The Indiana Tenderloin Chronicles

08/31/2026

You won’t be able to get a tenderloin at this place anymore. Hunter's Place in Elkhart closed up and was knocked down to make room for an overpass at a railroad track. While it was here it was your everyday neighborhood pub where you can hang out with the locals and get all sorts of bar food. I went with some co workers during lunch and they made these up for us. The batter was a little heavy, but it was a credible take on the sandwich. Eminent Domain claimed another tenderloin victim, but Hunters is Elkhart will always remain in the memories from all in Elkhart County.

08/30/2026

For a town of 3,000 Syracuse sure does have a lot of good tenderloin places. They seem have have the most “per capita” of the state. This is another one of those places - South Shore Social on the south side of town serves up a brilliant sandwich. Thick and large, the breading is crunchy and nicely seasoned. It is trimmed well and had no chewy, fatty parts. They also have simulation booths where you can golf, play baseball, co****le, all the sports on a giant indoor screen. We played darts on their hi-tech scoring system. Real darts, real dartboards, no need for chalk and a blackboard. It also records a video when you throw the winning dart - so you can have your victory dance on display for all to watch over again. We didn’t make it on to the patio to hang out and try their outdoor activities, but I’m sure the boys will be begging me to go back in the near future.

08/29/2026

The second tenderloin was another work trip coming back from Indy. This time I stopped in Carmel at Dooley O'Tooles. There weren’t a million pages and sites offering up tenderloin suggestions back in 2021. Except for word-of-mouth, all I had was this old page I found with an Indiana tenderloin trail where half of the restaurants had closed. Luckily Dooley’s was still open and I was treated to another fine specimen of Indiana’s finest sandwich. This one was my introduction to the thin buttery flakey tenderloin. I haven’t been back to Carmel for a full fledged T&T blog… yet… But I need to get back here sometime.

08/28/2026

This was the first tenderloin I had when the blog started. I was coming home from Indy and some guys had suggested stopping at One Eyed Jack's Winamac. This was not the Winamac T&T blog, but just a stop to try one. Little did I know this would be the first of many. I’m pretty sure I only ate half and took the rest home for the air fryer.

08/11/2026

The Leftovers: Rensselaer, IN:
These are the pics that didn’t make it into the blog. Click the pic for description.

08/10/2026

Below is the latest blog for The Tenderloin and the Town. I headed to Rensselaer, IN. Only 16 county seats left until I've finished the north 50!

Visited were Northside Bar & Grill, Brick Street Ice Cream, RenArtWlk, Cup of Joy Cafe, Too, as well as the former locations of the high school and Saint Joseph College.

The TenderloinI’ve had the Northside Bar & Grill on my radar for quite some time. Even on Facebook, I’ve been a follower for a while. A 21 and over bar, this was a reserved visit for when I can make it out by myself. The little structure on the north side (you see where the name comes from) of R...

08/08/2026

Back to Syracuse, IN here to try a tenderloin that a lot of people have been suggesting. Louie's Bar & Grill also has a perfect fresh tenderloin for all to chomp on. It came out piping hot with the buttery, flakey crust. There was some nice wing sauce to eat it with, complemented with homemade chips. Louie’s is a 21+ place, but has a nice patio out back and features bands on the weekends. As of right now, Syracuse has at least 4 places to get a yummy tenderloin - and I’m not done with the list yet.

08/07/2026

The next Tenderloin and the Town blog will feature Rensselaer, IN. I stopped off at Northside Bar & Grill to get the tenderloin. Here is a quick preview. Be sure to keep watch in the next week to read the whole write-up of the tenderloin as well as other activities in the town of Rensselaer.

08/06/2026

I had a meeting down in West Lafayette at Purdue and quickly stopped for lunch at The Tap - West Lafayette for their tenderloin. I couldn’t have been more impressed. A fresh hand breaded loin came out. The beading was like a cracker, crunchy and salty… the perfect complement to the juicy thin pork inside. I only wish I had more time to finish it. Although a newer place down on campus, their food is top notch and worthy of a stop, especially the tenderloin.

07/29/2026

Ok Syracuse, I came back for a third tenderloin. This time at the downtown strip where you enter from a gazebo and descend the stairs to find Down Under Restaurant. This may be the most unique place to get one at, but it is also top quality. Thick loin and some seasoned crispy breading makes an excellent sandwich. The place itself is one of a kind. It’s a basement, nice bar, over a hundred bottles of whisky , fish tank… it’s like your grandpa’s old basement.

But seriously, Syracuse, 3/3 on tenderloins. Are you the Indiana tenderloin capital of the north?