Taking the tenderloin trail to Four Day Ray

Driving the news: Last month I asked Axios Indianapolis readers to send me their recommendations for the "best" tenderloin in the Indy area, and my inbox was bombarded with dozens of options.

Why it matters: I'm taking those picks and am embarking on a mission to crown Central Indiana's undisputed tenderloin champion this holiday season.

Context: I've had more of these sandwiches than I can count in my 20-plus years as a Hoosier, but my personal favorite was taken off the region's menu for good in early 2017.

• That was when Castleton Grill closed its doors after 23 years to make way for a Panda Express.
• It billed itself as the only non-chain in Castleton and served up a hidden gem of a tenderloin sandwich that not nearly enough people knew about.
• I wouldn't recommend it to an out-of-towner who wants to taste a "traditional" Indiana tenderloin because it broke some rules, but it had crunchy, well-seasoned breading that I couldn't get enough of.

Zoom in: I began my new journey close to home at one of the most-recommended stops on Hamilton County's Tenderloin Trail: Four Day Ray.

• The trail is a collection of more than 50 HamCo eateries that are proud of their pork.

• Every summer for the past 16 years, participating restaurants on the trail roll out special promotions to fight food insecurity.
• They also offer up tips on how to eat it. I prefer to work the edges before going all in.

My take: Four Day Ray was a great place to start, and it'll be a hard sandwich to beat. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

• The breading passed the crunch test immediately, and the pork was as tender as it was oversized.
• Extra points were scored for not being too greasy but packing notable moisture into every bite.
• The only bummer was the bun. Not bad at all, but nothing special.