Rural Missouri - April 2021 - 40

Pork Tenderloin

1st: Smith's Restaurant, Clinton, Collins, Bolivar and
Springﬁeld
Ever since C.A. and Peggy Smith of Collins started preparing
their signature pork tenderloins a half century ago, folks in
southwest Missouri have taken notice. Today, the Smith family stays true to that original family recipe and serves up the
mammoth meals at four locations stretching from Clinton
to Springﬁeld. The regular-sized burger bun is no match for
Smith's famous pork tenderloin which is breaded fresh for
each order. It's no surprise that this delicious dinner is their
top seller.
2nd: Rob & Kricket's Tater Patch, Rolla; 573-3683111, www.rollataterpatch.com
You're going to need a bigger bun! The pork tenderloin sandwich is the No. 1 seller at the Tater Patch. The huge piece
of pork is hand cut and hand breaded before it is fried to
perfection at the restaurant which ﬁrst opened in 1965. So
popular is the sandwich that a version of it has been placed
on the appetizer menu in the form of pork tenderloin ﬁngers.
The tasty pre-meal snacks are strips of the tenderloin double
breaded and served with a bowl of gravy.
EC: Buddy's Place, Lancaster; 660-457-3151
Nearly within shouting distance of the Missouri-Iowa border,
Buddy's serves up delicious pork tenderloins that have been
feeding the area's farmers for years. The Big Breaded Tenderloin is served with Buddy's house-cut French fries. You can
opt to go with just a half tenderloin or have the full tenderloin cut in two with a separate bun to share. But where's the
fun in that?

Fried Chicken

1st: The Landmark, Lowry City; 417-644-2349
Hungry diners have been ﬂocking to The Landmark in downtown Lowry City for more than four decades. While they
serve mouthwatering meals all week, your best bet is to
show up on Sunday or Wednesday for the down-home, panfried chicken owner Jim Kalberloh has been serving up since
he bought The Landmark 35 years ago. The fresh chicken is
made with salt, a buttermilk bath and dredged in ﬂour before
cooking in a cast-iron skillet. The crispy crunch and tender
meat will have you coming back for more.
2nd: Don's Family Style Buffet, Huntsville; 660-2774466, www.donsfamilystylebuffet.com
For delicious country-style fried chicken in a friendly atmosphere, join all of your soon-to-be friends at Don's Family
Style Buffet in Huntsville. Don's has an extensive menu of
country dishes you might expect at a popular Midwest restaurant. However, the locals know to go straight for the fresh,
breaded fried chicken to ﬁll you up.
EC: Claysville Store, Hartsburg; 573-636-8443
Hopefully you work up an appetite on your bike ride or
hike on the Katy Trail. Located just off of Missouri's famous
rails-to-trails project is Claysville Store which serves up tasty
home-style fried chicken with a host of homemade sides on
Saturdays and Sundays. Pro tip No. 1: While the fresh-made
fried chicken is delicious, be sure to save room for some
of the made-from-scratch pies and cobblers. Pro tip No. 2:
Claysville Store doesn't accept credit cards, so hit the ATM
on your way.

RURAL MISSOURI | APRIL 2021

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http://www.rollataterpatch.com http://www.donsfamilystylebuffet.com

Rural Missouri - April 2021

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