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.