Search for the Best Loose Meat - The Garden Cafe

The Garden Cafe claims to be the Home of the Ye Old Tavern since 1926. How ever this is a misnomer. The Ye Old Tavern was the original restaurant in the building The Garden Cafe now occupies. The Garden Cafe has not been around in this location since 1926. The Ye Old Tavern restaurant is also where the loose meat was first created and was called the Ye Old Tavern Tavern.. The year of 1926 is also a misnomer because the sandwich was actually created in 1924. The original recipe has been lost to time, so calling the Ye Old Tavern is also a misnomer. Some may consider these misnomers to be "false advertising".

The Garden Cafe does offer both dine in an carry out orders plus they have a drive up window. With the exception of modern roofing and siding the outside design has remained largely unchanged and there is plenty of off street parking. The interior is a very nice, clean and pleasant atmosphere. Patrons wait to be seated and are seated right away. The service is excellent, prompt, courteous, professional and friendly.

The Sept. 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine listed The garden Cafe's tavern sandwich as the best in Iowa. The article was not able to be found online, just this: The Garden Cafe The article must have been in hard copy only. This article: These loosemeats have staying power speaks of someone the owner of The Garden Cafe knew that stated the recipe now used is very close to the taste of the original tavern.

There is also a You tube video of how The Garden Cafe makes their tavern sandwiches:



While it does not appear The Garden Cafe's tavern sandwiches are made the traditional way of steaming the beef as they are supposed to be made, this may upset and frustrate loose meat sandwich purists, the sandwiches are indeed loose meat's. But they do toe the line with adding ketchup, mustard and another type of sauce as they cook the meat.

The sandwich is served on a corn dusted bun that is toasted, making the bun unique. No condiments are put on the sandwich. It is up to the consumer to add them if he or she wishes. It does come with pickles on the side. The heal of the bun does get a bit mushy. The sandwiches are not portable in the sense they could easily be consumed in a moving vehicle. Too much meat would fall out if trying to do so. The flavor was very good. It was lacking in the slightly greasy flavor which may be because of the sugar added to the recipe. The flavor was well blended. One part of the flavor did not over power another.

The biggest loss in points is because of the misnomers with claiming The Garden Cafe is home to the Ye Old Tavern since 1926. The year is wrong and the original recipe is lost. A few points are lost because the heal of the bun becomes mushy in the middle, there is not enough of the slightly greasy flavor, plus it is not truly steamed as a loose meat purist would like.

Total points: 94. I will return to The Garden Cafe and continue to enjoy their tavern sandwiches.

Previous Articles:
Search for the best Loose Meat - Starting Over
Search for the best Loose Meat - How a Tavern Shall be Made
Search for the best Loose Meat - History
Search for the best Loose Meat - Billy Boy Drive Thru
Search for the best Loose Meat - Jitters
Search for the best Loose Meat - Riverside Dairy Queen
Search for the best Loose Meat - Little Chicago Deli and Grill
Search for the best Loose Meat - Who's in First?

Search for the best Loose Meat - History

Chronology:

1920 - The steamed hamburger is created in Missoula, Montana by Carroll Dietz. *

1924 - Dave Higgin created the tavern sandwich in 1924 at his restaurant, Ye Old Tavern.

1926 - Muscatine resident and founder of the Maid Rite restaurant franchise created his version of the loose meat sandwich.

1927 - The Maid Rite restaurant chain is established.

1934 - Abraham, or Abe Kaled purchased Ye Old Tavern, renamed it Ye Olde Tavern and created his own formula for the loose meat sandwich, calling it the Ye Olde Tavern Tavern.

Abe and his wife, Bertha sold the sandwiches for a dime each in wax paper without a plate. They originally bought the buns from a local bakery, the Iowa Baking Company, which was later acquired by and renamed as Old Home Bakery. The buns were from then on dual-sourced depending on bread quality. Because of the restaurant's success, imitations started appearing, though they were actually an imitation themselves, based on Dave Higgin's original creation.

Later on, the restaurant went from just serving sandwiches to serving meals also. Abe's sandwich creation was served at fundraisers, churches, restaurants, and bars in and around the greater tri-state and Sioux City area.

Bertha sold the taverns at an event called Tavern Days, Ye Olde Tavern Day which served 875 people in less than two hours. Their children helped at the restaurant when Bertha became ill. The restaurant closed in 1974 because of Bertha's failing health; none of their children were interested in operating it.

At some point during its history Ye Olde Tavern sold the recipe for their famous tavern sandwich to the owner of Coney Island. Coney Island has been using it ever since. They currently use it for their tavern or loose meat sandwiches at the Hamilton Blvd location.

1974 -  Ye Olde Tavern closed. Some time after 1974 Gus's Family restaurant opened in the building at 14th and Jackson Streets in Sioux City, Iowa Ye Olde Tavern occupied. Gus's had their own recipe of the tavern sandwich.

April 2012 - Gus's Family Restaurant closed. Ending another era of tavern sandwiches. a new restaurant will open in the same location. It is unknown as to whether or not they will serve tavern or loose meat sandwiches.

2012 - 2013 - The Garden Cafe opened in the same building that housed the original Ye Olde Tavern and Gus's Family Restaurant.

* There is no document proof the loose meat, or steamed hamburger sandwich was created in Missoula, Montana in 1920, predating when it was first created in Sioux City, Iowa by Dave Higgin. There is documented proof it was first created in Sioux City in 1924. Inquiries have been made, to historical organizations, asking for proof showing it was first created in Montana in 1920. Such proof has yet to surface. Until then 1924 will stand as the year the loose meat or tavern was first invented in Sioux City, Iowa by Dave Higgin.


Previous Articles:
Search for the best Loose Meat - Starting Over
Search for the best Loose Meat - How a Tavern Shall be Made

Search for the Best Loose Meat Sandwich in Siouxland: Fall of 2012

Three more places that serve loose meat sandwiches have been discovered in late October and early November. After taste testing 2 sandwiches from each establishment here are the results:

HyVee Kitchen
HyVee is a grocery food store on Hamilton Blvd in Sioux City. HyVee has a kitchen that sells prepared food as meals to customers. Every so often they serve tavern or loose meat sandwiches.

Results of HyVee's tavern sandwich taste test:
Bun - Rating: 4 points. The bun was a bit dry.

Meat - Rating:  3 points. The meat had very good moisture. But was too salty. there was a hint of other spices in the meat but it was very subtle due to the salt content. The salt content needs to be reduced or the amount of the other spices increased.

Condiments/Toppings - Rating: 5 points. The proportion of ketchup, mustard and pickles were perfect

Total score: 12 points out of 15 possible.

The Garden Cafe
The Garden Cafe is what Gus's Family Restaurant used to be. Gus's closed and The Garden Cafe opened. It is in the same building where the tavern or loose meat sandwich was first created. The original restaurant was called Ye Old Tavern and the sandwich was named Ye Old Tavern Tavern. The proprietor of the Garden Cafe claims the original recipe used by the person who invented the original tavern sandwich is being used to make their tavern sandwiches. There is currently no proof to back this claim up. Proof of the original authentic recipe from the creator of the original tavern sandwich would have to be something that is authored and signed by that person. But the Garden Cafe's tavern sandwich did make it into a magazine called Food Network Magazine as the best in all of Iowa.

Results of The Garden Cafe's tavern sandwich taste test:
Bun - Rating: 5 points. The bun is perfect size for the amount of meat and is toasted.

Meat - Rating:  4 points. The meat had a perfect blend of spices and great flavor. But it was a little too dry.

Condiments/Toppings - Rating: 5 points. The proportion of ketchup, mustard and pickles were perfect. An interesting option that was not used was mayo. on the side.

Total score: 14 points out of 15 possible.

Bob Roe's Point After
Bob Roe's Point After, or The Point After as it is most often called was founded in 1982 and opened at its current location in 1991. During the lunch hour she service tavern sandwiches.

Results of Bob Roe's Point After tavern sandwich taste test:
Bun - Rating: 5 points. The bun is perfect size for the amount of meat.

Meat - Rating:  5 points. The meat had a perfect blend of spices and great flavor. It also has chopped onion mixed in.

Condiments/Toppings - Rating: 5 points. The proportion of ketchup, mustard and pickles were perfect.

Total score: Perfect score of 15 points!

Note: for these 3 tavern sandwich taste tests the ketchup and mustard was added by the tester.

To Date rankings of all loose meat or tavern sandwiches tested:

Tied for 1st Place - Coney Island and Bod Roe's Point After with a perfect score of 15 points.
Tied for 2nd Place - Billy Boy, Miles Inn and the Garden Cafe with 14 points.
Tied for 3rd Place - Tastee Inn and Out and Ali's Good Time Grill with 13 points.
4th Place: HyVee Kitchen on Hamilton Blvd with 12 points.
5th Place -  Culver's with 9 points.
6th Place - Dairy Queen with 8 points.

Previous articles:
Search for the Best Loose Meat in Sioux City
Search for the Best Loose Meat in Sioux City: Update
History of the Loose Meat or Tavern Sandwich
Search for the Best Loose Meat in Sioux City: Update Continued
Search for the Best Loose Meat in Siouxland: 10/6/2012