Humphrey's Market

Although we normally make our Tenderloin Tour stops at the end of an exhausting week, we adjusted this week and went early.  Our stop today took us to Humphrey’s Market located at 1821 South 15^th Street in Springfield, IL.  You’re more than welcome to visit them online at http://www.humphreysmarket.com/store/ but you’re not going to find much more than their weekly circular.  Humphrey’s has been in business for nearly 80 years as your neighborhood grocery store where you can get the best produce and finest meats in the area.  There was also a nice little article published in a local news reader on this quaint little grocery store that you can find at http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-8862-inside-humphreyrss-market.html.  Because of their incredible selection of meats, the Tenderloin tasters were incredibly excited about this station on the tour. 

The dining area at Humphrey’s is a small space off the deli counter that has 6 tiny tables, 3 with  4 chairs each and 3 with 2 chairs each.  There isn’t enough room on the table to have all 4 diners with their lunch tray on it.  There’s no waitress so you place your order at the deli counter and wait for them to fix your plate before seating yourself.  The drinks are self serve so you never have to wait for a refill.

The sandwich comes on its own or you can do it as a meal which includes 2 side items and a drink.  This meal only cost $6.49 and with no waiter or waitress to tip, it’s the best deal on the tour.  If you wait for the lunch special on Saturday, you can get this fine saucer of pork for only $5.99.  We placed our orders and 3 of the 4 of us opted for fries and baked beans as our sides.  The fourth stuck with fries only, damn traditionalists.  The three stalwarts anticipated an interesting afternoon due to the tasty helping of real barbeque beans.

The baked beans were incredibly tasty with whole pieces of bacon mixed in.  My fries were soggy but the rest were awarded freshly fried tater sticks when they had their orders filled.  There wasn’t much talk of the fries which leads a reasonable man to think they were just okay and nothing special.

The tenderloins came to order with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, mayo and mustard as add-ons.  The bun was a regular bun with seeds and there was no toasting or butter added for flavor or color.  Unfortunately, the tenderloin wasn’t freshly cooked either so it was a little cool.  This is a real downside to the Humphrey’s deli system where most of their food is cooked ahead and kept in an inefficient warming system.  However, the pork patty was large and heavy.  It is the thickest cut of meat we’ve had on the Tour and it was juicy.  The breading had a hint of spice that snuck up on us like a ninja in a Jackie Chan movie.

The flavor of this sandwich was wonderful and on the verge of epic greatness.  The sandwich is a top 3 on the tour and has the possibility of giving Billy’s a run for its money but some major changes need to be made first.  There needs to be an adjustment to the presentation and preparation of the bun, the tenderloin needs to be kept warm or freshly cooked, and the sides need to have a freshness about them.  The experience was different than the rest as far as spaciousness for dining and privacy, the ordering process, and being tended to by wait staff instead of waiting on ourselves or each other.  And before we left, one of our diners was able to do his weekly shopping before completely leaving the premises.  We’ll definitely be visiting Humphrey’s Market again and it’s in contention for the final review.