Linn County Restaurant Wins “Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin” in Iowa

The Iowa Pork Producers have named the 2020 winner of Iowa's Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin, and it comes from PrairieMoon on Main in Prairieburg, just 30 miles from Cedar Rapids. It (photo above) looks delicious!

We'll get back to PrairieMoon on Main in just a second, but congrats to the other top five finishers... the elite among the 390 restaurants around the state that received nominations. The judges voted Birdies, Burgers, and Brews in Graettinger second-best. The Blind Pig in Cedar Rapids, Bents Smokehouse & Pub in Westgate, and Sasquatch Jacks in Waverly will also get plaques for grabbing a spot in the top five. The contest is sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers.

Amy and Loren Lacy opened PrairieMoon on Main in Prairieburg about a year-and-a-half ago. The pair takes their tenderloins very seriously. According to the Iowa Pork Producers, the half-pound loins are cut by a local grocer and run through a tenderizer twice. The loins, which are never frozen, then soak in buttermilk for at least 24 hours before they're bathed in an unseasoned cracker meal, and fried. Amy says their tenderloins aren't pounded, "they stay nice and thick and juicy." Anyone else hungry?

PrairieMoon on Main will get $500 for the win, along with a plaque, and banner to display. Their customers also win. The first 1500 people that purchase a breaded tenderloin at PrairieMoon on Main will get a one-dollar discount, thanks to the Iowa Pork Producers. The restaurant went from selling less than 100 tenderloins in a week prior to being named a finalist to more than 300 each week after that announcement. I'm pretty sure that number is about to go up again. As a tenderloin lover, you can expect to see me soon.