What: Wisconsin has cheese curds, brats and beer cheese soup. Minnesota has walleye, hot dish and lutefisk. I grew up in the Midwest so I knew better than to dismiss Indiana as a culinary wasteland. Surely Indianapolis would have some sort of traditional dish?
It took some searching, but eventually I found a contender: The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. Various websites told me that the sandwich, which looks a little like a schnitzel between two buns, has long been popular not only in Indiana, but in Illinois and Iowa. I was skeptical, as I had never seen a pork tenderloin in those states before, but my dad, who accompanied me on the father-daughter trip, sealed the deal. “I remember your grandfather eating tenderloins whenever he came back home,” he said. Ok, then. Breaded pork tenderloin, it is!
Where: While we were at the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame, I asked noted Indy 500 historian Donald Davidson for his ‘loin pick. He steered us to the Mug ‘n’ Bun, a drive-in restaurant in Speedway that’s been around since 1960. It couldn’t have been a better choice. We could have eaten in our car, but the weather was nice so we decided to eat at the outside picnic tables – where you could page your server from a button – instead.
Dress code: On a hot July afternoon, as casual as you can go.
Chowing down: Our table of three, which included my dad and Morgan from the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Bureau, all stuck with the classic. We each ordered a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, with a side of fries to split. I topped mine with lettuce, tomato and pickles.
Libations: The Mug n Bun is known for its homemade root beer that the servers bring out in frosted glasses on a metal tray that can hook up to a car window. I downed the drink before my sandwich arrived – that’s how good it was. It was everything I could do not to take a gallon back to my hotel room.
Verdict: When the sandwich arrived, I was a little stunned by how large it was. It seemed like a schnitzel, only without the sauce.
I took a few bites, then put it down. The meat was pounded too thin, and the breading was too heavy, for me to really taste the pork. And while I love a good fried shrimp or oyster po’boy, I didn’t like the way that the fried cutlet tasted on the bun. I enjoyed the whole thing better once I took the sandwich apart. Overall, though, it seems that I’m not a breaded pork tenderloin fan.
The damage: Gotta love those Midwestern prices. You can get a sandwich and a small root beer for less than $5.
Deets: The Mug n’ Bun doesn’t just have breaded pork tenderloins. Their menu has cheeseburgers, corn dogs, fried seafood dinners, fish and chips and other sandwiches. There’s also a pizza shop in back that also serves up fried chicken.
Thanks to Visit Indy for buying our lunch and providing my trip to Indianapolis!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought that the sandwich was great. Breaded, fried and seasoned. Old shoes would taste good in that 60′s atmosphere.
We could have been eating old shoes, Dad. Hard to tell what kind of meat is under all that breading!
Oh, Chris. Indianapolis is my hometown, but I moved to Senegal, Africa, about a month ago – and my stomach just did a serious happy dance reading this post. I am now harboring an unbelievable craving for fair-type food and a huge root beer. I don’t think I can easily find either in Dakar…
@Rachael – Glad we could provide some good food memories!