IOWA, USA — The Iowa Pork Producers Association is kicking off National Pork Month by naming the five finalists for the 2022 "Iowa's Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin" competition.
The winning restaurant will be voted on and announced later this month. The winner will receive $500, a plaque and a banner to display.
Here are the five finalists:
- Ludlow's Steakhouse (Corydon)
- Main Street Bar & Grill (Massena)
- St. Olaf Tavern (St. Olaf)
- 5th Quarter Bar & Grill (Van Meter)
- Lid's Bar & Grill (Waukon)
Each restaurant must meet qualifications in order to participate in the contest. To qualify, pork tenderloins must be hand-breaded or battered, and the restaurant also must be open year round and feature the sandwich as a regular menu item.
The nomination process started last spring, with tenderloin fans nominating their favorite local haunts. IPPA received 4,812 votes for 449 different restaurants for this year's competition.
Over the summer, judges narrowed the list down to the top 40, featuring the top five restaurants in each of IPPA'S eight districts. From there, IPPA members and industry affiliates spread across the country on a search for the best tenderloins.
The judges remained anonymous as they visited each place, judging the tenderloins based on pork taste, quality, physical characteristics and presentation.
The IPPA'S restaurant and food service committee selected the top five and appointed a panel of judges to determine the top two.
Victoria Station in Harlan won the contest last year.