The Tip Top Tavern, Indianapolis

The Tip Top Tavern is a bar/restaurant just north of Downtown Indianapolis, located on North Capitol Street.

I couldn’t get a picture of the outside, as it was dark, but as you can see by this picture, the bar itself is just beautiful!

The interior is decorated with some really cool, funky stuff…chicken wire sculptures, advertising signs, and a few television sets are scattered here and there.  This is NOT a sports bar…but there are a few sets, with the volume turned down low, usually tuned to some kind of sports.

That’s one of my main gripe with most modern day sports bars…the main emphasis seems to be the number and volume of the televisions, and the food and drink are an afterthought.

I’m impressed with the Tip Top because they seem to be bucking this trend.  It’s got a nice, neighborhood bar feel, and it’s all about the food and drink.  And music, also, as they have a nice stage and lots and lots of  live music.

I didn’t come tonight to review a tenderloin…I came for the music and had no plans to eat.  But…sometimes opportunity knocks.

Those of you who follow me on a regular basis know that my last 3 reviews have been less than stellar, and I was WAY past due for a true hoosier tenderloin.

As I hope you can tell by the picture, that’s exactly what I got.   From the first bite, I knew I had a winner.

The meat itself is nice and tender, and it’s pounded out thin, but not TOO thin.  The breading is REALLY crunchy, and stays nice and thick without getting soggy as you go through this sandwich.

The bun is nicely toasted…nice and crisp around the edges, yet still soft in the middle..well done indeed.

And, no skimping on the condiments on this one!  Plenty of them, piled high on the plate.

The fries were quite good…nice, thin ones, similar to Steak and Shake.  They’re not the best fries I’ve ever had, but they’re very good.

So, let’s recap.  Nice, moist, tasty meat.  Great breading.  Perfectly toasted bun.  Plenty of condiments.  I’ve slept on it, and I’m going with my original impression…it’s a 5 out of 5….as good as anything in town.

I’m going to recommend TWO things here.  1).  When you want a really great tenderloin, go get this one.  2)  Order an extra bun, and share it with a friend.  there’ll be plenty for both of you.

The Breaded Tenderloin at The Tip Top Tavern sells for $7.95.  Worth every penny.

The Tip Top Tavern is located at 1341 N Capitol in Indy.  They’re open for lunch and dinner, and the kitchen closes around 10:30 PM.

Arni’s, Indianapolis, Indiana

Arni’s is an Indiana based chain restaurant with several stores scattered throughout Central Indiana.

I had dined at Arni’s in Lebanon several years ago, and we had pizza.  As I recall, it was excellent.

I’d never had their breaded tenderloin, and had been told that it was a good one, so we decided to give it a try.

We chose the 96th street location.  It has a nice, funky, decor, and a VERY extensive menu.  Pizza, steak, burgers, and more.

When I saw they offered a “fresh, center cut pork tenderloin”, I had REALLY high hopes for this sandwich.

As you can see by the picture…this appears to be just another frozen pork fritter.  Once again, it was hot, and it was edible, but that’s about it.

Be warned…a major rant is ahead.

I’ll never understand why Indiana restaurants…with otherwise outstanding menus, try to pass off a frozen pork fritter as something else.  If you’re not going to offer a true breaded tenderloin, do us all a favor and simply take it off of the menu.  To order a “fresh, center cut pork loin” and get a frozen patty does nothing but leave a bitter taste in our mouths.  The Breaded Tenderloin is a piece of Hoosier identity and culture.  Take some pride in it, or get rid of it.

Before I rate the sandwich itself, I want to be sure and give Arni’s a fair shake.  Holly had Shrimp and Bacon tacos, and they were nothing short of fantastic.  I tasted them, and they were the best thing I’d had in a LONG time…over the top good.

And, our server, Jeff, was one of my favorite servers of all time.  Polite, attentive, professional…all the things a server should be.

But, this blog is about the tenderloin, not everything else.  I can give Arni’s breaded tenderloin no more than a 1 out of 5.  It’s edible, but that’s about it.

I’d highly recommend a visit to Arni’s….just get something else.

Arni’s has several locations in Central Indiana.  To find a location near you, visit their website here.

The Ice House, Indianapolis, Indiana

I was invited to the Ice House by a friend who had been here several years ago, and remembered the tenderloin as excellent, so we made arrangements to meet him for lunch.
The Ice House is located just south of downtown, along the river, in an old Ice House.  It’s a VERY cool place, with a family dining side, and a 21 or over side.  The walls are decorated with everything from international flags to old neon advertising signs, and one could spend several hours inside just looking at all the stuff on the walls.

The menu is pretty much standard bar fare, with burgers, steaks, wraps, and a little bit of everything else.

The breaded tenderloin is featured right in the center of the menu, and it’s advertised as “hand breaded and hand cubed”.   That caught my attention right away.  After my last tenderloin, which was less than stellar, I was really for a real, honest to goodness, hand breaded Hoosier tenderloin.

What I got, instead, was a frozen pork fritter.  yes, it was big, as advertised, but it was NOT the sandwich pictured on the menu, which was a wonderfully misshapen, hand breaded piece of meat.  This was something I could have purchased at the local supermarket and it would’ve been just as good.

It was cooked well  (as well as you can cook a pork fritter) but it was not the tenderloin advertised, nor was it the one that my friend remembered.

Since the menu proudly proclaims a “hand breaded, hand cubed” tenderloin, and this one was not, I can’t give it any higher than a 1 out of 5 bites.  It’s edible, but that’s about it.

The Ice House breaded tenderloin sells for $7.95, and that includes chips.  Fries  (which were excellent, by the way), will set you back another $1.25.

I like the atmosphere here, and everything else on the menu seems fine, and we’ll go back.  We’ll just try something else and pass on the tenderloin.
The Ice House is located at 2352 S West Street in Indianapolis.

Nippers Grill and Tap, Carmel, Indiana

Nippers is a bar/restaurant located in a shopping center near 116th and Rangeline Road in Carmel, Indiana.  I was urged to come here by a friend, who said they have one of the best tenderloins anywhere, so we decided to give it a try.

Inside, it’s much larger than it appears on the outside.  Nice, large bar, with a large game room on one side with pool, darts, skill crane, and other games, and a dining area on the other side, with the bar dividing the rooms.

It’s dark and there are TVs everywhere, tuned to local news stations and ESPN.

We arrived about 430…since this is a smoker friendly restaurant, we wanted to dine early to avoid it being too smoke filled.  The friendly waitress told us the kitchen doesn’t open till 5PM.  No problem, we had a couple of quick errands to run, so we went about our business and came back at 5.  We found our seats, the waitress brought us our drinks, and told us she’d let us know when the cook arrived, he was running late.  We weren’t off to a good start.

The cook arrived around 5:15 or so.  We’d had ample time to peruse the menu, so I ordered the breaded tenderloin and Holly ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and salad.

So, how was it?  Well, if I were reviewing cardboard, this would get a 5 out of 5.  Sadly, it’s a breaded tenderloin review, and this one was really, really bad.  I’ve got to say, the worst one I’ve ever had.  It was simply a frozen pork fritter, and it was horribly overcooked at that.  The edges were burnt, and the rest of it was so tough that it took considerable effort to bite a piece of it off and chew it.  No flavor,  simply nothing  but toughness.

As you can see from the picture, they DID serve plenty of onions and the bun was nicely toasted.  The fries were crisp and tasty, but, that was overshadowed by just how bad this sandwich was.

Since they did nicely toast the bun, and served condiments like I asked, and there were plenty of them, I’ll give them that.  On my scale of 1-5 bites…I’m going to give this a 1…and just barely, at that.  It’s edible and it’ll keep you from starving, but not much else.

On the bright side, Holly’s grilled chicken was very good indeed, well seasoned, tender, moist, and tasty.  I MUST say a word about their homemade Blue Cheese dressing was simply over the top good.  Nice, large Blue Cheese crumbles, quite tasty indeed.  And the staff is friendly and helpful, so we’ll go back and try their Blue Cheese Burger.

But, if you want a breaded tenderloin….or if you’re in a hurry…run away fast.

Nippers is located at 1772 E 116th Street in Carmel, Indiana.   You can visit their website here.

The Stacked Pickle, Carmel, Indiana

The Stacked Pickle is one of yet another sports bars in the Carmel area.  There seem to be 1,000 of these around, some really great, some so so, some really terrible.

I visited The Stacked Pickle on the advice of a friend who had been there and was happy with his experience, so I decided to give them a try.

We were greeted promptly by a friendly hostess, and our waitress was cordial without being TOO friendly.  The manager walked over and introduced himself, having never seen us in there before, and that was certainly a nice touch.

This restaurant gets extra points for cleanliness…it was absolutely pristine inside.  It also gets high marks for being spacious and well laid out.  I have a low tolerance for sports bars that are so cramped and noisy I can barely hear myself think, but this place was spacious, roomy, and a very pleasant atmosphere indeed.

Of course, I was only here to review their tenderloin, and the manager told me they sell a lot of them.  How would it stack up?

The tenderloin comes with fries for $6.95…a very reasonable price indeed!  It comes on a kaiser roll that was very nicely toasted, and it’s a quite large sandwich.  The meat is not pounded paper thin rather, it reminded me of a nice, thick pork chop.  Very, very tasty, tender, moist, and juicy.  I wish ALL breaded tenderloins had this quality of meat.

The breading appears to be something like tempura batter.  It was nice and crunchy, a bit thicker than some other restaurants bread their tenderloins, but with the thickness of the cut of meat it worked very well indeed.  The breading didn’t get soggy at all, and overall this is certainly an above average Breaded Tenderloin sandwich.

Really, only a couple of minor issues keeps this from being a 5 out of 5, my highest rating.  First, I asked for onion on my sandwich, and, as you can see, I got two, lonely little onion rings, and they appeared to be a bit wilted at that.  Second, it’s not quite what we call a traditional breaded tenderloin.  All that aside, I’m going to give it a 4.3 on a scale of 1-5 bites.  Well above average, and it’s certainly worth the money.  It was a filling, satisfying meal at a reasonable price.  I left happy.

I MUST say a word about the french fries.  They’re beer battered, and simply fabulous.  Don’t miss the fries if you visit!

The Stacked Pickle is located at 12545 N Meridian (across from Meijer) in Carmel, Indiana.  You can visit their website here.  It is an all ages, 21 and over restaurant, untill 10 PM, then it’s 21 and over only.

Gray Brothers Cafeteria, Mooresville, Indiana

Gray Brothers is a legend in Central Indiana.  Go to just about any restaurant review website, and you’ll find glowing review after glowing review of this restaurant.  They’re famous for their  fried chicken, meatloaf, and other hoosier favorites, and their desserts are the things dreams are made of.

It’s your typical cafeteria, where you go through the line and choose your salad, entree, sides, dessert, and drink, pay, then find a place to sit.

Only one word describes this building…mammoth!  There are several, large dining rooms, and a couple of smaller ones.  It’s extremely clean and extremely busy…and the help is very friendly and polite.

We were at Grays to attending a monthly dinner of a group of fellow amateur radio operators, and I had been craving fried chicken all day, but, when going through the line, I saw the breaded tenderloin, I decided to try it.

I should’ve stuck with the chicken, as this was the worst breaded tenderloin I’ve had in a long time.

For starters, it was already starting to get soggy when it was served to me.  Secondly ,there was a significant amount of gristle in the meat.  Thirdly, the meat was, well, pretty well tasteless.  By the time I got towards the end of it, it was pretty well a soggy, drippy mess.

They serve their breaded tenderloin dry, like pictured, or wet, with gravy, and they have an assortment of breads that you can get with it.  It sells for $6.00.

I’m going to give Gray Brothers breaded tenderloin a 1 out of 5 bites.  It’s warm and it’s edible, but that’s about it.

In all fairness….the other food at Grays  is simply outstanding and you won’t regret a visit there.  If you’d like to read a more complete review of the other food at Grays, my friends over at Roadfood have one posted here.

Gray Brothers is located at 555 S Indiana Street, in Mooresville, Indiana.  You can visit their website here.

Ro’s Bar and Grill, Greenfield, Indiana

Today’s Tenderloin review comes to  you largely by accident!  Holly and I had been to Greenfield to play a gig, after which we went to spend some time visiting her mother.  We were headed home, and our intention was to grab a quick drive through meal on the way home.  We headed for McDonald’s, and there was a HUGE line.  As we were trying to decide where to head next, we saw Ro’s Bar & Grill, and the chalkboard sign out front featuring a “Sirloin Steak and 1 Side:  $5.99″ and  decided to stop in.

Inside, Ro’s is really, really fun.  Although it’s 21 and over, it’s non smoking…a HUGE plus for me.  The walls are decorated with lots and lots of sports stuff, there are pool tables, dart boards, and other games.

We were greeted promptly by our server, and when we said we had never been there before, she went through the menu with us.  Outstanding service, I must say!  The sign for the steak dinner special led us in and it was my intention to have a steak dinner this cold Friday night.

But I saw they have a breaded tenderloin on their menu, so I asked the waitress about it.  She said,  “It’s the Bomb!!!”.  OK….I believe that’s a good thing, right?  I decided to try it, after she told me they’re hand cut and hand breaded.

The first thing I noticed when they brought it out was that this thing was HUGE….one of the largest I’ve ever had.  And, it’s not pounded out paper thin, either, there is some heft to the meat.

The meat itself is very tender and moist, and there is not a hint of gristle on it.  The breading was REALLY flaky, making a delightful mess on the plate as I devoured the sandwich.  It hangs WELL over all sides of the bun, where was perfectly toasted, and the condiments were brought exactly as I ordered…mayo on the bun, ketchup on the side, and onion…and as an added treat, this sandwich had not one, but TWO slices of onion on it.  Everything works well together on this sandwich, and it’s a bargain at $6.99 and that includes an order of fries.  For $1.00 more, you can upgrade the fries to Onion Rings or other side choices.

So, this sandwich has a perfectly toasted bun, great flavor, flaky breading, and it’s huge.  I can give it no less than a 5 out of 5 bites…as good as it gets!
Holly had the $5.99 steak special, and proclaimed it very good.  There was a little issue with that meal, though, and shows that Ro’s needs to pay a little attention to detail.  On the board outside,  it’s advertised as a $5.99 special.   When we got the bill, we were charged $6.99.  Come to find out, the special goes up $1.00 at 5 PM, which is when we were in there.   $1.00 isn’t a big deal, however, if you’re going to change your prices, please change you signs and advise your customers when that happens.  It’s not good for repeat business if you don’t.

Overall, it was a very good dining experience, the above paragraph notwithstanding.  A 5 star tenderloin is always reason to go back!

Ro’s Bar and Grill is located at 1415 N State Street, Greenfield, Indiana 46140.

C. R. Hero’s Family Pub, Fishers, Indiana

I had read about C.R. Hero’s, and since we found ourselves running some errands in the area, we decided to stop in and give them a try.

The outside of the building doesn’t really prepare you for what you’ll find inside.  The exterior is unassuming and looks like any one of the hundreds of strip mall pubs in the greater Indianapolis area.

Walking inside, all I could think of was….”WOW!”.  It’s obvious upon entering where the name comes from, for the decor is all about heroes.  Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers, Medics, and more…pictures and artifacts all over the walls.

And, for the kids, there’s an extensive display of comic book heroes…Superman, Batman, and more.  It bills itself as a “family pub” and they have certainly set a high mark for other family pubs.  There truly is something for everyone to look at here.

There’s a bar on one side of the restaurant, and family dining on the other.  It’s all non smoking, but I DO believe that smoking is allowed on the outdoor patio.

Of course, interesting and cool decor doesn’t always make for a memorable dining experience.  Would the food stand up to the atmosphere?

C.R. Hero’s calls it’s breaded tenderloin the “Hoosier Daddy”…with a name like that, I had high hopes.

I wasn’t disappointed.

They advertise their Hoosier Daddy as being hand breaded and hand tenderized, and the attention to care and detail shows from the first bite.  The meat is wonderfully tender and moist, and the breading is just perfect.  Nice and crispy, and it perfectly compliments the taste of the meat.  AND, the breading stayed crisp throughout the life of the sandwich, neither the breading nor the bun got soggy.

The bun was nicely toasted and the condiments were delivered as ordered.  One thing out of the ordinary for this sandwich…it’s served with garlic mayo.  The server also brought me regular mayo, in case I didn’t care for the garlic mayo, but I have to say the garlic mayo is fantastic..although I realize it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.  But it worked, and worked well, for me.

C.R. Hero’s breaded tenderloin sandwich sells for $8.95, and that includes a hearty side of fries.  I chose to upgrade my fries to Onion Rings for $1.00, and it was well worth it.  Perhaps not the absolute BEST rings I’ve ever had, but they were very good rings indeed.

I’m going to give C.R. Hero’s tenderloin a 5 out of 5 bites…as good as it gets.  This one is a winner, folks, and stacks up well against an tenderloin in the Midwest.

C.R. Hero’s has a very extensive menu.  Holly chose the Italian Beef sandwich and raved about how good it was.  We’ll certainly go back…and I suspect we’ll be going back often.  The atmosphere and service made for an outstanding visit.

You can view their website, along with their complete menu,  here.

C. R. Hero’s is located at 10570 E 96th Street, in Fishers.

Don and Dona’s Restaurant, Franklin, Indiana

Don and Dona’s restaurant is located in historic Franklin, Indiana.  We were there to see “A Christmas Story” in the restored Artcraft Theater with friends, and popped in to Don and Dona’s for lunch before the show.
Don and Dona’s is decorated with local art and memorabilia, and has quite an extensive menu, with daily specials.  Their menu consists of plate lunches,  sandwiches, a steak or two, and a full breakfast menu.  Their prices are quite reasonable, with most specials  including 2 sides, in the $7.95 range.  My dining companions chose the Fried Chicken special and also the Chicken Fried Steak special, and both rated them as very good.  Both also RAVED about their mashed potatos, which, apparently, are legendary.

They feature their breaded tenderloin quite prominently on their menu, and it comes in two sizes, a single and a double.  The single is $5.95 and comes with chips, and the double is $7.95, also with chips.  For an additional charge, you can add fries or onion rings, or for a bit more you can add two sides, which is what I did. I added a salad and onion rings.  I must say that the side salads was one of the best I’ve ever had..loaded with cheese, different kinds of greens, and more.

Their menu says this about the sandwich:  “our tenderloins are cut and tenderized daily, and we guarantee “no fat”.

That certainly seemed to be the case.  The meat itself was top notch..tasty, moist, and fresh, and there was nary a hint of fat or gristle in the meat.  One of the best cuts of meat I’ve ever had…I would not hesitate at all to give the meat itself a 5 out of 5…outstanding.

The breading? Not so much.  Although the meat to breading ratio was perfect, the taste of the breading was…bland.  That’s the only word I can think of to describe it.  The texture was great, with enough, yet not TOO much crunch, but…there was just no taste to it.
There were a couple of other issues that downgrade the rating of this sandwich.  1, the bun isn’t toasted, and, 2,  they skimped on the condiments.  I asked for onion, as always, and instead of a slice of onion, I got two little rings.

Overall, I’m going to give Don and Dona’s breaded tenderloin sandwich a 3 out of 5.  Above average, but just barely.  It’s too bad..with just a little work and a little more attention to detail, it’d be the cream of the crop.

I certainly WILL go back to Don and Dona’s.   The atmosphere is comfortable, the service is simply outstanding, and the prices are reasonable.  It merits a return visit, but next time, I’ll choose something else off of the menu.

Don and Dona’s is located at 18 E Jefferson Street in Franklin, Indiana.  It’s an all ages restaurant with a kids menu for families.

Bertee’s Sports Cafe’, Fortville, Indiana

Holly and I were doing some geocaching yesterday  when we came upon Bertee’s, near Fortville, Indiana.

Neither of us had ever been here, or even heard of it, for that matter.
It’s kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and I don’t recall ever seeing
them advertised.

Bertee’s bills itself as a “family friendly sports cafe’ ” and they’ve hit
it spot on.  There are two sections, family dining, and a pub side, and both of them are non smoking.  Both sides offer miltiple large screen TVs, and there were several families in there watching the Colts when we visited.

Let me say up front that I LOVE this concept…a family pub.  There’s a nicely appointed game room, live music on the weekends, sports all the time, and aways some menu special for the kids.  The atmosphere is pleasantly noisy
and busy without being overwhelming.

We were greeted by a host and promptly seated, and our service throughout the meal was nothing short of outstanding.

Looking through their menu, their speciality seems to be pizza and wings. They also have a full compliment of sandwiches, salads, and steaks on their menu.

 

And, they have a breaded tenderloin on their menu, so that’s what I ordered!

The first thing that I noticed is that the sandwich is HUGE…and THIN.
Matter of fact, far too thin for my liking.  It’s pounded out near paper
thin, and that’s the problem with this sandwich.  It’s so thin, I really
never could get a good taste of meat, it’s near all breading.  I can’t give
the flavor of the meat a fair shake, because I never got enough of it in a
bite to really taste it.

The breading was pretty…well, average.  It was nice and crunchy, but there was nothing that set it apart from a thousand other tenderloins out there.

On the plus side, the sandwich is very large and filling, and the price is right..  $7.99 and that includes your choice of fries or chips.  The fries were really very good…the high point of my meal. There were plenty of condiments, and the sandwich was served exactly as I ordered it.
On the minus side…it was far too thin, and perhaps just a bit overdone. It wasn’t a bad sandwich, it just wasn’t a  great sandwich.  As we left, I told Holly I was “full, but not satisfied”.  I’m going to give Bertee’s breaded tenderloin sandwich a 2.5 out of 5 bites…just average.
If you’re not searching specifically for a great tenderloin, I AM going to recommend you visit Bertee’s for some pizza, or wings, or even a steak.  The service is well above average, and the atmosphere is quite fun.  A family could have a lot of fun here, and we will visit again to watch the game with friends.

I’ll pass on the tenderloin, though.

Bertee’s is located at 10462 Olio Road in Fortville, Indiana.  You can also
visit their website here.