A Little of This and a Little of That...

Locks & Dam #15
Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island, IL

The is nothing quite like the evening in the Midwest for all the fireflies/lighting bugs blinking in the gathering darkness.  Arizona is a little short on lightning bugs.  Growing up in Muscatine gave me the chance to spend an evening just watching the little guys/girls light up all around us.  It is great to see them again. Did you know that the lightning bug is actually a member of the beetle family?  According to the Wikipedia: "They are winged beetles commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their use of bioluminescence, as the evening turns dark, to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or untraviolet frequencies."  It's pretty technical for something so cool.

While the locks outside the Mississippi River Visitor Center are primarily used for commercial barge traffic, they are also capable of dealing with smaller vessels.

 Three folks traveling down river in their canoe.  Heading out for a holiday?

Or how about an adventurous sort...

Her name is Janet Moreland and she is traveling by kayak in an attempt to complete, source to ocean, the Missouri River, the Mississippi River and the Yukon River, the three longest rivers in North America.  The Mississippi is her second river in the list.  She is traveling the length of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.  She completed the length of the Missouri River beginning on April 24, 2013, from the source of the Missouri River in Brower Spring, Montana, to the Gulf of Mexico.  She arrived at the Gulf of Mexico on December 5, 2013, about seven and a half months later.  You can follow along on her Facebook Page  (LoveYourBigMuddy Expedition) or on her web log/blog 1woman3greatrivers.  On this paddle down the Mississippi River, she began her journey on May 24, 2016, at the source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in Northern Minnesota and hopes to complete her trip to the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the summer.  She paddled through Lock #15 on June 20th.

I still haven't gotten any suggestions for this summer's search.  Last summer I was on the Pork Tenderloin Trail searching for the Ultimate Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.  This summer I asked for suggestions for my 2016 Summer Search.  Not one reader offered any suggestions!  Let me know your thoughts.

Until next time...........

It's Summer Again Along the Mississippi...

Locks and Dam #15
Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island, IL

Lock & Dam #14 at Sunset

It is Summer Again Along the Mississippi.  I am back in Illinois and Iowa for another summer, working as a volunteer at the Mississippi River Visitors Center at Locks and Dam #15 on the Rock Island Arsenal.  I was here last summer working the same job, as a tour guide and knowitall for the Corps of Engineers at the Visitors Center.  I arrived back in the Quad Cities on May 21st and moved into my campground space, #20, at Fisherman's Corner Campground.  My wife, Deborah, flew back to Phoenix on the 22nd.

And so the summer goes.  Working three days a week, mostly weekends, so far, and spending my free time getting acquainted, again, with the area.  There have been some changes here since last summer.  The Maid Rite shop, close to my HyVee grocery store in Bettendorf (IA), closed.  I have been reduced to finding other Maid Rite shops to enjoy my Iowa, loose meat sandwich fix.  There are a couple of other Maid Rite shops in the Quad Cities but I have journeyed farther afield for my Maid Rites.  I ate in the shop in Muscatine and the shop in Durant (IA).  For your poor folks who have no idea what a Maid Rite sandwich is, you are so deprived.  Maid Rites are a loose meat (ground beef) sandwich which originated in Muscatine, IA.  The company was founded by Fred Angell in 1926.  The sandwiches were a blend of ground beef and various spices and were the go-to sandwich when I was growing up in Muscatine.  The Angell family sold the business some years ago but the corporation is still based in Iowa (Des Moines) and the restaurants are still selling the sandwiches.

Another change for those folks living the area around or planning to visit the Quad Cities are new security measures implemented by the Army for visiting the Rock Island Arsenal.  Everyone 18 years or older must approach the Arsenal from the Moline (IL) side and go to the Visitor Control office (follow the signs) for a temporary pass to come on to the Arsenal.  If you are from Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri or Washington your driver's licenses are not US Government approved, so you will need some other form of identification (passport, auto registration showing name and address, social security card, Military ID, etc) to get your pass.  It only takes about 5 minutes to accomplish the task.  Get your pass and come tour the Lock and Dam and get a view of the river traffic.

Last summer, while I was working/volunteering here, I was on the search for the Ultimate Pork Tenderloin sandwich.  In each blog episode, I reviewed for you folks, my trek along the Pork Tenderloin Trail and discussed my subjective opinion of the Pork Tenderloin sandwiches I had eaten (or tried to eat) in that week.  Many blog readers have asked me how the search went.  I have been asked if I had a winner.  Well, I do have a winner.  I found, in my opinion, the best Pork Tenderloin sandwich ever.

Before I announce the winner (Best Sandwich) of the Ultimate Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, let me recap the information on sandwich styles and some of the favored sandwiches and a couple of the dregs (bottom of the heap).  Essentially there are three (3) Pork Tenderloin sandwich styles; grilled, breaded or battered.  The breaded and battered styles are deep fried and the grilled style, well, it's grilled.  The grilled Pork Tenderloin sandwiches are fairly rare.  I believe I ate only four grilled Pork Tenderloin sandwiches on my search.  Breaded, for the most part, is what many folks believe is the standard for Pork Tenderloin sandwiches.  I disagree.  For me, if the sandwich is tender, juicy and flavorful, it doesn't make any difference whether it is breaded, grilled or battered.   Good is good.  Bad is bad.  And in at least one instance bad was so bad that I sent the sandwich back to the kitchen and ordered something else.  The word atrocious comes to mind.

For the entire search, I was comparing and analyzing each sandwich with the first Pork Tenderloin sandwich that I had eaten in the recent past.  That sandwich was eaten a Morg's Diner in Waterloo, IA.

Morg's Diner

It became the standard by which I looked at each subsequent sandwich.  Which was better, Morg's or this one.  For most of the sandwiches I ate last summer, Morg's was the hands down best.  However, there were some excellent contenders.  Morg's sandwich was a breaded Pork Tenderloin.  I ate the sandwich at Morg's in the summer of 2014, when my wife and I visited Iowa.  When I returned for the summer of 2015 and began my search for the Ultimate Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Morg's sandwich is what I remembered.  One caution if you are heading to Morg's Diner (520 Mulberry St, Waterloo, IA 50703) for a Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, Morg's is only open for breakfast and lunch and they only accept cash for payment.  By the way, Morg's was great but not the overall Best Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.

So, here are the results of my search.  The best grilled Pork Tenderloin sandwich was eaten at the 11th Street Precinct (2108 E 11th St, Davenport, IA 52803) restaurant in the Village of East Davenport. 

11th Street Precinct

11th Street Precinct

This particular sandwich is the Tenderloin Melt which includes the side (I ordered cole slaw) and came with swiss cheese on grilled sourdough bread.  It was absolutely splendid.  I have returned more than once for a repeat lunch/dinner.

The top pick for the battered Pork Tenderloin sandwich was eaten at the Midtown Marina in East Dubuque, IL (285 5th St, East Dubuque, IL 61025).  The restaurant is downstairs from the marina offices and is a full service restaurant and bar. 

Midtown Marina

Midtown Marina

This sandwich met all of my criteria for tender, juicy, and full of flavor.  This was a great sandwich.  The only reason I haven't had another is that I haven't been back to the Dubuque area since I left last summer.  I do plan to return to the marina for another sandwich.
A close second for the battered Pork Tenderloin sandwich category is TC's Point After restaurant in Dewitt, IA, (719 6th Ave, DeWitt, IA 52742). This was another excellent battered Pork Tenderloin sandwich.

TC's Point After

And the breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwiches had the greatest range of good and bad sandwiches.  The absolute best breaded Pork Tenderloin, in the Midwest, is from Big Dave & Holly's in Le Claire, IA, (1204 N Cody Rd, Le Claire, IA 52753).

Big Dave & Holly's

Big Dave & Holly's

This sandwich is the #1 breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwich that I ate while in the Quad Cities area.  It was juicy, very tender and had lots of flavor.  I have been back more than once to enjoy the sandwich.  As an aside, Big Dave & Holly's also has a grilled Pork Tenderloin sandwich, but it is not nearly as tasty as the breaded sandwich.

I know I am going to get some grief for my selection of the best Pork Tenderloin sandwich.  However, I am so impressed with the selection, I don't care about the naysayers out there.  The best/ultimate Pork Tenderloin sandwich that I ate during my search along the Pork Tenderloin Trail was in Phoenix, AZ, at the TEXAZ Grill (6003 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016).  A friend of mine, who had been following the blog, had said that the best Pork Tenderloin sandwich he had ever eaten was at the TEXAZ Grill.  

TEXAZ Grill

TEXAZ Grill

This was truly the Ultimate Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.  It was very flavorful, very tender, and the sandwich meat was moist and juicy.  I have been back twice since this initial tasting.  While many of the breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwiches are from stacks of frozen, pre-breaded, pork tenderloins, this sandwich was hand cut, pounded for tenderization and hand breaded.  This sandwich is what you hope for when you order a Pork Tenderloin sandwich.

As a side note, the absolute worst Pork Tenderloin sandwich was one of those pre-breaded, cooked from frozen, Pork Tenderloin sandwiches which was served at the Filling Station restaurant in Davenport, IA. 

Filling Station

Filling Station

This sandwich was so awful that after two bites, I returned it to the kitchen for disposal.  My brother-in-law also ordered the sandwich and he sent his back too.  If you are ever in Davenport, IA, and someone suggests eating at the Filling Station...Don't.  Don't eat there.

So, what should I look for this summer...Wineries, Brew Pubs?  There are seven Wine Trails in Iowa and about 25 wineries in Northern Illinois.  Brew pubs abound here.  We have the Great River Brewery in Davenport, IA, and the Bent River Brewery in Moline, IL, and the Green Tree Brewery in Le Claire, IA.  So much to choose from and so little time.

Until the next episode.....!