Indiana Heartland Tour

[Davydd]

We made our fourth trip from Minnesota to or through Indiana in our Class B campervan this year in my continuing pursuit of the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich as part of our travels. Previous trips were for the ICS Indianapolis 500 race and the NASCAR Brickyard 400 race.

Our first stop on they way was in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We did not have a pork tenderloin but did sample the hamburger's at Monk's Bar in Baraboo. Sorry no photo of the burgers but on our way out we visited the International Crane Foundation where they have over 15 different cranes from all over the world and have taken on the task of saving the endangered Whooping Crane. Just a few short years ago there were only 21 in the wild. So let's start out with the rare Whooping Cranes for sheer enjoyment.

Moving on. 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. 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. Note Andy Griffith's Mayberry police car parked out front.

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 I was tenderloined out despite driving back through the tenderloin heartland of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa and passing up other known opportunities. So I leave you with this.

We had an interesting sunrise/sunset day Monday. We departed Brown County State Park in southern Indiana very early to capture this shot just minutes before the sun came up. Brown County could best be described as a miniaturized Smoky Mountains. I love the place.

And we arrived at Lake Darling State Park near Fairfield, Iowa to catch this sunset from our camp site.

[kpzachary]

The next time you make your trip to Inidana, stop in Crawfordsville(about 45 min. northwest of Indy), and go to Uncle Smiley's for the "Big Oink". I'm sure it is not too far out of the way, and if it is, it's worth it anyway!

[Davydd]

We generally come east on I-74 and get off onto SH 32 at Crawfordsville to cut over to Lebanon and then down to Carmel where my sister lives when we go to Indy. The Big Oink tenderloin you refer to would be at Uncle Smiley's. I'll have to add it to my list but it probably will have to wait until the 2008 pursuit season.

[Domestic Goddess]

Davyyd, gorgeous pork sandwiches! love Pork too!

[kpzachary]

You might also go through Throwntown to Stuckie's, where they are famous for their fried catfish but serve up a mean t-loin.

[Davydd]

You might also go through Throwntown to Stuckie's, where they are famous for their fried catfish but serve up a mean t-loin.

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Do you mean Thorntown? I used to drive from Indianapolis to Colfax just north up a short ways from Thorntown for fried catfish but that was over 40 years ago.

[JEL]

kempton IN , just off hwy 31 north of indy 35 mi..........

the breeze inn pub.....hand breaded t-loins.....generally awesome home cooking.........

very cold beer......

[rlibkind]

I need an education: what makes a pork tenderloin sandwich different from a schnitzel (other than schnitzels are usually sauced and served as entrees, not sandwiches). I'm not talking Weiner schnitzel, obviously that's a different meat.

Is a pork tenderloin actually made from what I recognize as a pork tenderloin, which is a long, cylindrical muscle that's maybe just two or three inches in diameter and maybe a foot or more long, growing narrower at one end? Or is it another cut and just pounded (like schnitzel) and called tenderloin?

It certainly doesn't look like tenderloin from the photo. But it does look like a schnitzel. (Simply for the curious, I really like jagerschnitzel with lotsa mushrooms!)

[Davydd]

Bob,

A true breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is made from the pork tenderloin as you described. However, I am afraid the term tenderloin sandwich has taken on a broader scope in the midwest in that some restaurants use the pork loin cut and some a fritter (think pork like chicken McNuggets) and still call it a tenderloin. My web site goes into depth on making a true breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. So the word tenderloin has kind of become generic to describing a deep-fried breaded flattened pork sandwich.

The first documented pork tenderloin sandwich reference I could find comes from Nick's Kitchen in Huntington, Indiana circa 1904-1908. The menu originally called it a Schnitzel sandwich. To get a true pork tenderloin sandwich big enough to hang over a good size bun you have to cross slice a pork tenderloin about 1-1/2" to 2" thick, then butterfly cut it and then pound it flat with a meat mallet to a thickness of preferably no more than 3/8" thick so that you can deep fry in very hot oil at about 3 minutes and cook the meat through without burning the breading. In the midwest the meat is served typically on a bun with many condiments such as lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, mayo or mustard.

The three "I" states of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa are the hot beds for the BPT. From there they die out very quickly in the surrounding states. For instance Ohio has an abundance of them in the western towns near Indiana but few if any in eastern Ohio. I doubt you could find one in Pennsylvania but if you do please let me know.

[rlibkind]

Davydd, you are to pork tenderloin sandwiches in the "I" states as John is to hotdogs in New Jersey.

And I'm glad to see that Leinie's by your side when you took a break from prepping. The perfect accompaniment.

fwiw, your beloved sandwich, in addition to being a schnitzel derivative, is pretty close to the Japanese tonkatsu, though it's served on a plate, not bread.

I love breaded, fried meat! Chicken fried steak, anyone?

[Davydd]

Ah yes, chicken fried steak. Texans are mighty proud of them. When I sought out a rumored BPT at the Heights Camphouse BBQ in Houston just north of downtown in a marginal neighborhood I was first taken aback when the menu said pork burger. So I had to ask. The cook came out and described what he had.

It is sort of like a chicken fried steak only it is pork without the gristle.

I do drink a lot of Leinie's but for the tutorial I couldn't resist the Big Butt since a lot of my friends were jokingly referring to the sandwich as a hammered pig butt sandwich. It was kind of a prop just for fun.

[317indy]

You still havent had the best....

Manns Grille

(317) 241-5801

1214 S Tibbs Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46241

[Davydd]

You still havent had the best....

Manns Grille

(317) 241-5801

1214 S Tibbs Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46241

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It is all a matter of opinion and I suppose I will eventually get to Manns Grille. But I have now had over 75 different restaurant tenderloins from across the country. I hate to say it but I have found tenderloin recommendations have been like stock tips. Many do not pan out. But you never know, Manns could be a jewel of a tenderloin just waiting for me.

I just completed my Iowa tour this year and sampled Iowa's 2007 best as voted on by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. I also sampled the 2003 winner and two previous runner-ups and a fifth (on a recommendation tip) not even nominated blows them all away. More on that later.