois yet. Right on Rte. 47 straight up from I-80 or I-88. I've had the tenderloin but I prefer their reubens!

 http://blackberryinn.org/...lackberry-inn-menu.htm

Blackberry Inn
1S731 Rte. 47    
Elburn, Il
630-365-2200

gregsgoatfarm




This delectable morsel was ordered, photographed, and consumed today at The Friendly Tavern in Zionsville, IN.  Very fine example of the breed.  Yum.

I say amen to the breaded tenderloin at the Friendly.  Also, I have enjoyed every meal I've had at the Friendly.  It is a great place to visit, one of those "everyone knows your name kind of place".

On the eve of the Indianapolis 500, I had my 100th different restaurant tenderloin since I started tracking in March 2005. Honors went to Dawson's on Main in my hometown of Speedway. Verdict? This is the best tenderloin I've had in the metro Indianapolis area. Service by Candice, our waitress, was outstanding. The size... was just right and not pounded too thin yet fried to perfection. The breading was excellent. The most important thing is it was the most tender piece of tenderloin I've had in Indianapolis. The tenderloin comes with a signature sauce which is a blend of mayo and BBQ sauce.
The last time I probably ate in this restaurant space was when it was not a restaurant but a drug store with a luncheon counter. That was close to 50 years ago. I had the fried pressed ham sandwich and shared a table with none other than AJ Foyt, 4 time Indy 500 winner, and AJ Watson, famed chief mechanic and race car builder, back in those informal days when people sat in available empty chairs with strangers. They were not strangers to this high school kid but I am sure I was a stranger to them. That's an event I never forgot.

Ort: What are you doing in Oqwaka? The elaphant grave is very strange as is much in Oqwaka and surroundings. Never had BPT there but much catfish fried as God intended. You ought to try Scored Carp up river At Eliza Cafe on Fridays . That's Eliza ,Illinois.

Here's your Iowa tenderloin site.
www.des-loines.blogspot.com
 
The best tenderloin I have eaten was at the St.Olaf Tap in St. Olaf, Iowa.It was large.
My friends and I take motorcycle rides and check out to see who has the best tenderloin in
Northeastern part of your state.
I live in La Crosse,Wisconsin and no way can Culver's complete with a hand cut, hand pounded
which in make in Iowa. Every year they have a new winner of the tenderloin sandwich.
 
Enjoy this site,
George from Wisconsin
 

I had a pork tenderloin sandwich once. Never had any reason to have another one.

I know what you mean. I went to a Waffle House once. Never had any reason to go to another one.

From the Orlando Sentinel, The Dish blog by Heather McPherson.

Pork tenderloin sandwiches perfect Indy 500 watching fare

I was prompted by your post to look for any Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches in South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for you non-locals).  I found a blog mention of one up in Margate, about an hour north of me on a good day.  It doesn't look a lot like the beauties that you have posted.
 
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2010/01/midwest_pork_tenderloin_sandwich_roosters.php

Stumbled upon Indy native Rick Garrett's blog today.  Excellent reviews.  Looks like there's still plenty of BPTs yet to try.

http://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com/

 
Bailey's Pub.  Danville, Indiana. My second there.  This one was excellent, IMHO.  Only drawback was that the mayo was in a pre-packaged little pouch.  Tender, juicy, flavorful.  Draft Blue Moon was a nice accompaniment, and their fried dill pickle slices are the best I've ever had.  A nice prelude to the Hendricks County Symphony Orchestra concert in the park of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. 

Man v. Food has been hitting the tenderloins hard lately, with indianapolis and now the mysterious "Wop Chop" (onomatopoeia in the name possibly?). The segment left way too much mystery behind a sandwich in a place that only seemed to be famous because a celebrity liked to eat there. 

 
The attendees at the Des Moines shoot had to sign non-disclosure forms like its some huge mystery whether the guy ate an entire sandwich of bbq items piled on top of a tenderloin cut in two. This tenderloin is at least eight ounces before cooking. Jethros expects business to triple once the episode airs.

Hello All,
When I was wild and younger, 26 yrs. old and going
through my first divorce, I was part of a pack of similar
souls, male and female, that drank til the bars closed.
And then we went to this dive diner still open at
2 a.m., to eat.  They made the best tenderloin sandwiches, served with fries.  They no longer exist,
but ahhh, I miss the C&E Diner in Harrisonburg, VA.
They had a rich, salty coating on the tenderloins that
merged with the fries, taking one into a heaven of
the tastebuds.  I miss this place.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Trzhotel, you just kind of jumped from the "Wop Chop" (apparently in Butte, MT) to Jethro's so I'm guessing you're referring to 3 different Man vs. Food episodes.
 
More important, if you were handing out grades would you give the Jethro's episode a "D+"?
 
Brad

Hahahahaha....(sigh).
 

Also, that tenderloin alone is a huge freakin sandwich.  I know Adam eats some huge stuff, but eating that in 5 minutes, or something like that?  I know I couldn't do it.
 
Nice Raygun(SMASH) t-shirt that Adam has on, as well.  Everyone I know that met the guy said he was a really cool dude.  Hope Jethro's goes kaaa-boom! from business.  Great place.

I can't complain about a lack of hype for BPT's on the web lately. The MSN homepage had a link to a list of sandwiches that included the mysterious "Iowa Skinny" last week.


This week there was a list of "Top Food Trucks" that linked to a Bon Appetit magazine article from a year ago. They have found a food truck in Portland serving a "schnitzelwich", described as:
"There may be no better sandwich on the planet..., a lightly breaded, pan-fried pork-loin cutlet that's amped up with homemade horseradish and a creamy paprika spread. The sandwich is finished with lettuce and caramelized onions, then tucked into a soft ciabatta roll."











http://schnitzelwich.com/index.html

http://www.bonappetit.com...original_schnitzelwich

http://www.seriouseats.co...a-frying-scotsman.html

They are out there. When outside the Midwest they invariably will go by a different name like schnitzelwich, schnitzel burger, pork burger, pork chop sandwich or its truer definition, pork loin not tenderloin. That makes it difficult if you Google just "pork tenderloin" as the Midwest knows them. Generally only in areas with a snowbird population like Arizona and Florida will you find reference to Iowa, Indiana or Midwest "pork tenderloin".
 
Next spring I will be in Arizona, Illinois and Indiana for stays and will be passing through Iowa and Missouri. Lots of opportunities in those states.

The Schnitzelwich on ciabatta looks good to this as yet uninitiated Jersey boy.
 
  The Bear

I live in Huntington In. and have made a few Utube videos. Nothing special. I was thinking that I should make a Utube video doing a tenderloin comparison... I can think of 7+ bar/restaurants within this area that serve pork tenderloins.  I was thinking that I could con a fellow foodie to do it with me, so we could do 3 at a time, cut them in half,... judge the first three... Then do three more, judge them,... and I sure I could easily find three more. Then Do a final jugging from the winners.  Really just a reason to try a LOT of local tenderloins...

Michael Hoffman


I had a pork tenderloin sandwich once. Never had any reason to have another one.

 
Good, leaves more for me!

The local business paper wrote up the impact of the Man v. Food filming:

“We’ve been selling 50 to 60 of those Emmeneckers per day per store,” said Bruce Gerleman, owner of Jethro’s, which has one location at 3100 Forest Ave. and another at 2601 Adventureland Drive, Altoona. “It’s just mind-boggling how many people are eating them now. Typically before, we would sell two or three for a day.”
Once there, Richman spent not only the 14 hours necessary to tape the 10-minute segment, but actually came back to eat a regular meal two more times, Gerleman said. The crew spent a full day at each location, shooting multiple takes. All told, the crew taped 35 to 40 hours of footage at the three restaurants to fill about 21 minutes of airtime.
For Gerleman and Jethro’s, “Man v. Food” was the second big piece of free publicity that the restaurant has received since opening in 2008. In late 2008, CBS sent a notice to Jethro’s asking it to stop using depictions of characters from the 1960s TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies” to promote the restaurant, citing copyright infringement. Far from being worried or even annoyed, “for me it was fun,” Gerleman said. To settle the issue, he changed the cartoon Jethro’s shirt from plaid to dark red, and changed Jethro’s rope belt to suspenders.

http://www.businessrecord...bSectionID=136&S=1

BPT Restaurant Review:
The Iowa Cafe, Mesa, AZ.
This place is Hawkeye Heaven aimed at the Iowa Expats and Snowbirds. Tons of Hawkeye stuff all over the place. It used to be pretty good---no more-. Don't know if it changed hands or what. Had breakfast there today. It was Busy. Only one waitress. Ordered the #1, "Dan Gable Special", 2 eggs, fried potatoes, a BPT, and a biscuit. The BPTwas small, thin and totally tasteless. The potatoes were a potato chip cut and deep fried with no flavor. The biscuit was a small frozen store bought thing. The eggs were ok. I'm officially taking them off my Recommended list.

For those of you that have tried the Spic-n-Span at the Suzie-Q Cafe in Mason City, Iowa, if you talked to the owner, did he happen to say if it's the same as the pork tenderloins that were made at the Spic-n-Span that used to be in downtown Mason City?
 
I had tenderloins from the Spic-n-Span in the 70s. If I remember right, the Spin-n-Span was an even smaller place than the Suzie-Q. And there was a little place named "Dad's" that sold hamburgers that was run by a couple of women. You could get mustard and onions on the burgers. No ketchup. And you could get potato chips and a soda.

Gazmik, The Suzie-Q is the same original place in downtown Mason City and the same recipe. You can't get much smaller than its 8 stools at a counter.

Davydd

Gazmik, The Suzie-Q is the same original place in downtown Mason City and the same recipe. You can't get much smaller than its 8 stools at a counter. 

The Spic-n-Span was in an alley about half a block off of Federal Ave. There is a shopping mall (Southbridge?) where the Spic-n-Span was. If the Suzie-Q has the old Spic-n-Span recipe, I'm going to have to stop in and have some the next time I'm down there!

I was at the Suzie-Q in December then again in February. The conversation moves fast and changes subjects frequently. The diner may be getting a neighborhood grant to restore it to its 1948 splendor, or it may be getting a city crew to move it on a flatbed truck to another parking lot when some road/sidewalk work is getting done. The guy in charge is a bit of a perfectionist, constantly tinkering with the menu, adding things then changing them. The was a big list of hand-pattied burgers when I was there in February, I got one with a grilled tenderloin and a burger on top:

 

 

Gazmik

Davydd

Gazmik, The Suzie-Q is the same original place in downtown Mason City and the same recipe. You can't get much smaller than its 8 stools at a counter. 

The Spic-n-Span was in an alley about half a block off of Federal Ave. There is a shopping mall (Southbridge?) where the Spic-n-Span was. If the Suzie-Q has the old Spic-n-Span recipe, I'm going to have to stop in and have some the next time I'm down there!

I didn't read anything in the historic literature they had that it was on a different site but it is the same building and presumably the same Spic-n-Span recipe since they advertise it as such through its various owners passing it down. TrzHotel just confirmed it is small enough to move and it appears it might happen again.

trzhotel,
 
I think my days of eating a burger-tenderloin like that are long over.
 
If I keep this up I have to start splitting those hubcap kind and sharing with my wife.

Without reading through all 34 pages, I will bring up Smith's Restaurant in Bolivar, Mo and in Springfield, Mo.    WONDERFUL tenderloin sandwich with fresh hand cut fries or sweet potato fries.  YUMMY!

The Smith's Restaurant I am familair with is in Collins, MO. I reported on it here and incidentally the Suzie-Q in Mason City, IA in this same message thread. You'll also find a tenderloin from Prejean's in Lafayette, Louisiana.
 
Elvis, Cajun, Crawfish & Alligators - a Two Week RV Tour
 
Next week we are heading out again for Arizona via Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado. There are tenderloin opportunities in all those states.

Like the Notorious Pig with 3 locations in AZ?
http://www.thenotoriouspig.com/

You did not have a good one then :)

 
Set your DVR's for Friday's episode of Outrageous Food on Food Network:
 
Watch Outrageous Food Season 2 Episode 6 Bacon Candy



Bacon Candy
Season 2 Episode 6
Aired date: May 13, 2011
Plot: Tom Pizzica visits B and B Grocery in Des Moines for their "killosal sandwich" that includes a pile of deli meat, a huge pork tenderloin, and a quad burger stack; Taste of A Gyro in Sonoma, CA, where traditional gyros are served up not with tzatziki, but with mind-blowing home-made hot sauce; and The Sticky Pig in southern California for all kinds of candy made with bacon.
 

I was travelling today from Plattsburg, MO to Knoxville, TN and on the way home came via I-70 across MO.  I stopped at MM 175 about an hour + west of St louis and asked the gas station attendant if they could recommend a restaurant that had good tenderloins nearby.  I was told Dad's Junction Cafe, just next to the McDonalds up the street.
This place is in a rather large brick building but outsid eof the "Cafe" sign you'd not notice it as a restaurant.  I went in, looked at the menu and they proclaimed "Biggest tenderloin on I-70".  I figured at least 8 other places probably made the same claim.
i got one for me and one for my wife.  I swear I have never seen a bigger tenderloin in my life.  Waitress had to close the t0-go box with a rubber band.  Breading was outstanding and the meat was sooo good.  Bun could have been fresher or toasted as I found the bun to be a distraction. 
I would not want to eat in the restaurant as they smoke inside, but the food was really good.  Anyone travelling I-70 through Missouri should stop at exit 175 and try this out.