Just curious: This occasional feature in the Des Moines Register aims to answer your questions about Iowa. Is there some place, event, lore, history or cultural quirk you're just curious about?

The iconic Maid-Rite sandwich, a version of the enduringly popular loose meat sandwich, was first created almost a century ago in Iowa, and it continues to be a local and national favorite.

News broke on Wednesday, January 8th that the Maid-Rite West located at 621 1st Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids will be closing its doors. The current owners of this location shared the sad news on their ...

Some words may be mispronounced. Jim Hanson, a former owner of the Maid-Rite West in Cedar Rapids, displays one of the loose meat sandwiches in 2006. The restaurant’s current owners have ...