Sac County Cattle Company serves up Iowa's best burger
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 05/27/2010 9:33 AM
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Name: Sac County Cattle Company
Owner: Doug Kruchten
Location: 508 West Main Street, Sac City, Iowa
Hours: Opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and at 5:30 p.m. Sundays
Known for it's Mushroom Swiss Burger, the 2010 Best Burger in Iowa. The burger sells for $4.95.
Contact them at (712) 662-4655. It is advised to call ahead for reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.
SAC CITY, Iowa — The Sac County Cattle Company of Sac City won the bragging rights to call its Mushroom Swiss Burger the 2010 Best Burger in Iowa. The Mushroom Swiss Burger is a 100 percent ground beef patty loaded with sautéed mushrooms and topped with melted Swiss cheese on a toasted bun. It sells for $4.95.
The 2010 Best Burger in Iowa Contest was sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa's Cattlemen's Association.
Sac County Cattle Company owner Doug Kruchten has a menu loaded with beef, including a variety of hamburgers and steaks as well as an assortment of salads, appetizers, fish, pizza and sandwiches.
"We take a lot of pride in our work, and I think our customers recognize that," said Kruchten. "I'm also blessed with a great wait staff that goes above and beyond what is expected of them, which contributes to our success."
On March 29, Kruchten added a Monday Night Burger special that features all burgers at half-price, and includes a choice of the Basic Hamburger, Bacon Cheeseburger, Vegetable Burger, which is beef loaded with fresh vegetables, the Highway 57 Burger or the Mushroom Swiss Burger. Monday Burger Night has been a great success and Kruchten's has served an average of 100 burgers every Monday since starting the special.
Kruchten is no stranger to the beef industry and has been involved on both ends of the beef production chain. He started out raising purebred Charolais in Iowa, and then later in Missouri, before getting the itch to get into the restaurant business. He enjoyed raising cattle, but thought an opportunity existed to provide consumers with great burgers and steaks. After looking at several locations for a restaurant he settled on Sac City, which seemed like the perfect fit for a steakhouse.
Kruchten said the restaurant is really known for are the steaks. The steaks are hand-cut from the loin as the order comes in, which guarantees freshness and a great eating experience.
"The reputation of this restaurant is built on our ribeyes," says Kruchten. "Our most popular ribeye, which we call 'The Dude' is a 16- ounce tender and juicy Ribeye lightly seasoned and flame broiled to your taste. We have regular customers who drive more than 60 miles to get here, with some coming from as far away as Madrid, for one of our burgers or steaks."
The Sac County Cattle Company holds 190 people at one time, but on an average Saturday night they will serve 350 people.
A three-person judging team traveled the state to sample the nominated burgers in late March and early April. The burgers were judged on appearance, taste and proper cooking temperature.
The other four restaurants rounding out the top five top burgers were: The Farmers Kitchen in Atlantic for its Cy-Hawk Burger; Beck's Sports Brewery in Waterloo for its Jack Daniel's Burger; the Grinnell Steakhouse in Grinnell for its Steakhouse Burger; and Rube's Steakhouse in Montour for the Rube's Burger.
Burgers at JB's Bar and Grill, Marcus; the Irish Shanti, Gunder; the Augusta, Oxford; Hickory Park, Ames; and Rusty Duck, Dexter received honorable mentions in the contest.
"We received more than 900 nominations, and I think that speaks very highly for Iowa's beef industry for producing such a quality product," said Brian Waddingham, director of Industry Relations for the Iowa Beef Industry Council. "We encourage everyone to go to Sac County Cattle Company and try the Mushroom Swiss Burger for themselves. We also encourage them to visit www.iabeef.org and click on the Best Burger in Iowa Contest link to see the Top 10 restaurants in this year's contest based on the number of votes for their hamburgers. Try to visit all ten restaurants and make it a Summer Best Burger Tour."