Essential Iowa Food: Ultimate Sandwiches

If you can live without Iowa's vaunted pork tenderloin sandwich, or like to mix up your routine with a variety of food, we've compiled a list of other worthwhile selections from around the state. Got a nominee? Send your e-mails to essentialiowa@gmail.com. If we use your description, we'll even comp you for the sandwich.

Coney Dog, Bob’s Drive-in

Bob’s dogs have been an icon of roadside dining since 1949, when Bob Kass opened Bob’s Drive-In on U.S. Highway 60 in LeMars. Today, Bob’s is operated by his grandsons Nathan and Clint. There’s plenty to order on the menu, but most people come here for the the coney dogs. Bob’s has been featured in Midwest Living magazine and Gourmet Magazine, which named it one of its top 100 stops for road food in the United States. You can eat in your car or sit in the big dining room. Bet you can’t eat just one.

Hot Beef Sandwich, Farmer’s Kitchen, Atlantic

How many harvests have been fueled by a classic hot beef sandwich, piled high with tender post roast between two squishy pieces of bed, topped with a ladle of mashed potatoes and thick gravy? If the pork tenderloin wasn’t Iowa’s classic sandwich, this would be it. Nobody does it better than the Farmer’s Kitchen in Atlantic. The beef here is fork tender and the gravy simmers for two days before making its debut.

Asade Torta, Marisco’s East 14th and Maury, Des Moines

If you think all Mexican food comes in a corn shell or a flour tortilla, you’d be wrong. A torta is a Mexican sandwich, more traditional than the burrito, served on an oblong 6-8 inch firm, crusty white sandwich roll, called a bolillo or telera. The word means "cake" in Spanish as used in most other countries, but in Mexico it refers specifically to this type of sandwich. At Marisco’s, a tauqeria on East 14th and Maury in Des Moines (behind Ricketts Appliance) the steak torta has been converting gringos. Indescribably delicious.

Maid-Rite,Taylor’s Maid-Rite, Marshalltown

So if you’ve never had a Maid-Rite sandwich (and if you haven’t, you’re obviously an out-of-stater) the first thing you need to know is we never, ever, ever put ketchup on them. There are Maid-Rite franchises around the state where you can find bottles of ketchup, but connoisseurs will turn up their noses at you.

Maid-Rites seem simple: ground beef and spices heaped on a bun and dressed with onions and mustard. A spoon is offered with each sandwich to scoop up the loose meat that falls out of the bun.

The most famous Maid-Rite outlet in Iowa is Taylor’s in Marshalltown, where cuts of beef are ground daily for the sandwiches. Taylor’s shipped frozen sandwiches around the world to Maid-Rite lovers.

Maid-Rite was founded in 1926 by Fred Angell, a Muscatine butcher, who worked for Bazley Meats and enjoyed creating foods and having customers test them. As the story goes, Angell created a loose ground beef recipe using various spices, and placed the ground beef in a hamburger bun. After a customer sampled the food, the customer exclaimed that the sandwich was "made right." Angell modified the "made" to "maid," reflecting the wholesomeness of the sandwich.

Angell opened his first restaurant in Muscatine, which was a walk-up restaurant. Later, a new eat-in building was opened. Along with his son Francis Angell, a second restaurant was opened that featured car hop service, the first restaurant of its kind in the state.

Soon after, Maid-Rite Products, Inc., began selling franchises which included the restaurant's name, its special griddle pan and Maid-Rite seasoning. The first franchise was opened in Durant. The Maid-Rite Sandwich has often been copied, despite patents, but never successfully duplicated.

The Canteen, Ottumwa

The Canteen was opened in 1936, and little about it has changed since then. The diner consists of twelve stools around the horseshoe-shaped counter. An ancient picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt adorns one wall, and a JFK portrait was added in 1979 (no need to rush into anything). The Canteen serves just a few items--loose meat sandwiches, hot dogs, pies and malts. Once the meat has cooked through, scoop it onto a hamburger bun, and dress the mess with mustard, ketchup, pickles and onions. Wash it down with a Coke or a chocolate malt, served in a conical-shaped disposable paper cups that fits into a silver metal holder. Perfect.

Hot Italian, South Union Bread Company

1007 Locust Street, Des Moines

George Formero’s legion of fans claim you could put roadkill between two slices of his artisan foccacia bread and it would taste good. Instead, he fills his sandwiches with the best ingredients available and office workers line up outside the door and down the street every day to get a taste. South Union Bread Company is located next door to Formero’s suit and tie restaurant, Centro, in the Temple for the Peforming Arts. People swear by his Cajun Tuna sandwich, but our favorite it the Hot Italian: Ham, roast beef, smoked turkey, capicolla, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise.