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 - Who's in First?

The tavern's or loose meat sandwiches at four restaurants have been taste tested and both the establishment and the sandwich have been evaluated and critiqued.

Here are the results from first to last:

With 97 points Billy Boy Drive Thru is in the lead:

Search for the best Loose Meat - Billy Boy Drive Thru

At 95 points Little Chicago Deli and Grill is in second place:

Search for the best Loose Meat - Little Chicago Deli and Grill

Jitters has 93 points for third place:

Search for the best Loose Meat - Jitters

Dead last and with no possible way to redeem themselves is Riverside Dairy Queen:

Search for the best Loose Meat - Riverside Dairy Queen

In the coming weeks more establishments will be tested and critiqued.

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 - Little Chicago Deli and Grill

Little Chicago Deli and Grill is located in downtown Sioux City, Iowa. Originally Little Chicago Deli, they are celebrating 25 years of business in Sioux City.

They offer two types taverns, with cheese and without. Condiments include mustard, ketchup, pickle and onion. The bun they use is square shape.

When I entered the establishment, during the noon lunch hour I noticed one table had not been cleared/cleaned. It was not done until after I had started my meal. The seating is a nice mix of booths and tables. Making it a nice, clean and friendly environment to enjoy a meal in. The staff are very friendly and professional.

The tavern meat had perfectly blended spices and seasoning but the meat itself was a bit too finely ground. While taverns are supposed to be made of ground beef Little Chicago's taverns are too finely ground which does affect the texture just a bit. there was also a little bit too much mustard on the taverns. With the spices and seasoning the amount of mustard can be backed off just a bit. The taverns while available to to go would not be easily consumed in a moving vehicle. Overall the taste/flavor was very good.

I also had to ask for a spoon. When ever a tavern or loose meat sandwich is sold a spoon shall be provided or one should be available for the customer to choose rather than having to ask.

Total points: 95. I will be returning to Little Chicago Deli and Grill and continue to enjoy their taverns.

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 - Riverside Dairy Queen

The Riverside Dairy Queen in Sioux City, Iowa serves local menu items in addition to their normal menu as a franchise restaurant. One of these local menu items is taverns.

The good:
When I first walked in between 2:00 and 2:30 pm on May 13, 2014. I was greeted by the employees and asked right away if my order was going to be for there or to go. I answered for there. After I placed the order for two taverns and paid I looked around the establishment. It was very clean and pleasant. On the walls are photos of historic Riverside buildings and businesses and a tribute to Colonial Bud Day. While I was there the company who provides the mop heads and utility rugs arrived to exchange them. One of the employees wiped off the tables even though they did not appear to need to be cleaned.

The bad:
There was a high chair that needed to be put away, it was in an area where people would normally walk.

The very bad:
While I was waiting for my order I noticed it was taking a long time. Longer than it reasonably should. I also noticed there were customers in the drive through waiting for their order, longer than they reasonably should. This is when I noticed the employees goofing, off, joking around, playing "grab ass" games, etc. This explained the length of time it took to get my order. When I finally did get it it was in a to go bag, not on a tray. I was asked when I walked in if my order was to go or for dine in. I told them dine in. The fact they were goofing off and playing "grab ass" when they should have been concentrating on and filling my order correctly and the order for the drive through customer speaks volumes in the quality of their service.

The awful:
The tavern sandwiches were downright awful. The heal or bottom of the bun was way too thick, I'm talking Texas toast thick. Both sandwiches looked like they were thrown around and were used in a game of catch. When I pulled the sandwiches out of the bag one of the wrappers was not completely wrapped as it should have been. The top of the bun on both sandwiches was smashed in. One tavern the top of the bun was off set and there was mustard and ketchup all over the inside of the wrapper. The condition of the sandwiches leads me to believe when the employees were playing their "grab ass" games my sandwiches were part of said games. I wonder how the drive through customers food came out.

The meat was terrible. Way too much moisture So much my tongue was very confused as to whether or not I was eating a tavern or a hamburger. There was way too much mustard. The sandwiches had pickle and ketchup on them. But I didn't know it until I saw it and bit into a pickle. The mustard over powered the flavor of the other condiments. The spices, especially the pepper was not well blended at all. Part of the meat was very bland and the other was way to peppery. I only know this because I used a spoon to take a bite of the meat without condiments. With one spoon full all I could taste was pepper and the other just the meat, no spices at all.

The photos below will show the condition of the sandwiches

Total points: 0 There were not enough redeeming qualities of the Riverside Dairy Queen to warrant anything more than a zero. I will not be returning to the Riverside Dairy Queen to have any more of their food, even if it is not a tavern sandwich.

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 - Jitters

Jitters is a locally owned restaurant that is a combination coffee/doughnut shop and hot food lunch shop. The food ranges from very healthy to good tasting comfort food. They are located on Virginia Street very near to Historic Fourth, just east of downtown Sioux City, about a half a block from the Sioux City Convention Center.

They have 2 versions of a loose meat sandwich. One is called the Jitter Joe, the other the Jitter Dog.

The Jitter Joe is on a hamburger bun that is not to soft or too hard and the perfect size for their sandwich. The well proportioned condiments include ketchup, mustard, pickles, onion and cheese. The cheese is melted over the meat. The meat is very well seasoned with just the right amount of pepper. The sandwich, while it can be ordered to go, is best eaten while sitting, not making it very easy to consume in a moving vehicle without making a mess all over your front. The sandwich I tasted also came with an extra item, not ordered and not meant to be on it. A piece of human hair that was stuck to some of the meat that had fallen out of the sandwich onto the plate. Of course I did not eat this part of the meat. While it is not the end of the world and I am not the type of person to take my sandwich back because of a piece of hair, some people may be really grossed out by this. I am no stranger to consuming things with hair in them, I have a large German Shepherd who sheds all the time, but again some people may be upset by such a thing. This may also violate health code requirements. For this reason points have to be deducted.

The Jitter Dog had no hair in it. It is made with a hot dog bun that was perfect size, not too dry or too soft. The hot dog was flame broiled or grilled which made it very tasty. with the well seasoned Jitter Joe meat added it enhanced the flavor of the Jitter Dog. The well proportioned condiments included ketchup, mustard, relish and onion. Like the Jitter Joe this would not be very easy to eat in a moving vehicle. Best eaten while sitting or standing still.

There were a couple of issues with the inside of the restaurant. While over all clean, there was one table that was not cleaned when I walked in. Most of the tables have a glass cover over them, some have chipped corners that could be sharp. The floor in the dining area is unfinished concrete, with cracks, chips, holes and uneven spots. This makes some of the tables wobble a bit. If the same tile used in the bathroom was used in the dining area it would make the interior perfect for the type of establishment and atmosphere the owner is trying to convey. It does have a very nice outdoor dining area and the back of the property has beautiful prairie grass growing along the sidewalk.

With a score of 93 I will continue to frequent this restaurant and enjoy the both the Jitter Joe and Jitter Dog.

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 - Billy Boy Drive Thru

Billy Boy Drive Thru is locally owned and operated restaurant located in the Riverside area of Sioux City, Iowa. Billy Boy is a casual dining fast food establishment that serves good, home made comfort food.

Their loose meat is called the Long Island Loose Meat. This fairly priced loose meat it is served in a coney or hot dog bun. The condiments include mustard and a single slice of deli style dill pickle. The condiments are simple but very good at making this loose meat what it is. The meat was a bit too heavy on the salt which made it a little difficult to taste the flavor of the other spices. The bun was not too dry or too soft and held together very well. This loose meat is semi portable as it comes wrapped in wax paper but there would be a chance of spilling some of it down your front while driving a vehicle while eating. The inside of the restaurant could use some updating. The only seating is booths that are a bit of a tight fit to sit in. The parking lot, drive thru, and inside are clean. The staff are very friendly with a smile and thank their customers for the business.

With a score of 97 points I will continue to frequent this restaurant and enjoy the Long Island Loose Meat.

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 - Starting Over

The search for the best loose meat or tavern sandwich has changed again. It started with just searching in Sioux City then expanded to Siouxland and has now expanded to everywhere loose meat or tavern sandwiches are found.

The point system has also changed. It started as a star based award system, then changed to points with the overall score as the average of all the points added together from the different categories. As a result there are several ties for first, second and third place. That has changed to the following:

1. The establishment the sandwiches are served in. Is it clean, nice looking, is the staff friendly and professional, etc.? is there something unique about the establishment other places do not offer?
2. The overall appearance of the sandwich when it is served. If the sandwich is wrapped vs. served on a plate, it will be based on how it looks when the wrapper is opened. Does the sandwich look like it will fall apart? Is it put together with correct proportions of the ingredients it is made from?
3. Portability - how easy would it be to eat the loose meat sandwich in a moving car, or while standing without loosing most of the meat and without the sandwich falling apart?
4. Price - is the price of the loose meat fair for the sandwich served?

There is no expectation of 5 star dining with the finest cuisine made by celebrity chefs but the establishment shall be nice, clean, hospitable and the sandwich shall be made well and look good before it is consumed.

The remaining categories will be:
5. Meat - the spices blended in with the meat, the moisture content, the overall flavor, is there too much fat or not enough? is the meat too lean or to fatty? the overall texture. is there something unique other establishments do not do? is there something in the meat that does not belong? is there something in the meat that alters it from being tavern meat?
6. Condiments - what type of condiments are used? how well proportioned are they with other condiments? are the condiments fresh, good tasting? does one over power another? is there something unique about the condiments other establishments do not do?
7. Bun - the size of the bun in coordination with the amount of meat. is the bun too dry or too moist? is it to thick? type or style of the bun. is there something unique about the bun not used by other establishments?

The total possible points will be: 100

There will be no tie.

The sandwiches will be consumed as ordered with what they come with. Nothing will be added to dress up the sandwich and nothing will be left off the sandwich. They will be ordered with everything that is supposed to come on the sandwich based on how the establishment makes them.

The slate is wiped clean all establishments that have been tested in the past are starting at zero. May the best establishment win.