The Tenderloin and the Town: Bedford, IN
- mikegtomko
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Bedford, the limestone capitol of the world, sits right south of the “other” college town in southwest Indiana. Most of us have seen a little bit of Bedford, whether it be the Empire State Building, The Pentagon, or even the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in our own state capital of Indy. So what is there to do in the city of Bedford? It turns out a lot of places are closed on a Monday, but I still was able to find a few places to hang out at and, also, encountered one of the best tenderloins in the state.
The Tenderloin
The sign at the front of Mamma’s & Pappa’s has two completely different fonts for each name. The yellow block letters on each individual red background square of “MAMMAS” sits on top of the red cursive “Pappa’s” white message sign. Well… that’s because they used to be two different restaurants that have combined into one back in 2019. In fact, the owners of each are a married couple that decided to wed their professional situations 30 years after wedding their personal ones. Now there is a large menu encompassing the specialties of both places including the tenderloin from Papa’s. The tenderloin was so good that if Mamma’s and Pappa’s were to split up, there would be a huge custody battle over that sandwich. Pappa’s would probably end up with the tenderloin every other weekend and a month in the summer. This loin was large, the breading crispy, and there was no chewy fat found throughout the whole sandwich. This was prepared absolutely perfect. The seasoning was good enough to eat plain, but they gave me some buffalo sauce for some extra flavor. I saved half of it for breakfast the next morning and heated it up in the microwave in the Airbnb – it was just as good. It’s my first foray into southwest Indiana for a tenderloin, and Mamma’s and Pappa’s has not only impressed me, but excited me to see what other tenderloins lie beyond in that corner.
The Town
I started the morning getting some coffee at Hoover’s Candy Shop. It started off in downtown Bedford as a candy and soda shop. Over the years it changed owners many times and was eventually located to its present location near Washington Ave. Now it is owned by a mother-daughter duo that started making candy in their house during the COVID years. There is a whole mural on the wall inside the café outlining the history that you can read while waiting for them to prepare your order. I picked up a cinnamon roll latte and some bacon and cheese egg bites that satisfied the morning food and caffeine craving. Cabinets filled of homemade confectionaries line the area with all kinds of good stuff to bring home during the rest of the day.
A “suburb” north of Bedford is named Oolitic. There are a lot of unique named towns in Indiana, and I’m sure this one is near the top of everyone’s list. Like Bedford, tt is also known for its limestone and has a statue made from it of Joe Palooka… So who is Joe Palooka and why are you reading about it now? Ask a Gen Alpha kid who Popeye is… They may get that same blank look on their face you have after reading that last sentence (or say something about chicken). Ask a 15 year old in 50 years if they know who Rick and Morty is? Joe Palooka is a boxing comic strip character that started in newspapers in the 1930’s. He was featured on board games, cereal boxes, and even had movies made about him. The strip ended in the 80’s and the character has faded into relative obscurity… except for in Oolitic… that for whatever reason has a limestone statue of him next to the town hall.
Applacres is an orchard and produce store just south of the city. You can buy various species of apples and apple related accessories. Jellies and preserves line the shelves, mostly apple flavored, but you can find other fruits too. Candy and caramel apples are in the display cases for purchase and a cherry apple cider slushy machine in the back can give you a smooth refreshment. I walked out of there with a half sack of apples, a jar of cinnamon apple jelly, some locally roasted coffee beans, and, of course, one of those slushies.
On the east side of town, near the band shell featured in the cover picture, is a Jiffy Treet ice cream stand. They have homemade ice cream as well as all of the usual drive-in snacks. I picked out a cake batter flavored 1 scoop cup and hung outside under their porch to enjoy this treat. The original location is up in that un-named college town to the north, but the residents can enjoy the flavors down in Bedford.
I’m no Batman or anything, but I’d like to claim I’ve seen my fair share of caves. I have experienced Christmas light hikes, waterfall trails, and stalactite’s-a-many, but I have never enjoyed a cave tour so much as the one in Bluesprings Cavern Park. This one has a river running through it and the only way to explore is by boat. This isn’t a quick in and out cave like the one I went to in Kentucky either, it is almost a mile long and takes an hour to go there and back. There is no artificial lighting installed either, so the only way to see is the boat lights and flashlight of the tour guide. One of the best parts is when you get to the deepest part of the river and the guide turns off all the lights and you get complete blindness and silence… so peaceful. It is also cool down there, so it is a nice spot to escape the heat on a warm day. The guide will give you a lot of history of the cave as well as some of the Geology of its formation. If you want to get all wet and dirty, there is a kayak route that is offered a few months a year too. It is definitely a place to check out whether it’s your first cave or you are a master spelunker.
Bedford was a nice place to visit. A majority of stores were closed on the Monday I went, but I could always look forward to checking them out in any future visit to The Limestone Capital of the World – and if they have more tenderloins like the one at Mamma’s & Pappa’s you could add Tenderloin Capital to the moniker also.
by Michael Tomko
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