The Tenderloin:
The neighborhood tavern is a lost art of American life. Growing up in the corner of Indiana, the old part of town had a bar at the end of what seemed almost every block. Nestled into the architecture of the houses, it seemed you couldn't find it unless you were looking for it. The regulars lived near by and would meet up after work for a couple beers. You could even catch a Sunday buffet after church if the place had a full fledged restaurant. With suburban sprawl and subdivisions, the neighborhood tavern got left behind.
Auburn's Town Tavern is one of those places. Located in the neighborhood next to the old industrial part of town that employed all the workers from the car manufacturers, you could envision the midnight workers getting off work, walking in, and enjoying some eggs and a beer at 7:00 in the morning. But, could they envision the size of the tenderloin served here 90 years later that just might be the biggest in Indiana north of the capital? I don't know, but I was glad to see it placed in front of me at lunchtime. This slab was so large the fries had to be placed under the loin. It didn't skimp on the thickness of the meat either. While the edges were thin, you get a nice deep cross-section in the middle. It had a thick breading too, not as thick as a beer batter, but not a layer of crumbs either. It crisped up nicely around the edges adding another dimension to it. There is a reason I bring a stocked cooler in my car on these trips; half the tenderloin got to go home with me for lunch the next day.
The Town:
I've crossed paths with Auburn a couple times over the years. I had a couple of job interviews after college in the area around 20 years ago (has it really been that long?). Ten years ago I bowled in a tournament at the local alley. This visit I want to see what is probably the biggest attraction in the town (apart from the Town Tavern's tenderloin) - the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum
If you like old cars, this is an awesome place to visit. If you don't like old cars, this is an awesome place to visit. Auburn was a hub of car manufacturing at the beginning of the 20th century. This former showroom highlights the cars produced from the companies of Auburn, Cord, and Duesenburg motor companies. It's basically a museum with a bunch of old cars. And by a bunch, I mean hundreds of cars scattered around this building. You can literally see the evolution of the automobile from the horse drawn carriage, to the cars that look like a carriage with the driver and motor where the horse was, up to the modern placement we still have today. As my son said, "The trunk actually looks like a trunk." It's hard to look at these and not want to jump in one to cruise around the courthouse downtown.
Behind the ACD is the National Auto & Truck Museum. While the ACD focuses on specific dealerships and a specific time, this museum features cars and truck of all brands across a longer length of time. You'll find cars, trucks, RV's, airstreams, and even a plane. It's neat to go into the old basement and see the trucks. The mannequins scattered around scared my son a couple times. I'll admit, I'm not a big connoisseur of vintage vehicles, but I was pretty excited to see a De Lorean and a General Lee.
We took a short hike around the courthouse square in Auburn. The commercial sector is scattered with boutique shops and eateries. As game time was approaching we ducked into Mad Anthony's to watch Purdue vs Indiana play basketball. Mad Anthony's is a regional chain restaurant based in Ft Wayne. They usually buy up an old building in the downtown of medium sized Indiana towns and set up shop. The server was kind enough to get us a table by the TV and I was able to fill up my growler with their home brew. After that extra large tenderloin we weren't too hungry, but ordered up some cheese curds anyway. They were so good here that it makes me want to write a cheese curd blog too, but this is Indiana not Wisconsin.
For the outdoor activity, we went frisbee golfing at Eckhart Park. It is a short 9 hole course on the south side of town. It is well marked and is perfect for beginners and kids. There is a creek that runs through the course, so it adds a bit of risk of loosing a disk, but also creates some uniqueness and adds to the beauty of the park. You can find a skate park and the old Auburn High School Football field on the grounds too.
Auburn is a cool little town. Most people will visit for the car museums, but I have found it keep popping up in random activities in Indiana life. Although short and few and far between, I have always enjoyed my visits to the "Home of the Classics". It's worth a visit whether planned or it you just want to stretch your legs while traveling on I-69 to get the biggest darn tenderloin you've ever seen.
Great Scott! Someone painted the time machine red!
by Michael Tomko
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