Category Archives: Tenderloining

Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Food Truckin’: North Grand Mall Field Work

June 11, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A couple Fridays back I actually got to leave work early on a Friday. Due to our staffing levels, that has been a pretty rare phenomenon. Frequently if I take off early when working from home, I will celebrate by driving over to Jefferson and hitting A&W. I enjoy the simple things in life. Don’t judge. Or do. I’ll sleep the same either way.

Since I’ve been working exclusively from the Computer Mine the last several weeks, Jefferson felt a touch too far. Instead, I decided to celebrate getting set free early by hitting a food truck. As luck would have it, the food truck On the Hook was selling their whares in the North Grand Mall parking lot.

As the whistle blew, setting me free from my wage slave shackles for a few days, I bid a fond adieu to my fellow miners and headed up north.

On the Hook is a food truck that specializes in fish and chips. From their website (onthehookfishanchips.com):

On the Hook specializes in line-caught wild Alaskan cod fish and chips. We begin with the highest quality cod sourced from the cold clean waters of Alaska. This, however, is not just any Alaskan cod. Our cod is caught using hook and line, brought aboard individually, and immediately headed, gutted, and flash-frozen. This ensures a perfectly preserved fresh-caught quality and tenderness. We hand-coat our cod with our home-made beer batter, created by our founders over months of experimenting. To top it off, our founders also created signature dipping sauces for each meal to create the perfect dish.

It isn’t a local food truck (so Logan would be proud of me). It is a franchise of some sort. They have food trucks in about 15 states. They do come to Boone every once in awhile, so it isn’t exactly a new food adventure. However, it had been a minute since I’ve eaten there, so it felt worthy of documenting.

To cut to the chase, they sell a pretty good fish and chips.

Here are some pictures:

You could be next fish in the Ada Haydn pond!

$15.00 feels pretty steep for fish and chips, but I can’t deny that this meal did fill me up.

It was a tasty meal, although it did taste like they were a touch past the time where they should have changed out their oil.

I would definitely get food from On the Hook again, but if I was in Ames and was feeling the need for fish and chips, I would go to the Mucky Duck.

Next food adventure will also involve a food truck.

Birthdays, Carla, Jorge, Micky, Road Trip, Still Life, Tenderloining, Teresa

I Scream: Monroe Field Work

June 4, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Jorge’s birthday! So happy birthday Jorge!

I mean, anybody willing to pose for a picture like this deserves to have an amazing birthday!

+++++++

A few weeks back Carla, Teresa, and I drove to What Cheer, Iowa to hit up their flea market. The original plan was just to hit up the concession stand at the flea market, but by the time we made the rounds everybody seemed to feel that eating in a place with air conditioning was the actual better plan.

What Cheer isn’t flush with restaurants, so we drove to Oskaloosa and ate at Tasos’. I have eaten there before, so it doesn’t really qualify as a new food adventure. But I thought I would share a picture of the small pizza I got there and knocked down.

This is the House Special. It has pepperoni, sausage, beef, Canadian bacon, green pepper, onion, and mushroom. The small pizza ran me $16.00. A medium is $17.50 and a large is $19.00. It was delicious and I definitely recommend Tasos’ if you are ever in Oskaloosa or the Oskaloosa area. They have much more than just pizza.

But the real point of this post is Jersey Freeze in Monroe. Full disclosure: I have been to Jersey Freeze a few times. So this technically also isn’t a new food adventure. However, Micky claims that I have been doing Jersey Freeze wrong. He claims you have to order the the Van & BonBon Jersey Freezer.

Here is how I order my ice cream, and feel free to take notes:

1. If they have hard ice cream, hard ice cream in a waffle cone. If they don’t have hard ice cream, go to #2.
2. If the employees working the ice cream stand appear to be high-speed, order a malt. My go to is raspberry, but sometimes I’ll zag and go cherry or blueberry or peanut butter or banana or chocolate. If the employees don’t look super adept, go to #3.
3. IF the employees don’t look like masters of their craft, order a shake. The reason for this is that sometimes an unskilled ice cream employee can burn a malt. Too much malt powder is not a good thing. If they don’t have shakes for some reason, go to #4.
4. Order a Blizzard. But since Dairy Queen has the trademark on the term “Blizzard” on lock, order whatever this mom and pop ice cream palace calls theirs. In Iowa, Cyclones is a popular substitute name for obvious reasons. At Dairy Freeze, they call their “Blizzards” Jersey Freezers. I’m all over the map on these, but something that had peanut butter and chocolate is always good. Nay, always great! But if I’m feeling cheap, go to #5.
5. Soft-serve ice cream. However, under no circumstances do you order Flavor Burst ice cream. Flavor Burst is an abomination and should be stricken from the face of the earth.

But because Micky rarely (but sometimes) steers me wrong, I thought I would give this Van & Bonbon Jersey Freeze a shot. I have no clue what Van & Bonbon is. I grew up in a blue collar house where we didn’t have fufu flavors like Van & Bonbon.

Here are some pictures:

I got the medium which ran me $5.50 plus tax. I’m not sure what was in there really. There were little candies that I think were bonbons (blue collar background, I don’t know about these rich people candies) and a metric ton of fudge. It was good. I mean it is ice cream. It is like the quote from TED LASSO:

Ice cream is the best. It’s kinda like seeing Billy Joel perform live. Never disappoints.”

But with no apologies to Micky, I’m going to stick with my go to at Jersey Freeze. A raspberry malt. He can have the fufu flavors.

Jersey Freeze has a cool history. This is from their website (jerseyfreezemonroe.com):

In 1992, brothers Brad and Lynn Donahue were sitting around one day, hungry for some ice cream. That’s when the idea struck them….Monroe needed an ice cream store. So in May of 1992 Jersey Freeze opened in a custom built building next to Monroe Foods in downtown Monroe. The new store had one ice cream machine and one cash register.

Where did JERSEY FREEZE come from? To answer that question, we need to look to some 1950 history. A couple by the name of Ethyl and Everett Tyrrell operated the original Jersey Freeze in a small (12 X 12) building that sat on the NE corner of the square in Monroe.

In the early 1970’s the Tyrrell Jersey Freeze fell victim to “progress” when Highway 14 was widened to 4 lanes and took out JF.

Rumor has it that Everett raised Jersey cows and that’s how the name JERSEY FREEZE originated. Since the Donahue ice cream store was within a few feet of the original JF site, the name was a natural.

Brad and Lynn contacted Mrs. Roy (Mary) Tyrrell Cupples in Nebraska and asked for her permission to use the Jersey Freeze name. She thought that was a great idea. The name is now owned by and registered to Donahue Bros. Inc.

By 2000, Jersey Freeze had outgrown their building. Since Highway 163 was being re-routed south of Monroe, a location near the 163 and Highway 14 intersection seemed like the place to be. In July 2000 Jersey Freeze No. 2 opened for business in a new building on the corner of Highway 14 and County Line Road.

In 2005 the original downtown location was closed. Donahue Bros still owns the building and it is occupied by ALL ABOUT PIES.

By 2014 Jersey Freeze had outgrown the second building and in the fall of 2014, construction began on the newest Jersey Freeze building located just across the highway from store #2, between Casey’s and Subway. On April 17, 2015 Jersey Freeze opened in their new building.

Popular features of the new store include the drive up window, a larger parking lot, a larger canopy seating area, and new menu items which include the pie Jersey Freezer made with pie from ALL ABOUT PIES, seven flavors of THELMA’S Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Smoothies.

Employees enjoy the spacious work area and more serving windows.

Lynn Donahue is the owner of Jersey Freeze. Kelsey LaZella and Lainy Wilson assist him in managing the store.

I’m definitely going to be looking into this whole pie situation very soon!

Jersey Freeze can be found here:

Highway 14 South
Monroe, Iowa

My food adventure rating system is:
+ Would I pursue it.
+ Would I eat there again.
+ Would I only eat there again if it was for somebody’s birthday and this is where they want to eat.
+ Would I skip a friend’s birthday if they chose to celebrate it there.
+ Would I hope it burns down.

Jersey Freeze is definitely a place I would pursue.

Next Sunday’s food adventure will involve a food truck and sending a message to all the fishies at Ada Haydn.

Becca, Bethany, Billy, Birthdays, Colleen, Dory, J.T., Jonah, Nate, Nora, Still Life, Tenderloining

Salad Shooting: Ames Field Work

May 28, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Colleen’s birthday, so happy birthday Colleen!

I hope it is as magical as you want it to be!

+++++++

On the health spectrum, this post is about a food item that couldn’t be more on the opposite end of the “healthy eating” spectrum than a tenderloin if it tried. Not that a tenderloin is the most unhealthy thing you can eat. That is probably cheesy fries. But it is no secret that any fried food is unhealthy. Delicious, but unhealthy.

Now a salad? They are usually pretty healthy. Unless you add unhealthy elements to it, like fried chicken. And then coat it with ranch or Caesar dressing. Or any salad dressing with the word “creamy” in it. However, I think we can all agree that ranch dressing does not belong on salad. It only belongs as a dipping sauce for things like onion rings and fried mushrooms and fried cheese and buffalo wings. Caesar salad doesn’t belong anywhere.

Ames recently had a new salad restaurant open. It is extremely unique. It is drive-thru only. Why? Because they grow all the greens inside the building.

This is what their website (https://www.claytonfarms.com/salads) says:

Welcome to Clayton Farms Salads, a drive-thru restaurant that is all about fresh, healthy, and smart eating. Our greens are grown onsite, ensuring that our salads and smoothies are the freshest in the world. Whether you’re on the go or simply looking for a quick and nutritious meal, we’ve got you covered with our delicious menu options. From bright and colorful salads, to refreshing and energizing smoothies, we’ve got everything you need, to fuel your day the healthiest way. So why wait? Swing through our drive-thru to taste the difference yourself, or to order delivery!

I think it is a brilliant idea! If you can keep up with demand. Despite that, I have a couple friends who loaded up their haterade with extra hate just to make sure they had enough hate for this restaurant. They are actively rooting against Clayton Farms Salads being successful. One has gone so far as to proclaim:

October of 2024, gentlemen. Mark me. “Salad Dreams” or whatever its called will have shuttered by then.

I have marked it on the calendar Jay.

They started with 4 salads and recently added a 5th salad:
+ Garden Salad
+ Caesar Salad
+ Crunch Asian Salad
+ Southwest Salad
+ Mediterranean Salad

To cut to the chase, it is the best salad(s) I’ve ever had in my life. The freshness of the greens is incredible and it makes a huge difference in the taste. I put the experience like this… it must be what it would be like to not be from Iowa, visit Iowa and then stop at a Peaches and Cream corn stand. Pick up some corn and go home and cook it. For them, it would be like eating corn for the first time in their life.

I’m not trying too hard to rely on Plato’s ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE for this example.

So let me put it another way. It is like the difference between cooking with produce you purchased at a big chain grocery store vs with ingredients you bought at a farmer’s market. If you know anybody that works in a grocery store warehouse, ask them about the room they use to ripen bananas. It will blow your mind.

Or one last example…

It was like the first time I got a watermelon in Muscatine County in the height of watermelon season.

That is what my first salad at Clayton Farms Salads was like. It was like I had never had a salad before. (By looking at me, it is possible you think that I’ve never had a salad in my life, but I love vegetables. I also love a good order of cheesy fries too.)

Here are some pictures of my Clayton Farms Salads experiences:

“Our greens are BETTER” is an understatement.

This guy is a member.

Southwest Salad

All the salads come with Salad Girl Dressing which is an organic line of dressings.

Even their forks are compostable.

Caesar Salad

Garden Salad

Farmer’s Punch – also delicious.

Crunchy Asian Salad

Mediterranean Salad

I’d rank the salads like this:

1. Garden Salad – romaine, sunflower microgreens, red onions, green onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, pistachios. and lemony herb dressing.
2. Crunch Asian Salad – romaine, pea microgreens, purple cabbage, edanmae, carrots, green onions, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, crunchy chow mein noodles, toasted sesame ginger vinaigrette.
3. Mediterranean Salad – butterhead/arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, red bell peppers, red onions, sliced almonds, lemony herb dressing.
4. Caesar Salad – romaine, broccoli microgreens, cucumber, parmesan cheese, croutons, lemony Caesar dressing.
5. Southwest Salad – butterhead, radish microgreens, orange & yellow bell pepper, black beans, red onion, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash, avocado, pepitas, cilantro, chili limon dressing.

I’m not going to lie, when you add protein to the salad, it isn’t cheap. Each salad runs almost or over $15 after you add chicken. A dollar more if you add steak. At this point, I consider a meal that is under $15 as affordable. If I get a meal for less than $10, I alert the media.

The ultimate verdict is, would I pursue this meal? Yes I would. In fact, since I’m currently working in Ames 5 days a week, I pretty much eat here once a week.

You can find Clayton Farms Salads here:

2435 Grand Avenue
Ames, Iowa

They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM.

The next food adventure will be a road trip double dip.

Animals, Logan, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Burgertime: Grimes Field Work

May 21, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

A couple Saturdays back after Logan and I did some photography for Sleeping Angels, we need to get a meal. We were going to eat burgers and dogs with the motorcyclists (if time permitted) but the map mishap cost us that chance. So after we concluded taking pictures by the Mile Long Bridge, we searched out sustenance. (You might see the word sustenance being used more on this bat channel because I am no longer allowed to use it at the Computer Mine.)

We stumbled across a road sign for a place called “Destination Grille” in Grimes. I had never heard of it and thought it might be some small town greasy spoon, this guy’s favorite type of restaurant, but it was not. It is in a giant building. I don’t know anything about it, but I can tell you that beaucoup dinero went into getting this place up and going. This was a fancy pants restaurant. Perfect for two dudes that were just tromping around in a bunch of mud under a bridge. One of us taking pictures of what I will describe as a painting of hairy strawberries with a weird stem that has wings coming off of it. A picture that would become a topic of conversation at his dinner that night, but that is a story I, I mean “he” will keep to himself and that text chat group.

We were both pretty famished by then, so we grabbed a seat and looked over their menu.

We started with the Mexican Street Corn Dip ($15.00). It was described on the menu as “Spicy, cheesy corn dip with cauliflower pita chips”.

I’m just going to cut to the chase. This is one of the best appetizers I’ve had in my life. I’d put this on the list of my favorite appetizers. A list that consists of Black and Tan Onion Rings from Dublin Bay, Irish Nachos from Dublin Bay, Fried Mushrooms from Wallaby’s, Reuben Eggrolls from Whiskey River, this weird fried cheese wheel I once had in Pittsburgh, and the Chicken Nacho’s at Skip’s. I am sure there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.

I had the Candied Bacon Cheeseburger ($16.00) which the menu describes as “1/2 pound patty, candied bacon, 5-cheese blend, toasted brioche bun”. For my side I had the artichokes. The sides don’t appear on their online menu, so I can’t give you a better description of that.

Candied Bacon Cheeseburger

Logan had the Pastrami Reuben ($15.00) which the menu describes as “House-made sliced pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, thousand islands, marble rye”. He had fries for his side.

Pastrami Reuben

The big picture is that my burger wasn’t all that great. I would not get it again. However, I did love my artichoke side. Logan also loved his Reuben and his fries.

“The 5 Cheese Blend” was a disappointment.

The bacon wasn’t that great either actually.

But I still ate it all. I might have licked the dish the artichokes came in.

$28.36. Before tip. But in retrospect, I should have bought Logan’s meal too.

This combination hand dryer/water faucet was the truth though. Worth the price of admission.

How could anybody eat such an adorable creature?

The bottom line is that I would eat there again. I don’t know I would pursue it, if I wasn’t already in the area. But if I did, it would be for that Mexican Street Corn Dip.

Destination Grille is located at:

3941 East 1st
Grimes, Iowa

Cathie, Kim, Lowell, Michelle, Still Life, Street Photography, Tenderloining, Travel

Chicago Food Adventures

May 14, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I’ve decided to lump all of my Chicago food adventures into one massive post. I was in Chicago for parts of 7 days and ate meals there on 6 of those days. Some of them great. Some of the good. Some of them bad. All of them photographed.

I started the trip with $481 in the Per Diem Fund.

Meal #1 – Day 1 Lunch – Capriotti’s

My goal whenever I travel is to eat in a place that isn’t near me. I actually failed twice on this trip. First, was Capriotti’s. I didn’t know it at the time, but there is actually a Capriotti’s in Clive. I don’t regret it though because this was one of my favorite meals on the trip.

Cost: $22.74
Per Diem Balance: $458.26

Meal #2 – Day 1 Supper – Giordano’s

Giordano’s is the second restaurant I ate at that I could have eaten at in Iowa. I’m not a big fan of Chicago Style Pizza. New York Style Pizza is also trash, if you think I’m taking a side. While the appetizers were good at Geordano’s the pizza was definitely not all that great.

Cost: $30.02
Per Diem Balance: $428.24

Meal #3 – Day 2 Breakfast – Wow Bao

Also one of my favorite meals. Wow Bao was actually in the hotel and if I wasn’t trying to spread the wealth, I might have eaten there more than once. It was also dirt cheap. I don’t drink coffee because I don’t actively hate the environment, also it tastes like ass, so they gave me milk for free. Which was a bonus!

Cost: $5.91
Per Diem Balance: $422.33

Meal #4 – Day 2 Supper – Wrigley Field Concession Stand

I really thought I would eat more at Wrigley than I did. Especially considering I didn’t have time to eat lunch. I have to say that the concession stands at Wrigley were a real disappointment. I thought there would be better food options at a Major League Baseball stadium. Especially one as historic as Wrigley Field. But my “Bison Hot Dog” was just okay.

Cost: $17.70
Per Diem Balance: 404.63

Meal #5 – Day 3 Lunch – Taco Truck

The area where we stayed at was very nice, but it is lousy with corporate restaurants. Lowell and I probably walked close to a mile to get to some food trucks that were near The Bean. It was worth it. This was one of my favorite meals on the trip. There were 8 food trucks there. 6 of them served tacos. They mostly all seemed to serve the same menu. I’m not even hating. 6 taco trucks isn’t enough if you ask this guy. My only regret is also not getting an order of Mexican Street Corn.

Price: $13.50
Per Diem Balance: $391.13

Meal #6 – Day 3 Supper – Broken English Taco Pub

Between the Street Tacos and the Taco Pub there was a Computer Mine “Party” hosted by our Sales Team (or whatever they have been branded as this week) that included free appetizers. There are no pictures of that and it was free. I made a pretty huge mistake by not going for tacos at a place called Taco Pub. I zigged when I definitely should have stayed the course. These were amongst the worst nachos I’ve ever had in my life. The nachos at The Other Place hold the distinction for the “Worst Nachos Ever” for me. At least it was free. For reasons I don’t understand, Cathie paid for everyone’s meal at the table. It was about the last time I saw Cathie socially on this trip. She lost her voice the next day and I don’t know she ever left the hotel besides to go to the convention. I need to find a way to pay her back at some point. Like maybe she could make me monkey bread and I could eat it. I think that would make us square. I should have bought her meal at Zeno’s. Dang it!

As for the group photo… It is the only one from this trip. The THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE for most of my time in Chicago was FRIENDS. I briefly toyed with the idea of having servers from various restaurants take very poorly lit group photos of all my meals and then submit them to THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE under the name “Our Server at Place X”. But I didn’t do it. Maybe if I ever go on a work trip again.

Cost: FREE! Thanks Cathie!
Per Diem Balance: $391.13

Meal #7 – Day 4 Lunch – McCormick Place Food Court

I should have been like Tony and done a walkabout of the Convention Center and scouted out all of the food locations. I only knew about the balcony food court. There was a long line for the “burger” place up there. So I just grabbed a wrapped Caprese sandwich. I was trying to eat a healthy option and I do like a good caprese sandwich. This wasn’t it. I don’t want to give a way the ending of this blog… so I won’t.

Price: $15.00
Per Diem Balance: $376.13

Meal #8 – Day 4 Supper – McCormick & Schmick’s

This was supposed to be the most expensive meal of the trip for me. But, once again it was free. Gina paid for my meal and Lowell’s meal. I got the New York Strip which I think was in the $40-50 range. I added an extra side of grilled asparagus, which was around $11. Then I got their “Classic Crème Brûlée “, which was around $10. I wasn’t trying to stick it to Gina. I ordered all that stuff anticipating paying for my own meal. Then she picked up the check for Lowell and I. I should have anticipated that happening though. It is her move.

But there are two incidents at the restaurant I need to bring up. As Micky can tell you, I like a good bantering with the server. I had an intense discussion with the server about the dessert menu. As you can see from the pictures above, for the dessert I had crème brûlée . I have no complaints about it. It was excellent. It wasn’t what I wanted though. On the dessert menu they had something called “Chocolate Bag”. The menu described “Chocolate Bag” as “White Chocolate Mousse and Fresh Berries Topped with Whipped Cream”. What the menu doesn’t tell you is all of that is put in a bag. A bag made of chocolate. Yes please!

Only the answer came back, “No!” McCormick & Schneebley’s or whatever this dump was called, was out of chocolate bag. I had to settle for crème brûlée like a commoner.

The other dessert menu moment was the reason I love banter. On the dessert menu was “seasonal” cheesecake. When I inquired about what the current “seasonal” cheesecake was and what the cheesecake was for the other seasons is, the banter escalated to the point where the server said, “Yeah, for the spring cheesecake we should serve it with a dead bird on top of it!” Bingpot!

Cost: FREE! Thanks Gina!
Per Diem Balance: $376.13

Meal #9 – Day 5 Lunch – Connie’s Pizza

Another lunch on the convention center floor. Connie’s Pizza wasn’t great, but a considerable upgrade over the sandwich I choked down the day before. I was thankful to Tony for pointing it out to me.

Cost: $12.00
Per Diem Balance: $364.13

Meal #10 – Day 5 Supper – Soju BBQ

Kim’s Meal Before

Kim’s Meal After

I might give Kim a hard time for having a Midwest white woman’s palette, but she was a trooper for giving Korean BBQ a chance. Even if she ate next to none of her food. She at least gave it a shot. So snaps for Kim for challenging herself.

I on the other hand loved this meal. Everything was fantastic! The “Kimchi Dumplings” that Tony ordered was possibly my favorite food item I had on the entire trip. Also snaps to Tony for going out to eat with a group larger than 4 people. Which is some kind of arbitrary rule he established for himself.

I haven’t had Korean barbecue since DaeHee’s mom made some for me. I made sure to send him plenty of pictures of it, cause I’m a swell guy. He was slightly jealous. By slightly, I mean extremely.

Cost: $37.00
Per Diem Balance: $327.13

Meal #11 – Day 6 Lunch – Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs

The final day of the convention. This is basically a polish sausage with barbecue sauce thrown on top of it and grilled onions on top of it. It was by far the best thing I ate on the convention floor. If I had found it first, I might have just had it three days in a row. A guy I’ll assume was Robinson said, he would “hook me up”. And I think he did. I have no complaints about it.

Cost: $16.25
Per Diem Balance: $310.88

Meal #12 – Day 6 Supper – Lou Manalti’s

Way back on Day 1 I stated I don’t really like Chicago Style Pizza. Give me a good Quad Cities Style Pizza and we are talking. But Chicago Style Pizza doesn’t do much for me. However, this pizza might have changed my mind. This was one tasty pizza! I would have this pizza again in a second! It was a perfect way to cap the trip!

Cost: $33.75
Final Per Diem Balance: $277.13

Day 7 didn’t involve any eating. At least not eating I would consider that came out of my per diem. We got up early. Didn’t eat breakfast. Flew back to the Cyclone State.

Those of you with a keen memory might recall that I did go through the drive-thru at Ted’s Coney Island on my way back to my house, but I don’t count that towards the per diem.

If you are wondering I’m doing with the extra $277.13 I just pocketed… I guess I spent some of it to send some of you postcards that I think maybe 2 of you cared about. I also bought a Chicago magnet for my fridge. But truthfully, the full $481 went into savings. A couple of weeks ago I outlined some goals I have. One of those goals is to switch banks. I took this coming Friday off as a birthday present to myself. My big plan is to start the process of moving banks. At the very least I will open a couple new accounts in a new bank. Actually a credit union. I don’t know how long it will take me to phase out of Bank of the Bear, but at least the process will finally be started.

The last bit of business for this blog is that I want to rank my Chicago meals from worst to best.

Chicago Food Adventure Power Ranking

12. Caprese Sandwich – Convention Center Food Court
11. Nacho Mama-s Nachos – Broken English Taco Pub
10. Sausage Pizza – Connie’s Pizza (Convention Center)
9. Bison Hot Dog – Clark Street Grill (Wrigley Field)
8. The Special – Giordano’s
7. Super Polish Sausage – Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs (Convention Center)
6. Breakfast Bowl – Wow Bao
5. New York Strip Steak – McCormick and Schmick’s
4. BBQ Chicken Cheese Steak – Capriotti’s
3. Street Tacos – Sabor Taco Truck
2. Malnati Chicago Classic – Lou Malnati’s
1. Korean Brisket – Soju BBQ

If I still make the cut for next year’s convention team, it is New Orleans. That could also make for a fascinating food adventure. We’ll have to see what happens.

Automobiles, Brandon, Self-Portrait, Still Life, Tenderloining

Tenderloining: Altoona Field Work

May 7, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back Brandon and I tried to go to Flight in Huxley after church. However, when we got there it was closed for a private event. (Flight did just win Best Burger in Iowa, in case you didn’t see.) So we ended up going to Claxon’s Smokehouse & Grill in Altoona. I’ve wanted to try it because of or in spite of the fact that they have the 2nd most annoying radio commercials in the world. The awfulness of their commercials are only eclipsed by the ApprovedbyJoe.com commercials.

The basic gist of all of their commercials is that one member of a married couple gets in trouble with the other one by going to Claxon’s behind the other one’s back. However, they get off the hook by bringing them back something from Claxon’s. While that doesn’t seem like that annoying of a concept on the surface, their is just something about how they are written and acted that puts my teeth on edge. When they come on it is usually a near instant turning of the radio. ApprovedbyJoe.com commercials are an instant turning of the radio and then pulling over to the nearest church and cleaning out my ears with holy water.

Here are some pictures of our trip:

Tenderloining - Claxon's Smokehouse & Grill

Fried Okra! Yes Please!

Okra Cornbread

The Three Pigs

I actually intended to go there and get barbecue, but I hadn’t tried a new tenderloin in 2023 and it was halfway through April and when I saw the name The Three Pigs, I was suckered in. The Colorado Grill has this specialty where they put something on the menu that is really good and then they take it away. One such item is the Porky Pig or maybe it was call The Three Little Pigs. Either way, it was a grilled tenderloin with a creamy barbecue sauce and a couple more types of pork on it. It is delicious! Well it was, until they took it away. Occasionally (like fried mushrooms) it shows up as a “special”. Willy also loves this sandwich and we alert each other if it is the special. This is why I went for The Three Pigs.

We started the meal with their Tobacco Onion Rings. They are described as:

“Lightly breaded, thinly sliced onions piled high as the sky, served with a side of Claxon’s chipotle-Chile ketchup | Half Order $6.99 | Full Order $8.99”

We got the Full Order, cause Brandon and I aren’t chumps. As a general rule I prefer a fatty onion ring (like at Dublin Bay) over an thin “onion ring”. Known in some circles as a “onion straw” or “onion strings”. I usually find them to be too greasy and they often lose their temperature too fast. Like the fries at Freddy’s.

However, these were really good and were the highlight of the meal. With the possible exception of the fried okra.

The Three Pigs came with 2 sides and rang in at a whopping $18.99! Cheap! The menu describes it thusly:

“Watch out big bad wolf! We have a Joe’s breaded pork tenderloin, thick cut applewood smoked bacon and a generous portion of our pulled pork!, served on a large toasted Kaiser with all the fixins.”

I got the fried okra for one side. It was delicious! I got the okra cornbread for the other side. It was less than. Middling would be a stretch. Which was quite the disappointment because I love a good cornbread. This wasn’t it.

I probably made a mistake ordering The Three Pigs. I’m not really a fan of pulled pork, but even discounting that fact, the tenderloin was a disappointment. It had some good aspects, but in the end it wasn’t very flavorful and it wasn’t moist. Reminded me of what a tenderloin that has sat for 17 hours and then been microwaved must taste like. And yes, the pulled pork wasn’t great and the bacon (strangely) wasn’t anything special either.

To cut to the chase. I would go back to Claxon’s if I was in the area. But I wouldn’t pursue it ever again. Yeah, annoying commercials… you won this round. But you won’t win a second time.

Claxon’s Smokehouse & Grill can be found here:

3181 8th Street Southwest
Altoona, Iowa

My final comment is that the service was pretty good. It took a minute for us to get seated, but once we were seated our server was quick and attentive. The fact that she was wearing an Elizabeth Warren shirt didn’t hurt either.

Art, Sheri, Tenderloining, Teresa

Hot Dog! – Ankeny Field Work

April 30, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Back in February, after church, Teresa and I met Sheri down in Ankeny at Naughtea for lunch. Naughtea specializes in serving a variety of bubble teas and Korean hot dogs. I had no clue what a Korean hot dog was, but I was more than game to find out.

You can get your K-Dog with either half cheese and half hot dog, all hot dog, all cheese, or either combination wrapped in American cheese. I got the Hot Cheetos K-Dog with half cheese and half hot dog. I would actually recommend going all cheese cause quite frankly the hot dog is nothing to write home about. I don’t know what kind of hot dog they use, but it isn’t one that would ever make it to my fridge and on my grill. I’m not exactly a hot dog snob. Well… maybe a little bit. But I would never use the “e word” to describe my relationship with hot dogs.

Here are some pictures from the day:

For the bubble tea I got the Mango Princess Jasmine Milk Tea with the Mano Jelly Boba. It was 100% delicious.

My K-Dog was also delicious. However, for somebody like me, one K-Dog probably doesn’t do in the appetite. But since K-Dogs are relatively inexpensive (anymore if I can get out of a restaurant paying less than $15, that is a win and if I can get out for less than $10 I alert the media) I would maybe get 2 next time. But then you factor in the $7 drink, I’m suddenly becoming an expensive date.

I would definitely go back, but I don’t think I would search it out. At least not for a meal. Maybe if I was hardcore craving a bubble tea.

Naugtea is located at:

1810 SW White Birch Circle
Suite 115
Ankeny, Iowa

The next food adventure will take place in Altoona, Iowa.

Carla, Self-Portrait, Tenderloining, Teresa

BurgerTime: Ankeny Field Work

April 23, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Between church and watching a community theater play a few weeks back Carla, Teresa, and Humble Narrator went to the only other Iowa Best Burger Finalist that is in my natural grazing area. We went to Ben’s Burgers in Ankeny. To be honest, I don’t really consider Ankeny to be in my natural grazing area. Mostly because I don’t really like Ankeny. It is mostly corporate franchise hell stuff, which is not to my liking. Being a paragon of the shop local ethic. Every once in a while, there is a diamond in the rough. Like the Korean corn dog place. (Note to self, did I take enough pictures of the Korean corn dog place to make a post.) Or in this case, Ben’s Burgers.

Here are some cruddy cell phone pictures from out trip to another one of the finalists for Best Burger in Iowa:

When I sent this picture to Elizabeth, she told me it was gross. Like that is a bad thing.

I asked the lad that took my order if Ben’s Burgers was nominated for a particular burger. Flight in Huxley was nominated for The Foundation Burger. I was told, no particular burger but most people order the Gourmet Single Cheeseburger.

It was a good tip, but I don’t possess a normal appetite. I went for the Gourmet Double Cheeseburger.

The menu describes it thusly:

Gourmet Double Cheeseburger includes lettuce and tomato + red ions + house sauce.

It was a perfectly good burger. I don’t know I think it is one of the 10 best in Iowa. But I would probably go back. I don’t think I would seek it out, but I would definitely go back.

The #3 Combo cost me $15.71. I also got a raspberry shake for the road. That was probably another five smackers.

We did get to meet Ben. He was very good at customer service and very attentive.

Of the 2 Best Burger Finalists that I have tried, I would rank them in the following order:

2. Ben’s Burgers
1. Flight Bar + Grille

You can find Ben’s Burgers here:

1325 SW Oralabor Road
Suite 200
Ankeny, Iowa 50023

It is open daily from 11 AM to 8 PM.

I don’t know that I will get to try any of the other finalists. None of them are particularly close, but I will see what I can manage. You know I love a good road trip.

Art, Carla, Road Trip, Tenderloining, Teresa

Tenderloining: Oskaloosa Field Work

April 16, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m hoping somebody out there is enjoying these Sunday food adventure posts as much as I enjoyed eating this food. Still finding my footing a little bit on the format, but that is okay. Today’s post is about a tenderloin I knocked down in Oskaloosa back in December on a road trip with Carla and Teresa. We had left the Kretmarkt in Pella and had some time to kill before the Oskaloosa Lighted Parade. So we went to the Wood Iron Grille.

The Wood Iron Grille is on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0, but unfortunately I couldn’t find my passport that morning, so I did not get it stamped. You will just have to take these pictures as proof that I ate there.

I’m not going to break it down in my normal tenderloin breakdown fashion because it has been several months and it isn’t fair to the tenderloin to try to jog this foggy memory to review.

It is sufficient to say that it was very good. In fact all the food was very good and I would definitely eat there again.

For an appetizer we had Garlic Cheese Curds. The menu described them thusly:

White Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese lightly breaded and seasoned with garlic, deep fried and served with Ranch Dressing.

They were delicious! And the garlic was a nice little twisted.

On the menu, the refer to their tenderloin as Bread & Gold. The menu described it thusly:

Tenderized Pork Loin chop breaded and fried to golden brown delicious. Served on a toasted Bun with a side of our Sweet Corn Mayo. Comes with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Pickle.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The proper way to dress a tenderloin is thusly:

+ Mustard
+ Ketchup
+ Onions
+ Pickles

However, I am becoming more open to a sweet corn mayo or a nice aioli.

Here are some pictures of the meal:

Wood Iron Grille won Best Burger in Iowa in 2019. Seems to be a connection between a restaurant that serves a great tenderloin and serving a great burger. One might even call it causality. If they had my understanding of statistics.

You can find the Wood Iron Grille at the Oskaloosa Public Golf Course.

Address
2214 South 11th Street
Oskaloosa, Iowa

I will have to go back and have that award winning burger at some point.

Art, Christianity, Holidays, Scottie D., Tenderloining

The Infamous Tenderloin Tripleheader

April 9, 2023 Christopher D. Bennett

Today is Easter, so happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Rather than trying to write something about Easter, I thought I would just borrow a devotional written by the Bishop of the Iowa Methodist churches about fish.

In Death, Shedding Life
By Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai
Episcopal Leader, Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

Keeton Bigham-Tsai with a Chinook (King) Salmon caught while fly fishing on the Pere Marquette River. Photo by Ian Dwyer.
“He is not here; for he has been raised,” Matthew 28: 6a

Our eldest son Keeton loves to fish. He has loved fishing since he was three years old and spending hours with his Winnie-the-Pooh rod at a local pond. Keeton has gone on to more adult fishing pursuits. Fly-fishing is now his favorite past-time; he has fished many of the major rivers of Michigan. He recently talked to me about fly fishing for salmon on the Pere Marquette.

Keeton explained that fresh-water salmon in Michigan are born in the rivers but spend most of their lives in the big lakes. When it is time for them to reproduce, they make their way back to the rivers in which they were born. They mate in those rivers, then make the long trek up-stream to their spawning grounds. The Pere Marquette is the longest river without a dam in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and makes an arduous trek for the salmon.

Though they start out healthy, the journey up-river depletes them. Eventually, they become so worn that their skin becomes soggy and sloughs off. They become like zombie fish, Keeton says. And shortly after releasing and fertilizing their eggs, they die. But a single salmon can drop thousands of eggs before its death and so start the cycle of life again.

This cycle—from life, to death, to new life—is not just a cycle played out on the rivers. It also is the cycle played out in the death and resurrection of Christ. It is a cycle that is central to our understanding of what God has done for us in Jesus.

Scripture reminds us that we were dead because of our sin and brokenness, (Ephesians 2:1). Yet God sent a savior, a Messiah, who according to the prophet Isaiah, “…has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases…he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed,” Isaiah 53: 4-5.

In Jesus, God took on the suffering and sin of the world. Pandemics, violence and war—every atrocity and tragedy in history. God took it all on, then healed and redeemed it in Christ.

This is what Jesus’ long walk to the cross was about. He wore the injustice of the cross and the sins of the world in the wounds of his crucifixion. He shed his life to bring about new life for us, or, as the Apostle Paul writes, “…so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life,” Romans 6:4b.

Our newness of life depends upon the reality of Christ’s resurrection. That is the crux of the stories we rehearse at Easter. Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. But death was not the end. An angel rolled back the stone. The crucified Christ rose from the dead. From death came resurrected life and the assurance of life everlasting.

Now back to the salmon. The death run of these fish doesn’t just create eggs and baby fish. As the salmon make their long run up the river, they shed their skin along the way. As they do that, they also nourish the whole ecosystem, literally with the detritus of their bodies. As they shed their lives and die, they feed life all along the river.

This makes for a useful metaphor for the death and resurrection of Christ and the eventual spread of the Gospel message. Jesus shed his life for our lives. After his resurrection, he commissioned the disciples to lay down their lives for him and to be his witnesses through Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, (Acts 1:8). They eventually scattered over all those regions and beyond. But as they scattered, the message of Jesus’ resurrection spread. And what started out as a little band of disciples became a movement that would span geography and generations.

These disciples and the spread of their witness was like the shedding of spiritual nutrients around the world. And that points to the irony of it all: Jesus’ ministry created 12 disciples and a lot of crowds, but his death and resurrection produced the Church.

So, when we shout this Easter, “He Lives!” let us realize and know that he lives in and through us, his Church. We are his offspring, the scattering of his life and witness along the rivers of history. We are the nutrients of the whole ecosystem of life in Christ.

And how do we bring the nutrients of new life in Christ to the world? We tell people the simple story. God so loved the world that God sent God’s son. Christ so loved all of humanity that he went to the cross on our behalf. But he did not just go to the cross and die. He rose from the dead. See, the angel has rolled back the stone! And, because Christ lives, we live. Because we live and witness to his love, others can live through him.

Have a Blessed Easter!

Christ is risen!

+++++++

Back on October 30th, I had a sort of a tenderloin tripleheader. I actually had 2 tenderloins, but there were some on this trip that at least tried to eat 3 tenderloins. Scott, Porter, Austin, and I travelled to Des Moines to the Iowa Taproom to try their tenderloin. It is on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0. Then on the way back we stopped at Whatcha Smokin’ in Luther. There I had some nachos (although I badly underestimated the size of the nachos) as I had already taken down a tenderloin and I already have the stamp for Whatcha Smokin’ on my Tenderloin Trail 2.0 Passport.

Finally, we ended up at Scott’s brother Steve’s house to try Steve’s homemade tenderloin.

I’m not going to break down the tenderloins like I usually do. It should be sufficient to say that Steve’s tenderloin was way better than the tenderloin at the Iowa Taproom.

Here are some pictures from the Tenderloin Tripleheader: