I’ve been to Monticello (Mont-a-chello) before. The home of our third president, Thomas Jefferson, Italian for little mountain, was a destination on a vacation a decade back. I even attended the special tour where got to hang out in the 3rd story dome. Historic place to visit, but there was one thing the house in Virginia didn’t have – a great tenderloin. For that, you will have to travel to Monticello (Mont-i-sello) in Indiana. It is located on the Wabash River between a couple of dammed lakes, Lake Freeman and Lake Shafer. It also is near the roller-coaster park, Indiana Beach. You may notice it is March when I am writing this… Indiana Beach is closed in March. This is done by design as I would probably spend most my time in the park and never be able to drag myself, nor my sons, away to check out the other places the city has to offer. So, here is an article about Monticello, Indiana – without reviewing Indiana Beach. If I get too many angry letters lambasting me for missing out on the amusement resort… well… I’ll just have to come back in the summer and bore you about how many roller coasters I went on.
The Tenderloin
I had some readers suggest to me over the last couple of years to go to The Oak & Barrel on the north side of town. This farm to table restaurant offers a wide selection of steakhouse favorites. From ribeyes, filets, wagyu burgers, prime rib sandwiches, meatloaf, salmon, and schnitzels, you may be dazzled by the high quality selections for your dinner. Of course, that is, if you can pass up ordering their Hoosier Pork Tenderloin. It is a giant specimen of Indiana’s finest piece of pork. You could probably fit 5 or 6 buns to cover this sandwich. But it’s not until you sink your teeth into the loin until you realize what a special pleasure it is to sit at The Oak & Barrel table for a meal. The breading is lightly beer breaded (like a schnitzel) and has the perfect amount of spice – not plain, but not over-salty either. The meat melts in your mouth as it has been prepared fresh from pork that was hand picked locally for this restaurant. I got the hot honey as a side sauce that was perfect for either pouring or dipping. It gave it a sweet bite with a small kick to complement the fried savoriness of the tenderloin. You can tell the people take pride in their food here. The owner even came out and talked with me about the restaurant and his time cooking in Germany to learn how to apply the techniques of making the schnitzel to preparing the best version of the tenderloin. Another interesting fact – I only ate half of it. I put the other half in the air fryer a couple nights later and it tasted just as good. It shows that when you use fresh ingredients, it can still have prime flavor even after sitting in the fridge a couple days.
The Town
Camelot Coffee offers some medieval potions named after the stars of The Once and Future King. You can grab a King Arthur (chocolate and toasted marshmallow), a Lady Guinevere (Vanilla and Caramel), or as I got, the secret blend of flavors known as the Sir Galahad which is sometimes known as the ButterBeer (can confirm that butterscotch is one of the secret flavors). These flavors can also be served in a hot chocolate or any other kind of extra caffeinated drink. The coffee shop once stood by the Indiana Beach Theme Park, but now it sits on Main St downtown. It actually combined with another formal staple at the park, The Taco Shoppe, and offers the original Taco Shoppe tacos every Saturday. It was said the line is usually out the door, I will have to make it out there next time and try when in Monticello on a weekend. On this Sunday morning, we had some fresh donuts with our potions… way better than what the fast food places offer.
Although the Peacock Theater in Main Street has been around since the 1930’s, its appearance is quite different from theaters still around from that time. The façade was damaged by the tornado in 1974, but the actual seating area had remained and was renovated. Today, in absence of the cantilevered marquee with flashing lights and exterior ticket booth, you have a one-story modernized brick storefront with an exterior hall that leads to the movie house in the back. Except for stand-alone sign that says “Peacock Theater” on the sidewalk, you may not even know there was a theater there. Last year the movie house was updated again, taking away the separator that yielded 2 screens and restoring the original single screen. You have old features like the tin ceiling and the pipe organs on display at the sides from a local manufacturer. But the seats are new and comfortable and the screen is digital. We watched “The Unbreakable Boy” which tells the story of a family coping with two little boys, one with autism and brittle bone disease. It’s not really the typical movie my son (who is 14) and I would see in a theater, but we both enjoyed the film immensely. I would highly recommend it, especially if you have raised young children. Of course, the historic ambiance and modern comfort of The Peacock Theater also added to the fun of a matinee.
You want to eat at a place that’s been around 100 years where you can pull your boat up to the dock and dine with panoramic views of the lake inside and out where local celebrities and gangsters used to frequent – well… The Sportsman Inn is for you then. Saved from demolition 20 years ago, Monticello is lucky to have such a historic place to hang out at. The previously connected Inn is gone, and Al Capone’s women no longer populate the 3rd floor waiting for “dates”, but you can still dine in luxury like the politicians of yore. Seated at a table with a white tablecloth in front of the windows we ordered up a new appetizer the Inn was offering, Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites. Out came shaved ham over fried chicken pieces and topped with a cheese sauce. I had never seen this presented this way, but I would order them over and over again. Outdoor seating would be ideal in warmer weather and they have a couple of banquet rooms on the 2nd floor for your larger parties. It is a piece of history the city is lucky to still have around and open to the public.
Some ice cream sounded good during our visit, so we walked into An Udder Sensation right on Main St downtown. Not only do you have a fine selection of cold flavors and toppings, there is a plethora of games to play while you hang out and finish your treat. After schooling my son in a game of Battleship, we went over to a giant Connect 4 game. He had me the first one, but I was able to come back to win the next two out of three. There is a coffee shop too connected to the back that is open in the mornings.
When I said at the beginning that I wasn’t going to go to Indiana Beach, it was more that I wouldn’t go inside Indiana Beach. We did stay the night right across the street at Alexander’s Resort on the peninsula. Outside our windows in the room were views of roller coasters and lake houses. I didn’t go all Clark Griswald at WallyWorld and wander inside the park making the security guards take us on the rides or anything like that. It was oddly peaceful hanging out in silence where so much commotion would occur in a few months. Unlike most hotels, Alexander’s had a large patio on the lake to hang out at. Below was a dock where you could use the paddleboats (of course we didn’t utilize either since we had the freezing March Indiana temperatures). There were dozens of resorts just like it near the park and it would be a good place to stay in the warmer weeks when it opens up.
I want to talk about that tornado that hit downtown Monticello in 1974. In Indiana we are all accustomed to tornados. Most of the time they hit some farmhouse or, even more rarely, a residential neighborhood. But I haven’t heard of any other city in Indiana to have one hit and destroy significant parts of the downtown area. This thing destroyed blocks of historical residential and commercial buildings, churches, even the old courthouse. Eight people lost their lives that day and their memory is honored in the Tornado Memorial Park. Anchoring the memorial is the water fountain that once stood on the 1880’s style courthouse. There is also a clock representing the date and time of the tragedy. It is a fitting memorial to all that was lost that day and a reminder on how precious our communities in Indiana are to all of us Hoosiers.
It was nice to hang out in Monticello for a day, especially when the tourists are away and I can get easy access to the delights the town has to offer. And wouldn’t you know it, I found Monticello in Monticello. There is a bank that is almost a replica of the house of the 3rd president. But, the one thing I can attest to is that the Monticello in Virginia does not have a great tenderloin like the Monticello in Indiana.
The bank in Monticello and the Monticello in Virgnia
by Michael Tomko
find The Indiana Tenderloin Chronicles on Facebook at
Comentários