The Iron Hawk Boasts Locally Produced Ingredients in its Dishes

Aric Kos, 26, the owner of newly opened restaurant, the Iron Hawk, says that you shouldn't sleep on the other white meat.

"I would put our America's Choice Chop against almost any steak in Iowa City," he said. "A lot of people don't understand the versatility of what pork can do."

The restaurant's pork, you see, comes locally raised from Brenneman Pork Farms in Kalona. Kos, who grew up on a family farm in Kalona, said the goal of the restaurant is to provide the best local foods: chops and tenderloins from fresh Kalona pork, burgers from cattle raised in Riverside, and, eventually, fresh produce from local farmers involved in the farmer's market.

"Our main focus here is providing a fresh local product," he said. "We really want to get into contact with our local farmers and get our local product from them."

That approach has been paying off with some good reviews since the restaurant opened up a month ago at its location on 122 E. Washington Street, with many of the best reviews coming for the breaded tenderloins and tender bites -- tenderloins sliced into bite sized pieces.

The restaurant offers more the pork, however, offering a variety of specialty burgers, unique flatbread pizzas, and handcut fries. The goal is to eventually expand the menu even further, offering more vegetarian options using produce bought from the farmer's market, burgers and steaks from grassfed beef from Kalona, and cupcakes from Molly's Cupcakes for dessert.

For now, though Kos and his co-owners Lee Henneberry and Blake Baumbach (both chefs at the restaurant) want to grow a following in a competitive Iowa City restaurant market. Although the Iron Hawk has a bar, it takes up very little of the spacious eating area, an area which also features an enclosed room that can host parties.

Kos said the place only takes on a bar like atmosphere from 10 p.m. until it closes at midnite. Until then, he said it could appeal to a variety of crowds, from friends who want to catch a game, to families who want to grab a good meal.

As for the name, Iron Hawk? Well the Hawk has an obvious Iowa City origin, but what about Iron?

"We wanted something that sounded strong, like a solid place that is going to stay around for awhile," Kos said.

Iron Hawk is open from 10:30 a.m. until midnite every day of the week.