Fourth Street
Chicago Italian Beef
204 Fourth St., 288-3844
Loose hours usually include
Monday through Friday 11
a.m. - 2 p.m., Monday through
Thursday, 9 p.m. till “late,”
Friday and Saturday “till
even later,” and Saturday
mornings during Farmer’s
Market.
Town House Tenderloins
East 1st St. & Army
Post Rd.,
Mon. - Wed. 11 a.m. - 7
p.m.
|
Two masters of one trade
A Chinese proverb says, “Be not
a jack of all trades, but a master
of one.” Jack-of-all-trades was
a derogatory term well into the
20th century. It’s cool today
particularly in the food business
where quantity now trumps quality.
Many young chefs have never seen
a restaurant that masters just
one good thing. Yet fast food
giants like McDonald’s, KFC, DQ
and Taco Bell all began selling
a single entrée. Fifty
years ago, Des Moines’ bakeries
sold nothing but baked goods;
fish markets handled nothing but
fish and long lines waited at
Canfield’s for their signature-smoked
ribs. Today chain restaurant menus
often run into double digits —
of pages not just items. Even
most concession stands offer multiple
choices. That defies proverbial
wisdom from ancient China to Ralph
Waldo Emerson, who also advised
mastering a single specialty:
“Make a better mousetrap, even
in the woods, and people will
beat a path to your doorstep.”
One month after Town House Tenderloins
opened on Army Post Road, a beaten
path was already forming in the
grass between the self-service
trailer and its parking lot. Breaded
pork tenderloins are an Iowa icon
despite being unknown beyond Indiana
to the east, Omaha to the west,
Minneapolis to the north and the
Iowa-Missouri border to the south.
At least three Web sites are completely
dedicated to the argument over
who makes Iowa’s best tenderloin.
The Iowa Pork Producers Association
has anointed tenderloins from
seven different places as “Iowa’s
best.” The Des Moines Register
published a readers’ poll of nearly
50 “best” tenderloins. Food writer
Tyrgyzistan (Tristan Frank) is
more discriminating. He’s diligently
sampled and judged tenderloins
in 86 Iowa cafés. None
has received a higher rating than
those at Town House Supper Club
in Wellsburg, about two hours
northeast of Des Moines. The usually
reticent Tyrgyzistan calls them
“amazing.”
Owner Terry Town now duplicates
those loins on the southside.
I tried both a queen ($4) and
a king ($6). Measured in ounces
of pork, Town’s queen was larger
than most “jumbos” in town. Mine
was seven eighths of an inch thick
and covered in crunchy, golden
fried Panko that separated from
the meat in my mouth. Buns were
fresh, buttered and toasted. Condiments
included banana peppers, jalapenos,
real mayonnaises, chopped onions
and pickles. Tenderloins were
also available on a stick.
Tommy Farrell says it took him
a lifetime to figure out that
mastering one dish is a better
business plan than jacking around
with dozens. At Fourth Street
Chicago Italian Beef, he serves
a sandwich that is argued about
in Chicago like tenderloins are
in Iowa. Farrell uses his “grandmother
Fratto’s secret recipe,” which
produced an astonishingly good
au jus, multiple peppers, celery
and a freshly baked Amodeo’s yeast
roll that held together when saturated
with the juicy stock.
Farrell has owned big nightclubs
like the legendary Jukebox Saturday
Night and big restaurants like
Tommy Farrell’s, but says he loves
the casual simplicity of his new
place. Officially, “it’s open
if I’m here.” His logo is an heirloom
photo of four buddies including
his father Lou Farrell and restaurant
legend Babe Bisignano in his days
as a pro wrestler. Tommy Farrell
offers sandwiches with hot or
mild peppers but insists that
you take peppers. (An Italian
egg sandwich is also sold Saturday
mornings and a sausage sandwich
on weekend nights.) He proudly
displays books about the lore
of the Mafia, including Lou Farrell.
Then he asks customers if they’ve
ever had a better sandwich.
Bottom line — if you want the
best tenderloin or the best Italian
beef sandwich in Iowa, then beat
a path to these two doors.
Side Dishes
Little Laos (2806 University Ave.)
expanded its menu from just sesame
balls to include stir frys, smoothies,
chicken wings and egg rolls… Talented
young chef Scott Stroud (The Café,
Dos Rios) is opening Fresh in
Spirit Lake this summer after
launching two new places in Florida.
CV
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