This beloved Indiana sandwich is a staple in every Indiana State Fair diet, Indy diner menu, and Hoosier heart. This sandwich was believed to have originated from Nick’s Kitchen, a 1908-gem that can be still visited today in Huntington, Indiana.
The sandwich has not deviated much from its original roots. The pork tenderloin sandwich is typically made by pounding pieces of pork lion to the desired thinness with a meat mallet. The next step involves dipping the meat into a combination of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and deep frying. Of course, no pork tenderloin sandwich is complete without a disproportionately small bun and delicious condiments. Some pork tenderloin sandwiches are even the size of dinner plates!
To fully celebrate this illustrious sandwich, Hoosiers have created Indy Tenderloin Week spanning from April 23-29th. Those wanting to eat can attend a participating restaurant and purchase a tenderloin sandwich for just $5.00. What could be better than that? If that was not enough, “20% of all registrations fees and Sponsorships will be given directly to Second Helpings.” Second Helpings seeks to alleviate hunger issues and provide culinary job training to Indianapolis communities.
If you are interested in satisfying your cravings for Hoosier culinary fare, check out one of these participating restaurants in Indy Tenderloin Week.
- Bearcats Bar & Grill Restaurant
- Big Lug Canteen
- Bill O’Neal’s Pub & Eatery
- Broad Ripple Brewpub
- Café at the Prop
- Clustertruck
- Ember Urban Eatery
- Hoosier Brewhouse
- Hops & Fire Craft Tap House
- HopCat
- Oasis Diner
- Redemption Alewerks
- Sahm’s Place
- Sahm’s Tavern
- Sahm’s West Clay
- Shoefly Public House
- The Ram
- Tride & True Alehouse
- Whiskey Business
Which delicious place should you choose, you ask? To answer this question, there is only one person qualified to answer. Rick Garret is a self-proclaimed “Tenderloin Connoisseur.” The Chicago Tribune labeled him, “our country’s most fastidious chronicler of the Indiana breaded pork tenderloin.” Having eaten and reviewed over 120 Hoosier tenderloin sandwiches, we feel he is a well-qualified sage. We encourage you to check out his well-researched website to learn a little more about some of the restaurants listed above. https://breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com/
My mouth is watering just writing this article. I cannot wait to try out one of these tenderloin sandwiches during Indy Tenderloin Week!
Find out more at: http://indytenderloinweek.com/#tenderloins.
