A Good Steak in Pork Country

If there's one meat closely associated with the state of Iowa, it's pork. After all, the state sandwich is the breaded pork tenderloin! But beef has its place as well, from the venerable loosemeat sandwich (aka "Maid-Rite") found at lunch counters everywhere to the offerings of fine restaurants.

In April, 2024 my wife and I were traveling the historic route of US-20, which took us right through Sac City. Now Sac City is known for being home to the World's Largest Popcorn Ball, but it's also a place to find a pretty darn good steak: Cattlemen's Steakhouse. As far as I know, despite the name being extremely similar to other restaurants (perhaps the most well-known is Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City) it's an independent operation. And as luck would have it, we were just in time for a late lunch.

Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away. On my way to where I'll get some beef...

Usually I'm denied entry to places like this! But it was a Wednesday and I guess the restaurant was willing to make an exception, probably because I wasn't alone.

Swanky!

After looking at the menu I decided that for the first time in my life, I would order a steak for lunch (steak sandwiches don't count). One ribeye, rare, please!

And it's topped with an herbed butter! What will they think of next?!?

This is not my father's steak, nor would it ever be. He liked his well-done and then some (shudder).

I can't remember for sure, but these might've actually been listed as "frites" on the menu. Oui oui!

My wife, being more pragmatic and sensible, ordered a simple club sandwich despite my encouraging her to go all fancy I like did.

It would be easy for a steakhouse kitchen to treat a simple sandwich as a bit of an afterthought. That was NOT the case here!

This may have been the most upscale lunch I've ever had in my life, and I don't regret one bit. The steak was superb and even now, 9 months later, my wife recalls the sandwich as being excellent. I can't say if I'll ever be in Sac City again, but if someday I am I know where I'm going to eat!