For the 50th Tenderloin and the Town blog, I’d figure I’d do something different. Instead of gallivanting around courthouse squares, touring old buildings, hiking to the parts unknown, and sitting down to devour Indiana’s favorite sandwich, I will say a few words about the blog, go over some history, and give you a list (everyone likes lists) of the top five of my favorite tenderloins.
Let me just say how much I enjoy visiting towns and writing this blog. It’s become a wonderful hobby. I’m not looking to make money off this or use it as a platform to go on to bigger things. The fact that people read these and give positive feedback keeps the passion alive to keep heading out and explore. I have met so many people, it is amazing how friendly they are. Everyone wants either to tell their story or hear mine.
I love to inject my personality into the writing. Peppered in each blog are references to sci-fi, Purdue, bourbon, movie quotes, family, and my unique humor. I also write this not as a formal letter, newspaper article, or novel; I write it as a blog – like I am personally talking to you and telling the story of my adventures. My sentence format and punctuation isn’t perfect, but it is readable. I could get these edited professionally or use AI, but I think that would take the personality out of the writing.
Again, without the readers and their views, comments, and likes, I don’t believe I would have spent the time to make it to 50. I like to say, “As long as they read ‘em, I’ll write ‘em.”
The History
It all started in the late 90’s when I ate my first chicken wing in college. You’re probably asking yourself, what does that have to do with starting a tenderloin blog? Well… let me continue. In 2005, as a single guy in my 20’s, I went on vacation and took a road trip to Boston. I stopped along the way and visited historical sites and museums, went to some baseball and soccer games, and ate out at some unique places. Since I was alone, I brought along this little green alien in Toy Story and put him in all the pictures that I took with my new digital camera. There was no Facebook or Instagram back then, so I gathered the e-mails of everyone I knew and wrote about my day and described my adventures – while attaching the pictures with the alien. It was a hit with family and friends. I did that for a couple more years until the social media craze took over and everyone was doing that kind of stuff.
During this time in my life, I ate a lot of chicken wings. It’s not like they are now, they were dirt cheap and, for a single guy in his 20’s, I could hop along to a different bar each night, eat dinner, and not empty his wallet. In 2014 the local newspaper, The Elkhart Truth, was starting a food edition and was looking for people to blog. I contacted them and soon my first blog entitled “Taste These Broken Wings” was in papers all around Elkhart County. After a couple years, I started running out of places with wings and the blogs were fewer and farther in-between. Eventually the paper got sold and the food sections were eliminated. I tried to continue the blog under the Facebook page, but I could never get it to take off.
We fast-forward to late 2020. COVID is finally starting to come under control and a couple of buddies and I are eating lunch every Thursday at the bowling alley near my office. Every once in a while I would order their tenderloin. Joe starts looking at me with disgust and can’t understand how I gobble up the pre-frozen sub-par sandwich. Keep in mind that I’m from northwest Indiana; they don’t have tenderloins there and I’ve only had 2 or 3 in the 18 years I had been living outside of it. Most were paper thin, per-frozen, and/or mushy. Joe tells me how, in the rest of the state, they make them fresh, with care, and are lauded by the people of the Hoosier state. He points out a couple of good places, and the next week I take a business trip to Indy and stop off in Winamac at a place called One Eyed Jacks. I was blown out of my mind on how good this sandwich was. I realized that Indiana has a hidden gem in this sandwich. When I got back, Joe and I discuss starting a blog about tenderloins; The Indiana Tenderloin Chronicles was born.
At first Joe made a couple of videos and I just went and took pictures at local places. On one unseasonably warm weekend in February, I decided to take my oldest son and venture out to Huntington, Indiana to write a little blurb about Nick’s Kitchen, which is known as the birthplace of the tenderloin. Being a drive of over an hour, I didn’t want to eat and leave, so I made sure to visit the Dan Quayle Museum, go to a video game store in an old Carnegie Library, and take a hike along the river. While there we also found a bookstore and a candy shop. On the drive home I realized that I don’t just have to write about the tenderloin, but the whole visit to the town. It would be similar to how I used to go on vacation and write to family and friends (minus the little green alien). Hence – “The Tenderloin and the Town” was started. I found a blogging format and wrote it up including pictures. After posting on Facebook and tagging the places it blew up. Hundreds of people were reading, sharing, and commenting on the blog.
Now here I am almost 4 years and 50 blogs later and the site is going strong.
The Top 5
My intent is not to be a critic. I don’t put negative reviews in the blog or on the Facebook page. If the sandwich is not good (and I have had plenty of them) I just won’t write about it. I don’t want to harm any businesses, especially mom & pop places that need to make a living. One of my favorite shows is “Diners, Drive-in’s, and Dives”. It is a positive show and Guy never has a bad thing to say about the places. He celebrates them. That is the style, and it works. It’s been on for 17 years! That is my intent with this blog. I follow some of the other tenderloin Facebook pages where regular people post pictures and give their review. I cringe when they give a bad one or give some sort of “star” ranking in a list. It just isn’t fun to read. So, I’m not going to lie to people or promote something that I don’t like, but I don’t intend to hurt business or give you something that is not fun to read.
But… everyone like lists and rankings. So I decided to give a top 5 of MY favorite tenderloins on the 49 blogs I have written. These aren’t so much the best in the state, just my personal opinion of the ones I have enjoyed the most. I’m only going to 5 too… so consider all the rest I’ve written a tie for 6th place.
#5: Greazy Pickle, Portland, IN
It’s a little Bar/Grill right in a deserted part of downtown. The tenderloin was huge, could not finish it. They were also awesome that when my son forgot his Invisalign at the table when we left, the waitress kept it for us and we picked it up the next day.
Read at
#4: Jonesy’s Junction, Akron, IN
Kind of in the middle of nowhere. A bit away from downtown Akron which isn’t much of a downtown. Absolutely perfectly cooked. It is the best traditional-style of breadcrumb coated tenderloin. You order up at the counter and take a seat until they deliver it to you.
Read at
#3: 1925 Pubhouse Grandview, Anderson, IN
The outer coating of the tenderloin was so flaky and had a buttery taste to it, one you get from eating popcorn. It is a clubhouse on a golf course. Had a fancy, old, and historic vibe. You can dress up nice and get a tenderloin at this place.
Read at
#2: One Eyed Jacks, Winamac, IN
Of course this place would end up on the list; It’s probably #1 on most. Beer battered and extra thick. High quality loin and largest I’ve seen. Not many can finish it. Another Bar/Grill in a small downtown.
Read at
#1: Shortstop Inn, Wakarusa, IN
The only negative is that they only have it on Thursdays and sometimes run out after lunch. Got that flaky buttery crust I like. It was everything that I like – thick, juicy, pure white meat. Small town out here in Elkhart County.
Read at
Well there you go. Take that as you want. The results will be looked over and debated for years to come. Now it’s time to get back out there. The only goal right now is to do a blog on the county seats of the 50 most northern counties. I’m about half done. Eventually I would like to get the southern counties covered too, but when your county boarders Michigan it’s hard to get down there. In between the seats, any small or big town that I can find a tenderloin I’ll keep my eye on. See you all again in 50 more (or 100, or 200, or 1,000?). Remember, if you keep reading ‘em, I’ll keep writing ‘em.
by Michael Tomko
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