Viral Iowa Traveler Stops in Dubuque, Digs Into One Bar’s Pork Tenderloin

In the summer, I wrote about Jay Goodvin, known as "The Iowa Gallivant." Goodvin took it upon himself to travel to all 99 Iowa counties in search of the best pork tenderloin sandwich. You'd be hard-pressed to find a delicacy more loved statewide than the pork tenderloin sandwich, which is why Goodvin's challenge has become a viral sensation of sorts.

This week, Goodvin posted a video on his Iowa Gallivant Facebook page showing him eating a pork tenderloin sandwich in Dubuque County! I was wondering when/if we'd see the man himself stop in our neck of the woods, and for that matter, pondered what restaurant he'd choose to stop at in his journey.

A bit of background first: Jay Goodvin is an Iowa CIty native, who calls himself the "Chief Explorer" of The Iowa Gallivant. The latter is the name of his website, where he blogs about his trips around the state, and all over the US, with photos and writeups about his adventures. His latest challenge is called "99 Pork Tenderloins" (for the 99 restaurants he plans to visit).

Months back, he told KTIV News 4 about his mission, which he says spawned from the fact that when people asked him where they could find his favorite pork tenderloin, he kept giving different answers because he likes so many:

We all have our favorites. We all have our favorite ways to eat them. And we all have our favorite communities to go to have them in. My opinion isn’t any more important than anybody else’s because I know that we’re going to get comments on social media saying you should have gone here, you should have gone there. But I love that because it gives us more ideas for our future travels and we always say our favorite destination is the next one when it comes to The Iowa Gallivant. - Jay Goodvin, per KTIV News 4

When Goodvin found himself in Dubuque County, he decided to hit up West Dubuque Tap on Asbury Road to sample their pork tenderloin. In a Facebook reel he posted to his page, he opted to try the "Magic Muffin," a "tendy" that is between a buttery English muffin and fried egg that's served over cheesy hash browns and sausage gravy.

In the video, Goodvin shoutouts the locals at the establishment and his mom films his first bite. He couldn't hide his excitement for the deliciousness of the food.

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Earlier this year, Goodvin also said he's been in communication with the Iowa Pork Producers Association, who are currently in the middle of their annual competition to find the best pork tenderloin in the state. The two entities are separate, but they're both on a similar mission.

Every year since 2003, Iowa Pork has honored a restaurant serving the best breaded pork tenderloin in the state. All the way back in 2003, Darrell's Place in Hamlin, IA won the first contest. The winner of that competition will be announced in October.

Dubuque County marked the 77th Iowa county the steadfast Iowa Gallivant has visited, leaving 22 more in his quest to find the best pork tenderloin sandwich in all of Iowa. Keep up with Jay Goodvin's travels on his website and his TikTok page!

Check out the Iowa Gallivant's video at West Dubuque Tap here!