East Main Diner

After an unaccountable hiatus, the Tenderloin Tour rides again! A beautiful October day took us out and about in our own backyard and led us to the East Main Diner in Petersburg, Indiana. It's a nice little spot along the highway; the interior is "good diner", i.e. red gingham curtains, spotless tables, little clutter. Happily both breaded tenderloins and onion rings were for the having along with a waitress who easily understood the concept of "half and half" iced tea (1/2 sweet and 1/2 unsweet=just right).
My plate arrived overflowing with tenderloin and onion rings...overflowing might possibly be an understatement. The sandwich was good;  tender meat, delicate flavor (not too strong); very light breading; onion, lettuce, tomato, pickle...added a little salt and ketchup=better yet. A fair $4.95.
The onion rings held center stage...they pretty much got rated for aesthetic value more so even than taste. The color was fantastic. $2.00 for a bazillion of them...a bazillion.
I ended up with two meals' worth from my lunch...always a pleasure to know it can be reheated and re-enjoyed yet again. A to-go cup with more 1/2 and 1/2 tea, and the East Main Diner gets a seal of approval from the Tenderloin Tour '11! Give them a try. Good to keep local businesses afloat.

Back to Mom's Kitchen

The other day I was at my mom's house helping her with some heavy lifting-type cleaning. We stopped for lunch and she, knowing my fondness of a good tenderloin, fixed me one of the best I've had to date. That's my mom for ya.


What makes hers so special (other than the mere fact that it's my mom's)? I think it's that she pretty well beats the tar out of the tenderloins until they are paper-thin. She tenderizes and then tenderizes again until not one iota of gristle should dare exist. A little salt, an egg dip, and then the coating.


The secret coating? Cracker crumbs...just that. However, once again, the pulverizing of the cracker crumbs to practically cracker dust make the finished product fantastic. She fries them in the hottest oil she dares. And there they turn to a beautiful shade of doneness and crunch. Perfection.


She'll very soon be 84 and she cooks like someone 1/3 her age. I aspire to follow her lead every day.


Sorry, tenderloin tour contestants...I have my winner, hands down. I will do the decent thing, though...I'll put my mom's tenderloin sandwich in a class all its own...


It only seems fair. 

oh, yeah...

Old Thyme Diner

We took a little spin over to Vincennes, Indiana, today to the Old Thyme Diner on Main Street. This is a cool old place that is open most every day from around 7:30-lunch time (except on Saturday when they close at 10:30 am). They're also open late on Friday evening. 


My goal was to sample the breaded tenderloin and I certainly wasn't let down.  Just look at the sheer size of this tenderloin in comparison to the bun!

 It was lightly breaded and met all my expectations with that first bite...it had been beaten to the point of being gristle-free...hooray! It was so huge that Tom got a pretty good sample, too, and agreed that it had everything right in a tenderloin. It was thin, moist, and tender, with a breading that was crunchy without being hard. Kudos to the cook. We also sampled the onion rings, of course...excellent. Just like a good onion ring should be. Whole slices of onion, thin coating of batter to make them crunchy and done through and through. Pretty brown color. Right on target.


I had been in the occasional FB posting chat with a person there; I had an idea that it was the cook. It was. Nice guy. Knows his tenderloins. He's also smart; "like" Old Thyme Diner on FB and you'll get the specials of the day--everyday. Got a question or comment? Type it in...he'll answer it. He's using social media wisely in a place to bring in a whole new set of diner-lovers. The nice lady that took our order had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the diner being on FB. That's the usual response from about 99% of places we all visit. But this guy...he's got it figured out. Good on him! It makes it extra fun when you can meet the person that you've been chatting with about tenderloins (in my case) or whatever it is that you find yourself interested in. 


Yep...the Old Thyme Diner is old and has the great look of an old diner. It's the kind of place you hope never gets a face-life. Yet, thanks to a smart guy in the back cooking up a bunch of good food, it's a great place to come as a social media experience, too. 


Be sure and stop in when you find yourself on Main Street in Vincennes. 

Cafe Pizzaria in Bloomington

I know...a tenderloin tour '11 candidate at one of the best pizza joints in Bloomington...crazy. However, when we walked into Cafe Pizzaria on Kirkwood Avenue, we spotted the "tenderloin special" sign...that hooked me. The pizza would have to wait. 
It was excellent.  It had that first elemental necessity of a good tenderloin--it had been beaten to a pulp. If that gristle remains...deal breaker. This one was free of gristle. Hooray! Add to this a nice, light yet crispy coating that was browned just right. Top it off with moist pork when biting through that crispy coating and we were there! As an added bonus, after asking the waiter to load the tenderloin "within an inch of its life", the condiments arrived and were nice, fresh, and cold. Oh, and did I mention that the tenderloin was nicely salted? That makes all the difference.  All in all...a sure winner. 
I couldn't check on the onion rings since, as far as I know, they aren't on the menu at the Cafe Pizzaria. No matter...the tenderloin was enough enjoyment for this trip.

Tenderloin Tour '11: Stop Three--AJ's River Side Grill

We had been told by more than one person that we should definitely put AJ's River Side Grill on our tenderloin tour list. So, this evening after a little jaunt on the Harley, we decided to give it a try.

We weren't alone. Apparently people depend on this little barn as the take-out spot in town. While we were waiting on our food, several people drove up and picked up orders.
I ordered my usual--a loaded tenderloin and an order of onion rings. The first thing I noticed was something I'd never seen on any other tenderloin that's been a part of the tour--visible salt on the tenderloin. Hooray!! I can cut down on salt in other avenues of life, but NOT on tenderloin. And lo and behold, it was seasoned just right. The onion, tomato, and lettuce was fresh. The breading was GREAT.
The onion rings were excellent as well. They were nice and crisp without being hard. The color was good; the onion slices were whole, not chopped pieces.

There are two picnic tables outside the little barn; they don't have drinks at the grill, but the liquor store next door has several different soft drink machines.
AJ's is located on the outside of Winslow between the bridge and the railroad tracks; it's a little place, and somewhat easy to miss is you're not looking for it. Be sure TO look for it...it's well worth the search.

Tenderloin Tour '11 Stop Two: Guppy's in Vincennes, Indiana

My usual partner in crime wasn't with me for this Tenderloin Tour; my photography buddy, Amy, was a good scout and enthusiastically joined me on this tour stop.


We found ourselves in Vincennes, Indiana, taking pictures of the buildings and sites on Main Street (the oldest Main Street in the state, by the way).  All this snapping away leads to an appetite, and we ended up getting out of the heat by dropping by Guppy's at 15 South 4th Street. Looked to me like a fine place for a breaded tenderloin and an order of onion rings. The waitress was most helpful in making sure we were getting what we needed for our research; a breaded tenderloin--loaded, of course--and an order of onion rings. With a heat index hitting 101 degrees about that time, the ice-cold Shocktop helped immensely.


The tenderloin was done very nicely--the breading was a thin coating, but not too thin. It had that good quality of edging that got almost crispy/crunchy without being hard. The only thing that it needed was another helping of salt; I'm a salt person, so I don't disregard the quality of a tenderloin if that's its only short-coming. If it were salted to the degree I found great, it might choke a normal person. The condiments were fresh and cold--tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle. Mayo came on the sandwich as well and I added a bit of ketchup to make the masterpiece complete.

The onion rings were good as well; a pretty color and crunchy without being hard. The batter did seem a bit heavy, however, and the lack of salt they received while just coming out the of grease was apparent. Nevertheless, a nice pairing with the sandwich.

Guppy's is a nice spot to drop in; I'm guessing it gets going pretty well come evening. Definitely a spot for a return trip with my Harley companion for his take on it.  Give it a try--you'll not be let down.

Tenderloin Tour '11: Stop One--Ann’s Restaurant in Franklin, Indiana

Our first stop of the tour '11 was on a very chilly and rainy day, so no Harley ride. Miss Priss was our mode of transportation for the trip. We found ourselves in Franklin, Indiana, on a little side trip to see my aunt. After our visit, we were both hungry and had our minds on what else…tenderloin and onion rings. (Tenderloin and onion rings were last year's chosen foods and we do, after all, keep our research pure.)

We ended up at a neat little spot on Monroe Street, just off of the square. Ann’s Restaurant (www.annsrestaurant.com), serving the good folks of Franklin since 1952, was our research stop for the day. The restaurant is usually closed at 2 on Saturdays, but we lucked out and they were open until 3:00. We were told by our server, however, that if we were in need of a burger or gravy, that we were out of luck. Whew…tenderloins and onion rings were still available.

The size of the place has been expanded from the original 13 seats to seating for 100 now. It’s easy to see that it caters to the nearby Franklin College crowd with free wifi and, on the menu, such items as sausage burgers (1/2 hamburger and ½ sausage),  and breakfast served all day. Who couldn’t love that?

As we took in the people watching aspect (always a must) while waiting on our food, the cook came out and asked if we wanted our tenderloin cut in half and assured us it was almost ready. Nice touch..always welcomed.

When the tenderloin and onion rings arrived, the sandwich was fried to a nice dark golden shade. It was “loaded” as ordered with pickle, onion, mayo, and lettuce. There was one tiny slice of tomato, but it had that “not a good time to order a tomato in Indiana” look to it. The rest of the condiments were very fresh. The taste of the pork was rich and just like a tenderloin should taste—lightly crunchy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. They did the pig proud. 


The onion rings were okay, but didn’t have the equally good taste of the tenderloin. As they cooled, however, more of the good onion flavor came out. They did have that good thin coating and there was a complete onion slice inside; none of that minced stuff.

The waitress was attentive without being bothersome—always a plus. She also put that crowning touch on the event by offering a “to go” glass of iced tea without us needed to request it—score!

All in all, Ann’s Restaurant is a place to stop when in Franklin. It’s extremely clean, friendly, and has good and reasonably priced food ($10.78 for lots of good tea for two and a loaded breaded tenderloin and order of onion rings). A hometown restaurant/diner with the atmosphere as it should be.

The rating: Tenderloin—4 of 5

            Onion rings—3 of 5

            Restaurant—4.5 of 5 (would've received a 5, but the         
                       wifi wasn't working)