A restaurant in central Iowa is being recognized as having the state’s best breaded pork tenderloin by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. This year’s winner from among more than 300 entries is Buck’s Bar and Grill in Mitchellville. Association spokeswoman Alison Swanson says it’s a big honor and a strict selection process.

There was a preliminary judging of all nominees and the top five were chosen, all five of which were visited in person by the judges. The committee judges the pork tenderloins on taste, physical characteristics and appearance. The restaurant’s owner, Buck Bos, will get a $500 check, a plaque and statewide publicity. Swanson says Bos makes the sandwiches by hand.

“He hammers them out himself at the restaurant about 200 at a time,” she says, “and he uses a cracker blend with buttermilk batter and fries it in oil.” Swanson says Bos sells about 200 of tenderloins every two days. A total of 310 nominations were submitted for this year’s contest and 48 received the required three or more nominations to become finalists. Happy’s Place in Dubuque placed second while honorable mentions went to: CJ’s in Aspinwall, Boonie’s in Earlville and The Gasthaus in Cherokee.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City