Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Good eats

Last Friday, Sgt. Don Scheinost sent his “executive intern”, Bret Guderian, down to my office. He’s about to set off on a long drive with his Dad across the State of Iowa. “I’m supposed to ask you about the pork tenderloin,” he said. That was it. For the next 10 minutes I blathered on about the fineries of the most delectable sandwich extant, the Iowa jumbo pork tenderloin.

I glanced around the office for a visual aid, and finally grabbed the mouse pad. “It should be about this size and thickness,” I explained, “and don’t worry if you can hardly find any pork, it’s all about the breading.” I gave him the low-down on the appropriate summer condiments: mayo, leaf of lettuce, slice of dead-ripe tomato, and plenty of salt. If tomatoes aren’t in season, you can go with mustard, pickles, onion, and plenty of salt.

The debate over the best pork tenderloin in Iowa rages more intensely at the Keokuk Street Fair than the topic of Cubs or Cardinals. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how McDonald’s manages to do business in a State where every almost dot on the map seems to have a home-owned joint with a delectable pork tenderloin sandwich. You can hardly go wrong, but my personal pick would be the Double R Dairy Bar in Centerville. It’s programmed into my Garmin—not so I can find it, but so I can call ahead when I am 11 minutes out.

“Oh, and a chocolate malt, please.”


20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like those eateries where they haven't been caught up in low-cal and low-fat insanity. Calorie-dense foods are the most efficient way to eat, and if you have common sense, you know when to stop eating so you never get fat (or maybe that's the endurance athlete talking).

Anonymous said...

Hey! A new source of revenue for the police dept. Paid advertising on the Chief's Corner!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a heart attack wedged in between two buns.

Steve said...

It's about time one of your posts had a little meat to it!

Anonymous said...

Chief-

Thought you might like this link since you seem to like the tech stuff.

http://wikileaks.org/leak/us-voip-les-2008.pdf

Anonymous said...

Chief,

I'd like to see a blog on your thoughts on Chris Parent of the Bellevue police who was fired for being overweight, but won a battle to get reinstated. I saw him on an interview last night and he was quite obese and I am not sure how effective of an officer he could be on street duty. Would love to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Nyfty said...

Chief, now another culinary quest!!! I've spent years searching for the best Prime Rib, only Nebraska restaurants need apply. The best brisket, only Texas BBQ joints need apply. And the best pork chop sandwich, only Tennessee eateries need apply. Now this! What's next?

Anonymous said...

Chief,

Saw the story on LJS about the stimulus money paying for 4 officers in Lincoln. Does that mean 4 additional officers on the street or does that pay for 4 current officers?

Anonymous said...

You're right-on regarding "it's all about the breading", but I prefer some pork in there too! You've gotta try one from Tina's, on South Street just west of 9th. Another one of those mom & pop hole-in-the-walls with great food!

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:37-

Great idea, maybe they should use the cruisers as mobile billboards too.

Anonymous said...

Now, of coursee, I'm sure you pull off the road to make that call, right?

Tom Casady said...

12:31-

The lovely Tonja rides shotgun, and handles phone duties. Her new car has bluetooth. She can never finish the jumbo tenderloin, but I'm a helpful husband.

Anonymous said...

Chief,

A Centerville question: How is that little 9-hole par 36 course at the ACC? Have you played it?

Tom Casady said...

10:57 AM

Sorry, but I'm not willing to allow your post, since it mentions a specific individual.

Tom Casady said...

6:16-

Haven't tried it. I love small town 9 hole courses, some of which are just outstanding. In this neighborhood, you can't beat Thornbridge in Milford, where the risk-reward ninth hole is my favorite. In Iowa, the Keokuk Country Club has got to be one of the top 9 hole layouts anywhere. The view of the Mississippi from the first tee is a knock out. Back in the day, you stopped at Lakeview in Lexington on a weekday, deposited your $3 in an envelope placed in the mailbox, and played all day from the two set of tees to 9 greens!

Steve said...

Ever play Thunder Ridge way back when with its sand greens?

Tom Casady said...

Steve-

Thunder Ridge...let's see, 70th Street south of Pioneers on the west side, as I recall. Or was it 84th? Never played it that I can remember.

Played the sand greens at Park Valley, though, many times. We lived at 5611 Vine, so Park Valley was just a couple blocks away. After the course closed, we continued to play the remaining holes for a season or two until the apartments were planted. I think one hole was still playable for quite a while after the construction.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Surprising, my wife and I drove through Iowa back in march, and I was really surprised at the large number of "Ma & Pa" places that have vanished. Talk about "blighted"!

Anonymous said...

There's a pretty good 9-hole par 36 in Friend too, which is yet another place with more Officers per 1,000 citizens than Lincoln, last time I checked. Two full-timers (each with their own cruiser, I believe) for a town of ~1,100, and one part-timer. It's worth a trip there for a photo standing next to the unbelievably tiny cop shop. Anyway, the course is about 1/4 of the town's entire area, and it's only about an hour from Lincoln. It's an interesting little town, with a surprisingly well-equipped hospital.

Anonymous said...

Iv'e always enjoyed a good pork tenderloin sandwich. I didn't know it's an Iowa thing but recently found it must be true. On a trip to Okoboji we stopped for a bite while going through Dunlap. I had a great P.T. sandwich at Dairy Sweet. It certainly met your aforementioned criteria!