Pork Tenderloins

I just joined this forum today while surfing for a recipe for the BPT. I grew up in Waterloo, Iowa and had many memories of great food at the Maid Rite restaurants in Iowa. In addition to the BPT they also have a crumbled beef "burger" which is how the name Maid Rite came about. Living here in Cleveland, OH it's hard to find a BPT or even a butcher who has the meat. I was at Indy last weekend for the Formula 1 race and had the Super Tenderloin at the track. It brought back the memories. Davydd's photo above is right on the money. I bought 6 and put them in the cooler to bring back home! I will have to search this post to find a restaurant who will ship.

I had this information emailed to me today. There is a Windows Media Player movie of a 2003 episode on pork tenderloin sandwiches at the WFYI Public Television website...

http://www.wfyi.org/acrossIndiana.asp

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select "Past Season's Archives" to find...

Episode #1320 (Breaded Heaven--With all The Fixin's)...

in a lengthy list. The episode primarily features Mr. Dave's in North Manchester, Nick's Kitchen in Huntington and the now closed Gnaw Bone Food & Fuel in Gnaw Bone. Jean Anne Bailey (janicks on Roadfood.com here) was featured in the episode. They edited so there was a rivalry about the breading between Mr. Dave's and Nick's Kitchen.

What I did notice was Mr. Dave's was cutting tenderloins from the pork loin and not the tenderloin. To be honest there is not a lot of difference in the cuts other than the pork loin cut is bigger and it is how restaurants get such huge sandwiches.

The Stern's January 2003 Gourmet Magazine article on the tenderloin probably was the catalyst for this episode.

For the record more pork tenderloin sandwiches. You can read more about them here...

http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20686#309892

The Angry Trout Cafe, Grand Marais, MN grilled pork tenderloin sandwich


The Rustic Inn Cafe, Castle Danger, MN breaded pork tenderloin sandwich

This week we traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Our son and family moved from Massachusetts to La Crosse this past week. We went down to help them unload their moving van. Our daughter-in-law will start her professorship this fall at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

La Crosse is one cool town of 51,000 souls on the Mississippi River surrounded by limestone bluffs. It is connected to over 100 miles of bike trails including the nations first rail bed trail, the Elroy-Sparta Trail. They have their own city brewery so what can you ask for?

We took a break and went to Rudy's Drive-in at 10th and La Crosse.

http://www.rudysdrivein.com/



Rudy's is an old fashion drive-in order from your car and served by car hops on roller skates. In business since 1933 through 3 family generations and a few different locations, this drive-in will remind you of the 50s if you are that old to remember (I am). Since we had a party of 8-1/2 (1/2 being our 2 year old grandson) we ate inside in booths.

The menu is a bargain. The pork tenderloin sandwich was only $3.29 and probably the least expensive we've had.



Now about that pork tenderloin sandwich. Very good. It was not the huge Indiana/
Iowa bun overhanging variety but it was very well prepared and the breading had a slight tang in taste. It was also a true tenderloin and not a fritter as I had found at a Frisch's Big Boy and at the Mug'n'Bun in Speedway, IN. Rudy's is recommended if you are anywhere close to La Crosse. You will not only enjoy their food but you will also get a dose of nostalgic ambiance.

We just got back from our trip to Indianapolis and the Allstate Brickyard 400 NASCAR Race. We stopped on the way at the Wisconsin Dells and had a pork tenderloin sandwich called the Gypsy Schnitzel Sandwich served with hot German potato salad at the Essen-Haus Restaurant...



Onward to Indianapolis we went out to dinner at the Green Street Restaurant in Brownsburg, IN about 8 miles west of Speedway. The restaurant is located in a strip center just off Interstate 74.

Green Street has a regular pork tenderloin sandwich that you can order breaded or battered. They also have the Station Tenderloin that comes with a garnish of ham and melted Swiss. I opted for the station and my wife ordered the battered. Here they are...





Green Street went to the top of my Indianapolis area list for pork tenderloin sandwiches.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Onward to Indianapolis we went out to dinner at the Green Street Restaurant in Brownsburg, IN about 8 miles west of Speedway. The restaurant is located in a strip center just off Interstate 74.

Green Street has a regular pork tenderloin sandwich that you can order breaded or battered. They also have the Station Tenderloin that comes with a garnish of ham and melted Swiss. I opted for the station and my wife ordered the battered. Here they are...

Green Street went to the top of my Indianapolis area list for pork tenderloin sandwiches.

So, do you recommend Breaded or Beer Battered?

I prefer the breaded. They are less greasy. The breaded is the traditional way to prepare a Hoosier tenderloin. Also, WJ, if you are taking one shot for a tenderloin in Indy I would recommend Green Street over Billy O'Neal's.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

I prefer the breaded. They are less greasy. The breaded is the traditional way to prepare a Hoosier tenderloin. Also, WJ, if you are taking one shot for a tenderloin in Indy I would recommend Green Street over Billy O'Neal's.

Thanks Davydd,

I know you're the word of Gospel when it comes to BPT's! sp Green Street it is!

We recently tried Augustino's in West Chicago, Il. not knowing they had a pork tenderloin on their extensive menu but just knowing they are billed as a deli. When I saw that, I had to try as I haven't had a BPT in over a year. Excellant BPT! Looks much in size like the one shown above at Rudy's only slightly thinner but firm. The breading had a seasoning I could not quite figure out but did not distract from the taste. It was deep fried but in a light tasting oil and not in any way greasy. The fries were wonderful, crisp and and lightly salted, just the best I have had in a while. The place is decorated heavily in a roll-n-roll theme with a lot of photos and memoriblia over all the walls. A larger than life statue of the Blues Brothers great you. As a foot note, if you rememmber the scene in the Blues Brothers where the gas station is blown up, the actual gas station stood about a mile from where the restaurant stands.

http://www.augustinos.com/

The web site gives a phone for the West Chicago location but does not mention it's on the corner of Rte. 64 and Rte. 59 in the Menard's complex. The BPT on the menu is called "Mrs. Brown you got a lovely Pork Tenderloin"

Great find kland01s. Chicago was a stumper when it came to pork tenderloins considering the surrounding outstate Illinois and Indiana so close by had so many. Augustino's has three locations to boot. I've done extensive Google searching for naught. I wish restaurants would wise up and put their menus online so they are word searchable. Augustino's menu is a picture so the words don't come up in a search.

Davydd, I guess I don't understand. The menu is off to the upper left, you just have to select the category. The BPT is under specialties.

I found the menu OK at the website. What I was commenting on is that it is unseachable on Google because the menu is a picture thus there would be no way to find the words "pork tenderloin" and know Augustino's served them.

Ah! Besides the fact they give it a cutesy name, I almost missed it! Besides Blackberry Inn in Elburn, Il. this is the first decent BPT I have found in the area. I gotta start taking pictures!

I made my mini breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches a few weeks ago for a party and had several breaded ready to fry but not needed. So I froze them. Today I thawed them out, brushed them with olive oil and baked them at 400 degrees for a half hour on a cookie sheet.

Looking for a great tenderloin in IL.? The Roadhouse outside of Elmwood IL.between Farmington and Hanna City turn on Stone School Road has wonderful huge tenderloins. This place is out in the country but worth the drive. ALSO THIS PLACE HAS Marinated Turkey Strips to die for.

Our journey is underway. We stopped off in northern Indiana just off the toll road near Fremont in the very northeast corner of Indiana and went to Dave's Lake Shack on a recommendation from a Michigander. We would have never found this place otherwise. It is a great bar/grille right on the north end of Snow Lake. This is the area we vacationed as children in the early 50s - Lake James, Lake George, Clear Lake, Pokagon State Park. Dave's Lake Shack seemed to be a resort area home crowd. People seemed to know each other at the tables around us. It was definitely a place you would like to be a steady patron.

First the peace sign.



The shack itself.



And the tenderloin.



If you are driving the Indiana Toll Road or going up or down I-69 this is an easy stop on State Highway 120 just west of the interchange. The tenderloin was excellent.

Just had a BPT at Bailey's Jury Room on the square in Danville, IN. It's just a few doors east of Mayberry Cafe. Really good. Pounded and breaded on-site. Haven't had the one in Brownsburg yet, but this one is so far the best I've had in Hendricks County. I'll be taking my camera from now on since BPTs are what I order when in Indiana (which is all the time).

Oh, and this is my first post although I've lurked off and on for a couple years now.

Greg

quote:

Originally posted by gregsgoatfarm

Just had a BPT at Bailey's Jury Room on the square in Danville, IN. It's just a few doors east of Mayberry Cafe. Really good. Pounded and breaded on-site. Haven't had the one in Brownsburg yet, but this one is so far the best I've had in Hendricks County. I'll be taking my camera from now on since BPTs are what I order when in Indiana (which is all the time).

Oh, and this is my first post although I've lurked off and on for a couple years now.

Greg

Welcome to RoadFood. You'll have more fun on here than a Hooker at a Fireman's Picnic!

gregsgoatfarm,

How does Mayberry's compare with Baily's Jury Room? I have had more than a few saying I should try Mayberry's. Now you present a dilemma. Green Street in Brownsburg was a pleasant surprise. There was one guy on Trackforum.com that swore they were the best in Indy and it turned out he might be right (so far). I was a bit disappointed in the other Indy rave, The Bourbon Street Distillery, but it could have just been an off day or a bad cook online that day.

Mayberry's is a family-style restaurant with no real focus, IMHO, other than as a tribute to the TV show. It is well-run, and the food is decent but far from spectacular. Typical of Indiana family restaurants there is no booze of any sort served, not even beer.

Bailey's has been in business about two years. It is owned by a family that once ran Danville's only bed and breakfast. Prior to that it was Muldoon's, and JJ's bar before that. My wife really liked their meatloaf, and I enjoyed the tenderloin immensely. Since I work in Danville I will try to eat another very soon and post a pic. Full bar as well.

May as well put a plug in for the Icehouse in Mooresville, just a skip from Gray's Cafeteria. This is an outpost of the Icehouse on S. Meridian in Indy. Hope they make it there because several outstanding restaurants have come and gone from the location. No real atmosphere, and I can't comment on any other food item, but the tenderloin is quite tasty. I really need to get a frame of reference here very soon by sampling some established and recognized winners. May get up to Brownsburg tomorrow to try Green St. There are so many options.

Greg

Hey guys,

My name is John and I grew up outside of Indianapolis. Moved to NC when I was 15, now 38.

I remember having "pork fritter" sandwiches on a weekly basis during my elementary and middleschool years growing up, in the school cafeterias. Also the better ones could be found in local mom and pops joints in our area.

About a year ago, My dad started talking about breaded tenderloin sandwiches out of the blue......I had a moment and wondered, How did I forget about these things?

I remember googling that night for a recipe and running across Davydd's site. I remember just gettin the recipe and made it a few times for me and my folks. Great results.

Tomorrow, I will be making tenderloin sandwiches again for my folks. I googled tenderloin sandwiches again tonight just so I could send the recipe link to my mom, and rolled across this forum/topic.

I really love the education and history of this classic sandwich that I've found here on this forum. I never knew it had such a Cult following. I always figured it was just a hometown favorite that I missed.

Looking forward learning more about the history and variations of the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.

John

Just to mention,
Pork tenderloin sandwiches are almost non existant down here in North Carolina.

I almost read thru all 26 pages of this thread, hehe.

I noticed it was mentioned that NC is in the top 3 of pork producers.

True, and they do alot of BBQ with the pork. Slow cooked and shredded. Mostly shoulder tho. Most BBQ joints serve the shredded/pulled pork as sandwiches. Tho I dont care for it.

Tried two small joints yesterday and today while out and about and vacationing from work: Liz's Cafe in North Salem, IN; and Karen's Cafe in Cloverdale, IN. Liz's "tenderloin" had an irregular shape that was deceiving. Looked like the real thing, but it was a fritter from a box. The waitress said Wednesday nights were for the real thing. We'll see. Karen's was big but not irregular enough. Another fritter. Oh well. Got two more places to try this week.


Liz's "Tenderloin"

Midwestside, what about Snappy Lunch in Mount Airy, NC? Last time I was there, I had their famous pork chop sandwich, which I can't imagine is far from an original BPT. Snappy has been reviewed thoroughly on this site.

Back on 08-01-2007 Davydd posted pics of the Station Signature and battered versions of Green Street Pub's BTL sandwiches. Went there today and have to agree that it is one of the best. Just S of I74 in Brownsburg, IN, next to Kroger. I had to stick with with the traditional breaded though. Nice presentation. About 8 bucks with very good fries. The cole slaw is outstanding as well.

Have a tenderloin to go!

quote:

Originally posted by gregsgoatfarm

Just had a BPT at Bailey's Jury Room on the square in Danville, IN. It's just a few doors east of Mayberry Cafe. Really good. Pounded and breaded on-site. Haven't had the one in Brownsburg yet, but this one is so far the best I've had in Hendricks County. I'll be taking my camera from now on since BPTs are what I order when in Indiana (which is all the time).

Oh, and this is my first post although I've lurked off and on for a couple years now.

Greg

I had a great tasting BPT sandwich last week at Spiceland Family Restaurant in Spiceland , Indiana just a few miles south of I-70 on SR 3. Hand breaded, large, nice and juicy and fried golden brown - yummy. If you're traveling I-70 in eastern Indiana -well worth a roadfood stop.

Whoops! I posted in the imposter thread. Here is the official thread.

I don't know how many emails I have gotten to try The Igloo Drive-In in Peru, Illinois. So I did. I must sadly report they are but average and nothing to rave home about. It only took me about 10 miles off my route and it was lunch time anyway. This is yet another breaded pork tenderloin sandwich that has a reputation that exceeds delivery. I don't know if it is because the sandwich itself has changed or memory embellishes. There was nothing special about it in appearance, size, taste, preparation or tenderness. Culver's does it better. As you know I don't believe in words. I take a picture for comparison.

We reached Indianpolis and for lunch Friday we went to the Ale Emporium on Allisonville Rd just north of the 1-465 interchange. They offered a grilled, breaded or beer battered pork tenderloin sandwich. For a change I had the beer battered along with a Bell's Oktoberfest beer on tap. This place is recommended if you are looking for a special ale or beer. The tenderloin was about average. It wasn't bad.



Then on Saturday for lunch we went out to the Mayberry Cafe in Danville. Their tenderloin is a very worthy one and recommended.





Then Saturday night I attended my Speedway High School 45th Reunion in Parlour A & B at Brickyard Crossing in Speedway. This was kind of special to me because it was also the 45th anniversary of working on my very first project in an architect's office and this building was it. It was known as the Speedway Inn and Motor Hotel at the time and was also a feature setting for the Paul Newman movie, Winning. It may be torn down soon for a major revamping of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and surrounding streets.



Dinner was a buffet of fried chicken, roast beef or turkey. I bribed the head waiter to prepare me a breaded pork tenderloin instead. I think they went out of the way with a special preparation. It was huge.



Sunday night we camped in Brown County State Park and had dinner at the Brown County Inn Corn Crib Lounge in Nashville with friends. I again ordered the tenderloin.



The tastiest and best of this trip was the Mayberry Cafe despite the kitsch based on the old Andy Griffith TV show. After all that along with the Igloo previously reported I was tenderloined out despite driving back through the tenderloin heartland of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa and passing up other known opportunities.