The Tenderloin
Takin’ the day off from work to get a tenderloin. There is no better a city to do that in than Columbia City. On a beautiful 65 degree sunny day, I headed town to the seat of Whitley County to check out the hand breaded pork loin sandwich at the restaurant across from the courthouse simply called, The Square. Inside is a long dining area with a bar on the back right. People from all aspects of life were enjoying their lunches sitting at the tables or waiting for them in line for takeout. I took a seat at the bar where I ordered up the sandwich and then headed up to the salad bar to get a plate full of the green stuff (more about my healthy eating later in the article). When the BPT came out it was exactly what I was looking for. Pounded out and breaded after being butterflied, the pork overflowed the boundaries of the toasted bun. They were able to get me some buffalo wing sauce to enjoy it with I did with every bite. While not the largest or thickest piece of fried pork, the concept of quality over quantity was applied to perfection. I even saved half the loin to take home and put it into the air fryer for 5 minutes where I was able to enjoy it again the next day. Looking over their menu at the selection of steak and seafood makes you want to come back for something other than a sandwich. In fact, while writing this, I see they have a waffle bowl with chicken tenders that would make anyone drive over there for brunch when you want to get a break from eating the crispy, savory tenderloin. It’s a stop to make on any trail or road-trip.
The Town
There are a couple of inspirations that led to me wring The Tenderloin and the Town. Things like when I went on vacation back in 2005 before social media and e-mailed pictures back to everyone I knew, when I wrote a blurb in the paper in Elkhart about visiting restaurants around town and sampling chicken wings (aptly called Taste These Broken Wings), and watching travel and food shows with guys like Guy Fieri, Anthony Bourdain, and Phil Rosenthal. One other inspiration is from 2016 when I stopped off in Columbia City and visited former Vice President Thomas Marshall’s home. I have a habit of visiting presidential birthplaces, homes, libraries, and graves. When I found out that a Vice President had lived just a few counties away, I burned though a biography and headed down to tour the home. I was entranced by Columbia City as I walked around the courthouse square and saw all the little shops lining main street. It was such a pleasant place to visit, and it inspired me to start take the long route and drive through other small town main streets to get a scenic view of Indiana’s history. I’ve written about Thomas Marshall before in the North Manchester blog when I visited his birthplace. I believe the article headlined with an off-shoot of Marshall’s famous line and said something like “What this county needs is real good 5 cent tenderloin.” The Whitley County Historical Museum is located next to and inside the Marshall home. You can tour some of the county exhibits like the former Major League Baseball players that used to reside in Whitley County or view artifacts from the Native Americans that resided in the county before them. The first floor of the Marshall House is mostly dedicated to the former VP where you can view his personal items and learn more on his contribution to America. Lust like the old house in Lawrenceburg I visited a few blogs ago, you can also see artwork made from real human hair. Most interesting is a small display in the kitchen where they have a cup that came over to North America on the Mayflower next to a pocket watch that was smuggled from a P.O.W. to give back to his family back home. It is a passionate display of everyday items that have come into our country that become more special with the story behind it rather than their intended use. Upstairs you can view items from the Marshall’s bedrooms as well as more displays from famous people that have lived in the County. The curators there have been extra friendly and welcoming on both my visits and it continues to be a great museum to visit whether you are a Whitley County resident or just passing through.
This is my first visit to a town for a tenderloin since I had gallbladder surgery about a month ago. I’m doing great now and I won’t go into the details, but I have changed my diet and have been eating healthier (don’t worry, I won’t switch to grilled tenderloin or anything like that, I can still eat the good stuff, just sparingly and in smaller portions). I have visited many ice cream places over these town visits, but when I saw an ice crème place on Van Buren St called Moo-over I was going to skip over it. That is, until I saw that it was dairy-free and plant-based. Now… those words and phrases usually have the effect of turning people away, but in my situation, it did the opposite and had me walking through the door to see what flavors they offered. I got myself a scoop of a type called Dirty Monkey. It was banana and bourbon flavored from a cashew base and had actual cashews in it. How did this plant-based dairy-free ice cream taste? Wonderful! It was cold, sweet, and flavorful. It is even served in a small flower-pot with a small shovel as a spoon. The once difference from dairy ice cream that I noticed was it wasn’t as creamy. It was a bit stiffer and almost had a crumble effect – but there are other ice cold desserts that have various textures anyway and the differences are not that important. Think of the different textures of gelato, custard, sherbet, and shaved ice, it doesn’t really matter as long as it tastes good – which this plant-based ice crème does. It also did not make my tummy hurt! No longer should anyone avoid an ice cream-type place just because it is dairy-free; you have my guarantee that it is just as good as the traditional stuff (and it’s actually better for you and the environment too).
While driving along the streets of CC, a church caught the corner of me eye. At first it may seem like your typical 1890’s church in the middle of a county seat. But, with closer inspection, this grand ole sanctuary is not a place of worship anymore. It has been transformed into a shopping center called, fittingly, The Shops at the Sanctuary. Walking in you gaze upon the main congregation area with the altar up front, but instead of pews, you have tables with furnishing and décor from local vendors. All lighted up by the stained glass windows, it still retains the spiritual feeling as meander through the aisles. Downstairs you have your traditional antique store with the ability to reclaim items once cherished by others. There is even a cafe in the basement where you can get a quick lunch or a cup of coffee. Whether you are looking for shopping for something unique or just want to gaze around an 130 year old building, a stop at the Shops at the Sanctuary is a must see.
The first place I stopped when I got into The City was to get a cup of coffee at the Brew’ha. The café is like nothing I’ve seen before. You take all of your old furniture, decorations, posters, appliances, or whatever and put them all in a comfortable setting. It all kind of just works together and sets up the vibe of the part antique store, part your single uncle’s basement, part underground nightclub in the 70’s. Oh - and the coffee, too, was excellent. I had the Hawaiian spiced flavored brew. I was a perfect start to the day and a great introduction to the City of Columbia.
For the outdoor portion of this town visit, I decided to go on what I call – An Urban Hike. I wouldn’t consider Columbia City “urban”, nor was the hike just walking on sidewalks by commercial buildings. It is just a hike set up on a trail through town, rather than a secluded nature reserve or reclaimed park outside of civilization. I started the 4 ½ mile there-and-back Blue River trail at the old fire station just south of downtown. It winds next to the blue river all the way to a pond north of town. It started out pretty secluded with just the river at one side and woods (maybe a few houses here and there) on the other. You then come up upon some industrial parks until you hit the YMCA and cross Van Buren St. The second portion runs through Morsches Park where you can check out playgrounds, ball fields, and a splash zone. The end of the trail winds around the pond and you can head back. There were many friendly people on the trail biking, skateboarding, rollerblading, and, like me, just walking. There are a good variety of different locations so that if you are one that can get bored hiking and seeing only trees and grass the whole time, this would be perfect for you. There were also many accesses to neighborhoods, so it would be ideal for residents to get some exercise and fresh air without having to get in their car.
Many years after visiting the first time, Columbia City still remains my typical vision of an old historical small town that has much to see and do that is apart from all of the more modern playgrounds surrounding expressways and large cities. You can get some history in with an important figure in American history, shop and eat in some unique places, find healthier options to feel more energetic and live longer, and get that breaded fried tenderloin that we all crave and deserve once in a while.
This is what this country really needs
by Michael Tomko
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