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

Search for the Best Loose Meat in Siouxland: 10/6/2012

The search for the best loose meat sandwich continues. Recently the blog author found a place to try one at an unexpected location.

In Sioux City, Iowa during the weekend of October 6th and 7th, 2012 the 9th Annual Riverssance or Renaissance Fair took place. At the festival were food vendors. One of these vendors was Ali's Good time Grill. Loose meat sandwiches were among the menu items.

The blog author tried one. Here are the results:

Ali's Good Time Grill is a privately owned and operated food vendor who sells food from their menu at events like fairs and festivals.

Bun - Rating: 4 points. Very good thickness for the proportion of meet and condiments but it was a little dry and was not toasted.

Meat - Rating:  4 points. The meat had very good moisture, indicating it was properly steamed and not too much of the fat was drained. It had a hint of pepper and other spices blended in very well. It did not soak into the bun as to make it mushy.

Condiments/Toppings - Rating: 5 points. The proportion of ketchup, mustard, onions and relish were perfect. The relish was a very nice change compared to pickles. The onions were nice and crisp.

Total score: 13 points out of 15 possible.

 The ranking is from first to last:


1st Place - Coney Island with 15 points.
Tied for 2nd Place - Billy Boy and Miles Inn with 14 points.
Tied for 3rd Place - Tastee Inn and Out and Ali's Good time Grill with 13 points.
4th Place -  Culver's with 9 points.
5th Place - Dairy Queen with 8 points.

Here are the previous articles on the search for the best loose meat sandwich:
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 Sioux City: Update Continued

The search for the best loose meat sandwich in Sioux City continues. Recent developments in the search have caused a shift in the standings. Per this blog article Gus's Family Restaurant: Search for the Best Loosemeat in Sioux City  had the best and Maid Rite second to last. With the recent closings of Gus's and Maid Rite, mentioned in this article: Search for the Best Loosemeat Sandwich in Sioux City, Iowa: UPDATE Billy Boy Long Island Loosemeat and Miles Inn Charlie Boy are tied for first place.

 The scoring for the loose meat sandwich was based on 5 stars, one being the lowest, with an average for the overall score. Three parts of the sandwich are scored: bun, meat and condiments/toppings. The scoring has now changed to the highest possible score being the total sum of points from each of the 3 parts of the loose meat, 5 points each, with the maximum possible score of 15 points.

Recently this blogger had the pleasure of taste testing 2 more loose meat or tavern sandwiches: Culver's and Coney Island. Two sandwiches from each establishment were tested.

Here are the results, in the order tested:


Culver's:
Culver's is a franchise restaurant. The tavern may only be made locally and not available everywhere.

Bun - Rating: Half a point. Both halves of the bun were way too thick Thicker than 2 slices of Texas toast. The bun was way too dry and crumbled apart. This blogger could not finish the bun form the second sandwich, but did finish consuming the meat.

Meat - Rating:  3.5 points. The meat had very good moisture, indicating it was properly steamed and not too much of the fat was drained. It did not soak into the bun as to make it mushy. The meat had a good blend of spices, but was too heavy on the pepper. With the onion mixed in with the meat it did not need as much pepper.

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

Total score: 9 points out of 15 possible

Coney Island:











The Coney Island in Sioux City has been in business for over 90 years. Today along with serving their famous hotdogs they serve loose meat or tavern sandwiches.  

Bun - Rating: 5 points. The bun very well made. Was not too: dry, moist, thick or thin. It is unknown where Coney Islands purchases the buns used for their loose meat sandwiches, but other places that serve loose meats should find out and purchase from the same vendor.

Meat - Rating: 5 points. What ever ingredients are used in the secret recipe Coney Island purchased from Ye Olde Tavern, it is perfect. All the flavors that should be part of the meat are there. The meat, fat and spices are perfectly blended. The meat is perfectly moist, but not so much it turns the bun mushy and not too dry it falls out of the bun and will not hold together. As it hits the tongue it comes apart and all the flavors come to life on the taste buds.

Condiments/Toppings - 5 points. Perfect blend of ketchup, mustard, onion and pickle. One condiment or topping did not over power another and the combination added the great flavor of the meat.

Total score: 15 points out of 15 possible.

As previously mentioned the over all scoring for the loose meat and tavern sandwiches was based on an average of the total score. With the new scoring system here is how the now rank, including Culver's and Coney Island. The ranking is from first to last:

1st Place - Coney Island with 15 points.
Tied for 2nd Place - Billy Boy and Miles Inn with 14 points.
3rd Place - Tastee Inn and Out with 13 points.
4th Place -  Culver's with 9 points.
5th Place - Dairy Queen with 8 points.

Because of the tie between Billy Boy and Miles Inn they will have to be re-tested to see who scores higher. 

History of the Loose Meat or Tavern Sandwich

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.

* 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.

Definition of a tavern or loose meat sandwich:
 The term loose meat is generic and encompasses pretty much all forms and styles of the sandwich. It is more commonly known as the tavern, a tavern has to be made a certain way for it to be defined as a tavern.

Here is Wikipedia's definition: Wikipedia: Tavern Sandwich

Here is another more accurate definition: ground beef prepared loose, not formed into a pattie, scooped onto a bun, typically with an ice cream scoop and topped with, but not limited to: mustard, ketchup, onion, pickle, even cheese and bacon. Tavern meat, when cooked right, should have 2 distinct tastes: 1. seasoned, steamed beef. 2. a light greasy taste. A true tavern NEVER has any sort of sauce or gravy added to it, whether tomato based or otherwise. Once a sauce is added the sandwich is no longer a tavern and CANNOT be called such. One other thing a true tavern or loose meat NEVER has mixed in with the meat  is rice. Once rice is added, it stops being a tavern or loose meat is becomes something else entirely.

Search for the Best Loosemeat Sandwich in Sioux City, Iowa: UPDATE

One year ago the blog author tested as many loose meat sandwiches in Sioux City as he could. Sioux City is  where the loose meat sandwich was invented in the 1920's. The results are posted here: Search for the Best Loose Meat in Sioux City

Since April of 2011 there have been some changes in Sioux City regarding which establishment serves the best in the city. Two of the restaurants have closed, Maid Rite and Gus's Family Restaurant. It is unknown if Maid Rite will reopen. Gus's was bought by a new owner and will reopen on April 14, 2012 with new staff as the Garden City Cafe. It is unknown if they will continue to serve the loose meat sandwich.

Until such time that Maid Rite reopens, if ever, and until it is known whether or not the new Garden City Cafe will serve loose meat sandwiches the results of the taste test have changed.

Here are the standings as of April 2012:

Results for best loose meat in Sioux City:
Tied for 1st Place: Billy Boy, Long Island Loosemeat and Miles Inn, Charlie Boy:
Billy Boy Drive Thru
Billy Boy on Facebook

                                     



















Charlie Boy on Facebook



 










 



























2nd Place: Tastee Inn and Out, Cheese Tastee:
 Tastee Inn and Out on Facebook

 










3rd place and dead last: Dairy Queen:
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen on Facebook


 








The history and origins of the creation of the loose meat sandwich have been called into question. Some claim it was first created in Missoula, Montana in 1920, 4 years prior to its creation in Sioux City, Iowa. This blogger has seen such information on the Internet alluding to this. This blogger has also made an inquiry, by contacting historical groups in Montana to confirm whether or not this is true. Until such time when evidence, such as documented proof, presents itself to the contrary the historical fact remains, backed up by documented proof this blogger has personally seen in Sioux City, Iowa, that the loose meat or tavern sandwich was created in Sioux City, Iowa in 1924 at Ye Old Tavern Restaurant located at 14th and Jackson Streets and was originally called the Ye Old Tavern Tavern.

Search for the best loose meat in Sioux City

Sometimes when out riding bike this blogger needs to stop and eat. Whether it is in the middle of a long ride or to grab a bite while commuting to work. Some of this blog authors favorite places are those that serve loose meat sandwiches or taverns. The loose meat was created right here in Sioux City, Iowa in 1924.

The term loose meat is generic and encompasses pretty much all forms and styles of the sandwich. It is more commonly known as the tavern, a tavern has to be made a certain way for it to be defined as a tavern.

The definition of a loose meat or tavern is: ground beef prepared loose, not formed into a pattie, scooped onto a bun, typically with an ice cream scoop and topped with, but not limited to: mustard, ketchup, onion, pickle, even cheese and bacon. Tavern meat, when cooked right, should have 2 distinct tastes: 1. seasoned, steamed beef. 2. a light greasy taste. A true tavern NEVER has any sort of sauce or gravy added to it, whether tomato based or otherwise. Once a sauce is added the sandwich is no longer a tavern and CANNOT be called such.

This blogger, inspired by this story, Battle of the loose meats in the Weekender decided to judge for himself which is the best loose meat in the Siouxland area. The story explains the history and fame of the loose meat and where in Siouxland and other places in the world the can be found and savored by those who love eating them.

The 3 judges from the article only tested loose meat's from Miles Inn, Maid Rite, Tastee Inn and Out and Gus's Family Restaurant. This blogger did the same and included Dairy Queen and Billy Boy.

A perfect tavern should have 3 things:
1. A bun that is not too thick, too thin, too dry or too soft. The typical bun is made with white flour. But can be made with wheat and other types of grain. The bun should be baked as to not allow all of the moisture of the meat and condiments to be soaked into the bun to make it too mushy or be so dry it falls apart. The bun can have sesame seeds on it but should not be too large.

2. Condiments and toppings that are well proportioned together. There is no limit to various condiments or toppings, as everyone has their favorite. But one condiment or topping should not over power another. Condiments and toppings can include, but are not limited to: ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion, cheese and bacon. Sloppy Joe sauce or gravy sauces are NOT condiments as sauces are mixed with the meat to make a different type of sandwich.

3. The meat should have enough spice to allow for the taste of both the meat and the spice. It should never be bland with no taste from the spices or so much spice there is no flavor from the meat. The meat should also be moist, but not so much that it soaks into the bun to make it mushy and not so dry it falls out of the bun before it can be consumed.

All taverns tested were meat, bun, condiments and toppings as each establishment prepares the sandwich and as ordered by the blogger. Some of the taverns were consumed as dine in and others were carry out, but consumed within 5 or 10 min. The rating is based on 5 stars, 5 being the best. The tavern is made up of 3 parts: bun, condiments and toppings, meat. Each part is rated with an overall rating for the sandwich. A minimum of 2 taverns were purchased from each establishment.

Here are the results:

Dairy Queen:
Date tested - 04/11/2011, Name of loose meat - Tavern, Dine in.
Established - 1940, the Sioux City Riverside location opened in the 1950's.

Bun - Rating: * Bottom half of the bun was way too thick, almost Texas toast thick.

Condiments and toppings - Rating: ***** Excellent proportion of pickles, mustard and ketchup.

Meat - Rating: ** The meat was very bland. Hardly tasted any spices in it. But it was nice and moist, but not so much that it turned the bun mushy.

Over all rating: **1/2. Mainly because of the bun and very bland meat.

Dairy Queen is the only franchised fast food chain, to this bloggers knowledge, that took the tavern international. Not bad for a sandwich created in Sioux City, Iowa. The Dairy Queen Tavern is good for eating on the go. Portability is really good. The sandwich stays together very well because of the moisture in the meat.

Photo -









Links -
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen on Facebook


Maid Rite
Location - 2509 Hamilton Blvd Sioux City, Iowa 51104
Established - 1926. the Sioux City location opened in 2011.

Date tested - 04/12/2011, Name of loose meat - Bacon Cheese Rite, Carry out.

Bun - Rating: ** The bun on one sandwich fell apart as it was being eaten. The other held together ok. The bun on each sandwich was a too dry.

Condiments and toppings - Rating: ** The Bacon Cheese Rite has bacon, cheese, onion, pickle, mustard and ketchup. The bacon should have been crispier and there was too much onion that over powered the other condiments and toppings.

Meat - Rating: **** The meat was too dry and was falling out of the bun despite the melted cheese and other condiments. It did have a good blend of spices and evenly mixed in the meat and the taste was really good.

Overall rating - *** Were it not for the dry bun, non-crispy bacon, over powering onion and meat that is too dry it would have received a higher rating.

Maid Rite was founded in 1926 by Fred Angell in Muscatine, Iowa, 2 years after the original tavern was created in Sioux City, Iowa. The distinct taste of a Maid Rite and perhaps the reason why it is drier than other taverns. Fred invented a unique cut and grind of the meat and mixed a special blend of spices with it. The Maid Rite sandwich is best eaten from a plate and with a spoon handy. It is not well suited for portability. Maid-Rite was the first fast food restaurant to franchise the tavern.

Photo -









Links -
Maid-Rite
Maid-Rite on Facebook


Billy Boy
Location - 2328 riverside Blvd Sioux City, Iowa 51109
Established - 1962
Date tested - 04/12/2011, Name of loose meat - Long Island Loosemeat, Dine in.

Bun - Rating: ***** The bun used was a different twist on the conventional loose meat bun. It is a hot dog bun. It was not dry or too thick.

Condiments and toppings - Rating - ***** A perfect blend of mustard and pickle.

Meat - Rating: **** Perfect moisture, did not make the bun mushy. Stayed together and in the bun. But just a bit too much salt. If the salt is reduced just a little it would be a perfect blend of meat and spices mixed together.

Over all rating - ****1/2 Very, very filling because of the hot dog bun used. This blog author could only finish one and a half. May not work to well if eaten on the go. The bun was over flowing with meat may make portability difficult. Perhaps if the over flow was scooped off with a spoon it would be more portable. Eating a hot dog in a hot dog bun is one thing and more stable. But a loose meat in a hot dog bun may not be as easy, even with the moisture of the meat holding it together.

Photos -














Links -
Billy Boy Drive Thru
Billy Boy on Facebook


Gus's Family Restaurant
Location - 1322 Jackson St Sioux City, Iowa 51105
Established - 1924, Formerly named Ye Old Tavern
Date tested - 04/13/2011, Name of loose meat - Tavern, Carry out.

Bun - Rating: ***** A very nice, large toasted sesame seed bun. Was not dry at all and did not become mushy from the meat. The buttery toasted flavor was very good. Adds an interesting flavor to the tavern.

Condiments and toppings - Rating ***** Gus's does something unique with their toppings and condiments. They mix all, except the pickle and onion in with the meat. It complimented the meat and spices well and was a perfect blend.

Meat - Rating ***** Perfect moisture combined with the spices, condiments and toppings mixed in.

Over all rating - ***** So far this tavern is the best in Siouxland. It was at the Ye Old Tavern, the former name of Gus's, where the tavern was first invented by a line cook. While not the original Ye Old Tavern Tavern recipe it is a good bet Gus's recipe was based on it. Gus's has pretty much perfected their tavern recipe. This blogger thinks the spirit of the original tavern recipe lives on within the walls of Gus's Family Restaurant. Very filling sandwich. This blogger enjoyed 2, each came with fries for a very reasonable price. The fries were not eaten because the taverns are so filling.

Photo -










Tastee Inn and Out
Located - 2610 Gordon Dr Sioux City, Iowa 51106
Established - 1955. Still owned and operated by the original family.

Date tested - 04/20/2011, Name of loose meat - Cheese Tastee, Drive Thru.

Bun - Rating: **** The bottom half of the bun was too thin and became mushy.

Condiments and Toppings - Rating: **** Perfect proportion of pickle, cheese and mustard. But the pickles were not crunchy, they were chewy.

Meat - Rating: ***** The meat had a perfect blend of spices and flavor from the meat. Moisture is perfect with just the right amount of the light grease and steamed beef.

Overall Rating - **** Tastee Inn and Out has perfected the art of portability for their loose meats. They package their smaller sized sandwiches in a wax paper envelope type wrapper. They had to, there is no dine in. It is drive thru or walk up. The only thing resembling dine in are the covered picnic tables people can use in the warmer months of the year outside the establishment. If the bun and condiments had received a higher rating the tastee would have tied with the tavern from Gus's.

Photos -











Link -
Tastee Inn and Out on Facebook


Miles Inn
Location - 2622 Leech Ave Sioux City, Iowa 51106
Established - 1925. The Charlie Boy was created in 1950.
Date tested - 04/21/2011, Name of loose meat - Charlie Boy, Dine in.

Bun - Rating: ***** The bottom half of the bun was a bit thin, but the bun was smaller than a typical hamburger bun so it is proportional and not so thin it became mushy.

Condiments and Toppings - Rating: ***** A perfect blend of cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion and pickles.

Meat - Rating: **** Too peppery, but the recipe has remain unchanged since 1950. The condiments and topping do help tone down the pepper spice a bit which does make the sandwich good.

Overall rating - ****1/2 There is a tie for second place with Billy Boy. At Miles Inn if you have a Charlie Boy you have to have a schooner of the coldest beer in Siouxland. Just as good and refreshing as this blogger remembers from the days when he used to stop at Miles Inn when riding with the local bicycle club.

Photos -
























Link -
Charlie Boy on Facebook


Results for best loose meat in Sioux City:
1st Place: Gus's Family Restaurant, Tavern.
Tied for 2nd Place: Billy Boy, Long Island Loosemeat and Miles Inn, Charlie Boy.
3rd Place: Tastee Inn and Out, Cheese Tastee
4th Place: Maid Rite, Bacon Cheese Rite
5th Place and dead last: Dairy Queen, Tavern


There is one more restaurant that serves taverns. That is Bob's Drive In in Le Mars, Iowa. They will be taste tested later in the spring or summer. How they compare to the taverns made in Sioux City will be posted about at that time. So far the best tavern is found in Sioux City, Iowa.

In closing, as far as the history of the tavern sandwich is concerned some would argue it was first created in Missoula, Montana in 1920, 4 years prior to its creation in Sioux City, Iowa. This blogger has seen such information on the Internet alluding to this. This blogger has also made an inquiry to confirm whether or not this is true. Until such time when evidence, such as documented proof, presents itself to the contrary the historical fact remains, backed up by documented proof this blogger has personally seen, that the loose meat or tavern sandwich was created in Sioux City, Iowa in 1924 at Ye Old Tavern Restaurant located at 14th and Jackson Streets and was originally called the Ye Old Tavern Tavern.