A couple of months back I finally made it to glorious Manning to try the 2023 winner of Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin. Manning isn’t a very far drive from Boone but I kept putting it off because I was going to go with Michelle since she has some connections to the winner. Well, in actuality Craig has connections. But it seemed it was never going to happen, so I decided to go with Teresa and get this tenderloin out of the ether and into my system.
The restaurant that won is called Cliff’s Place. Here are some pictures from the trip:
Remember this place!
Mushrooms!
These tasted better than they look, but they weren’t great.
Iowa State fans!
So what is the verdict?
Cliff’s Place sells a very fine tenderloin. It is undeniably excellent! But the best in Iowa. No. But my rating system. I would not drive out of my way for it again. But if I was in the area I would definitely stop and take a tenderloin down.
One of the good things about it is that it doesn’t try to make up for a lack of flavor with tremendous size. It was a decent size. A good thickness. It had a good flavor. They used white onions, which is always a plus!
However, the real show stopper from the trip was the ice cream. The ice cream shop is owned by the same people that own Cliff’s Place and it was fantastic. All ice cream is fantastic, but this ice cream was more fantastic than most.
Cliff’s Place can be found here:
417 Main Street
Manning, Iowa
Current Hours:
Monday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Tuesday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Wednesday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Thursday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Friday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Saturday: 11 AM–1 PM, 5–9 PM
Sunday: Closed
Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve breakfast!