Des Moines Restaurants

2006-04-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Vern's

15970 Hickman Road
Clive, Iowa

Lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Dinner 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Bar 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Breakfast Sat. & Sun. 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

"A" and "D" found Vern's to be a surprise.

The Clive location on Hickman is almost in Waukee and it shares a building with Tuffy's, a quick change oil and auto service business, so the expectation level was not too high. And then you walk through the plain outer door and . . . Wow! Vern's is a visual feast.

You enter either the non-smoking restaurant portion to the left or the lounge and smoking area to the right. Vern's is spacious! The bar is unique in our experience. It has a frozen ice insert running the entire length of the bar to keep drinks cold. This replaces the usual lip where you put your glass for a refill or where you leave the bartender your tip. This is a long bar and it was already filled at 4:30 p.m.

The entire bar and restaurant is designed in dark, elegant wood with very stylish and comfortable furniture, chairs and booths--even the requisite fireplace--giving it a private club-like feeling. Beautiful multi-hued granite is used for the table tops and the bar, highlighting the overall design. The owner, Brett Anderson, (a lawyer, but we won't hold that against him) has done an excellent job of designing and furnishing the restaurant and has obviously spared no expense. The name Vern's is a tribute to his late brother. Anderson also owns the Ducktail Lounge in Clive.

The wine list is extensive, with wines in keeping with the theme of surprise and the upscale nature of the restaurant. The sophistication of the wine offerings, by the glass or the bottle, is interesting. Some attention and knowledge has gone into the wine list. An extensive wine inventory is displayed as you enter the restaurant and in the bar.

Next in the surprise area was the number of people already frequenting a restaurant that had only opened three days previously. The place was jumping. The owner either has a lot of friends or a lot of family.

As elegant as this restaurant is, the table setting and amenities are minimal. Silverware is wrapped in the cloth napkin, a shortcut that is out of keeping with the ambiance of the restaurant. The granite table top, sans tablecloth or placemat, is a bit too austere, too informal for the upscale positioning. High design and modern sleekness are great, but some amenities are also welcomed, especially when the prices are north of average, as Vern's has positioned itself. Flemings understands this important value-added element of market positioning.

Vern's features different menus: one for lunch, one for dinner. These have a varied selection of starters, entrees, lunch features, and side dishes. Chef Burmeister, an alumni of 43 Restaurant at the Hotel Fort Des Moines and other local restaurants, is talented and solid. The menu is as well-designed as the restaurant and presents choices for all tastes and preferrences. Dinner features prime and choice steaks, pasta selections, several seafood selections, a number of chicken and pork offerings, and an innovative salad selection. "A" had an excellent chicken dish that was exceptionally well-prepared with robust flavors and carefully executed saucing. "D" had red snapper filets filled with flavor, if a bit over cooked. Vegetables were excellent and presentation perfect. As the kitchen and the processes come together, "A" and "D" expect the food will attain a high degree of consistentcy making Vern's the newest entry in the Des Moines constellation of stellar restaurants.

The wait staff are professionals from other upscale venues and service is friendly, appropriate and well-executed. These are enthusiastic people that actually want to have you return and make you feel welcome. One off-putting surprise is the hostess' habit of continual smoking at the bar; not a good image for this type of restaurant. But, unfortunately, many of the bar customers are smokers. The trend to non-smoking restaurants has not yet appealed to this owner. Time will tell.

For a new restaurant, there were remarkably few kinks on this first visit. The decor, bar service and selection, wait staff, menu offerings, and the culinary skill are all very good. Vern's will be successful with strong operational discipline and after fine-tuning the amenities to the market position and price class it is attempting to occupy.

Another surprise: Vern's is open for Saturday and Sunday breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. What a perfect place for a leisurely Eggs Benedict and champagne! "A" and "D" rate Vern's a 3, Yes.

Rating: 3, Yes
Quality: 3
Service: 3
Value: 3

2006-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

J. Benjamin’s
5800 Franklin Avenue
Des Moines IA
(515) 255 3725
4:30 pm for dinner
Live Music evenings

J. Benjamin's has had several lives, but under the present owner, Simon Goheen, it is reaching its potential. This is an intimate neighborhood restaurant. Its charm is signaled immediately by Simon. Simon greets you at the door; seats customers; provides wine service; sometimes helps out serving; cooks; makes pizza; checks on satisfaction; talks with his customers; and bids you "Thanks and come back soon" at the door as you leave after a pleasant experience. The restaurant is infused with Simon in the same way a great dish can be infused with truffles or ginger creating an enjoyment and delight for the customer that keeps you coming back. And Simon is rare. He is 22 years old and the owner of his first restaurant. He gives more satisfaction and customer care in five minutes than many of our leading lights of the Des Moines restaurant scene give in five years of loyal customer patronage. Simon was born to be a restaurateur. Let's hope that he keeps his enthusiasm, his joy, his concern for the customer and his success, especially in the grueling grind that is the reality of running a good restaurant.

The interior is a charming eclectic decor that has been improved greatly since Simon took over from the prior owner. It is soft lit, pleasing tones and comfortable, as a neighborhood restaurant should be. There are booths on both sides with tables that move, a great detail for those couples with a small and a large person. Being able to move a booth table so both are comfortable is considerate. Restaurants with fixed booth tables are often avoided by many of our more ample diners. Simon features live music on Wednesday nights (perhaps other nights as well), most recently a jazz guitarist. A nice touch in an intimate, friendly neighborhood restaurant.

The amenities are a dichotomy. Fresh roses, carnations and daisies in the vases, candles on the tables, but a haphazard approach to table setting and ware. Cloth napkins but not tablecloths; glass over cloth; silverware rolled in the napkin, a too often used shortcut to good table serving practice. And, the single knife and fork had to be used for all four courses. A small detail, but an opportunity to stretch for restaurateur greatness. Overlay the art of restaurant service and you will have something very special in J. Benjamin's.

And let's consider the name of the restaurant. Under the previous owner the name was a tribute to his father. "A" and "D" went from loyal customers to "let's see if it's as bad as always" under that ownership over a period of three years. We saw the descent into mediocrity that made us ignore this old restaurant and to ignore the name J. Benjamin's. But after three visits to Simon's incredible re-incarnation, "A" and "D" fondly refer to this as "Simon's Restaurant." Why not make the change? One of the smartest restaurateurs "D" ever knew, a millionaire several times over and a steakhouse king in New York City, said, "Always name a restaurant after yourself. You become your own walking billboard and television ad--and it's free!" With Simon's charming personality, he deserves to have a restaurant proudly named "Simon's."

Now to the food . . .

The first visit, Simon was getting the kinks out. The food was unremarkable. Months later, he is serving imaginative dishes and what "A" believes to be Des Moines' best pizza (with Graziano's sausage, too--smart!) This is a work of culinary art in progress. The specials are often exciting, such as the pork loin and chutney with red cabbage several weeks ago. The chicken dishes are excellent, full of surprising flavors. There is a fish dish, but the fish is not the star of the menu; in fact seafood is under-represented. One steak dish is offered, New York Strip. A beef tenderloin dish is also featured.

The work in progress--while quite good--will fully mature when consistency and total attention to detail are learned in the kitchen. String beans cannot be allowed to go gray; baked potatoes cannot be allowed to come to the table steamed in aluminum foil. Sauces cannot be thin one week and superbly wrought the next. Garnishes are afterthoughts. On three spaced visits, the cuisine has become enhanced and it is good, but it will become even better if Simon is The Natural "A" and "D" believe he is.

The menu is the old J. Benjamin menu and he is doing it better than the old J. Benjamin. But, should not the menu be "Simon's?" Should these be his signature dishes? And should there be weekly variety and several specials to choose from. This is the stuff of repeat visits and the making of 'regular' customers. It is about interest and variety; one tires of the same choices quickly. Of course, the other approach is to have thirty choices on a fixed menu, but that can only be supported by volume restaurants like The Latin King. For intimate restaurants, a constantly revolving kaleidoscope of imaginative, well-prepared, mastered dishes prepared with the freshest and best ingredients infallibly produces legends, and Simon has the heart, mind and maturity to be a legend in the Des Moines restaurant milieu.

A nice selection of starters will please most everyone, but the onion rings are as good as you will find anywhere. The bread course features an herbed butter that is excellent and so much more interesting than the foil-wrapped pats. The bread itself is unremarkable and no variety. The house salad is crisp, varied and ample; dressings are good but not yet works of kitchen-made art.

For desert, the chocolate cake served on an elegantly drizzled plate is perfect for two--and delicious.

The wine list is selected with care. The Salmon Creek cabernet is an adventure and--as are all the wines--priced attractively. By the bottle or by the glass, these are interesting, seldom seen wines.

Prices are very reasonable, whether for four courses or for a pizza.

The wait staff is very attentive, even if they are not as infused with as much passion as the owner. A bit inexperienced on the art and lore of the table and on the processes of tableware, but genuinely caring, interested and pleasant. When you get Simon, you get a smile that worries about your satisfaction. But he's busy trying to be everything to everyone. One of the keys to a great neighborhood restaurant is a great and stable wait staff. This restaurant is a delight. It is refreshing to see this much passion and involvement. It is rewarding to know that yet another generation of restaurateur will continue Des Moines' culinary achievements. Simon's Restaurant does not pretend to be Trostel's Dish, but there will be a day when he gives several first tier restaurants a challenge. For now, relax in this intimate place; enjoy this evolving repertoire of dishes, let this enthusiastic host provide you with value and his gifts as a cook and the captain of his destiny. Above all, support a good restaurant that believes it should earn your respect and patronage.

Rating: 3 = Yes
Value: 3
Quality: 3
Recommended: Yes. Keep your eye on this one for future greatness

2006-04-07T03:29:00.000-07:00

Riverwalk Cafe
Des Moines Botanical Center
Open for Lunch

Perhaps the best lunch secret in Des Moines. The Riverwalk Cafe is located inside the Des Moines Botanical Center and it is a wonderful place to have lunch looking out over the lush tropical collection of trees, plants, ferns and orchids. On the interior wall is a glass mural of the Des Moines skyline taken in the early 2oth Century. The decor and the furnishings are elegant. This is a whole new creation replacing the old 'cafeteria' that used to be there.

The Riverwalk Cafe is operted by a long-time Des Moines restaurateur and he has created a jewel of a place for lunch. Open for dinner only for special events, it is the exciting and varied daily lunch menu and quality of food that put this treasure on the map.

Creative sandwiches and salads feature prominently on the menu, but full luncheon entrees are offered along with daily features. This is one of the few restaurants where a blanket endorsement of the dishes can be made with no reservations: everything is excellent. Fresh ingredients and hand-preparation of each dish as an individual event are the hallmarks. A selection of wines and beer is available. Prices are very reasonable.

Service is superb. The wait staff are professionals with experience, not kids. They know the dishes and they care about their customers. We watched them work a full restaurant with a bus tour group and everyone was given thorough, courteous and good service.

If lunch and a tropical escape sound good, you can't do better than Riverwalk Cafe and the Botanical Center. For a business lunch, or for an office group lunch--even a board meeting--the Riverwalk Cafe is different, high quality, great atmosphere, good service, and reasonable. Treat yourself to something fresh and different, and support the Botanical Center at the same time.

Overall Rating: 4
Quality: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
Recommended: Absolutely!

2006-02-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

Dolce Vita Grill & Vineyard

13435 University Avenue
Clive, Iowa 50325
(515) 224 7477
Open for Lunch and Dinner
Closed Sunday and Monday

This new restaurant claims it is “A Taste of the Sweet Life” and it delivers on its promise. Located on University between Abella Day Spa and The Club Car, Dolce Vita Grill & Vineyard is an amazing and satisfying experience.

The moment you walk through the door, this small, intimate restaurant opens its arms and its heart and offers everyone the warm, family welcome of the hospitable Greek Islands. The interior décor and mural transports you to the hillside town of Oai, atop the island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea. You are looking down on the azure waters, past the ancient blue-domed buildings of the sun-baked, seaside villages of this magic island.

Immediately on entering the restaurant, you are greeted by what can only be described as the Dolce Vita ‘family’—Georgio, the welcoming, exuberant host, with a handshake and a personal introduction and fascinating explanations of the cuisines, the culture and the pleasures of the Greek table for all; Shelley, the pleasant, laughing hostess with perfect suggestions for adventures in dining; Carolina (kar-o-leen-a), who had to have walked in straight from the volcanic beaches of the Aegean and who, five minutes into her first night, extended as warm and gracious a welcome as if she had been there for years; John, the owner and all-around keeper of the culture and the cuisine; and “Chef,” with his insights into the dishes and obvious pride in his suggestions of delights to sample.

Seated, with white tablecloths and burgundy napkins, fresh flowers and glowing candles, Georgio and the rest of the Dolce Vita family begin their magic. It’s as if you have been invited to the islands for a family dinner at an intimate ‘locals only’ restaurant like Perissa in the village of Megalochori or Kamari in picturesque, out-of-the-way Emborio. Georgio approaches with a smile, wine glasses and four bottles of Greek wine, enthusiastic to sample and explain the wonders of each; Shelley hints of Greek lamb chops, large and perfumed with mint, orgegano, lemon and fresh pepper; and suddenly there is bread, fresh-baked from the kitchen, rope-twisted in the Santorini fashion, luscious in texture and perfectly balanced with the taste of cinnamon and sesame.

Santorini is famous for its cherry tomatoes, so flavorful due to the ‘terroir’ of the volcanic soils of the island that they are considered the best in the world; in fact, the International Cherry Tomato Conference is held there each year. The Santorini soil also produces flinty, flavor-packed wines: brusko, a hearty red; nichtiri, the intense white; and vissando, the sweet, powerful red. The grapevines all over the island are grown in woven baskets on the ground and watered only by the dew, owing to the dryness of the Aegean climate.

Dolce Vita offers an interesting selection of wines, including Greek varietals, California, and Italian wines. The prices, by the glass or by the bottle, are extremely reasonable. The house red wine is a California cabernet at $4.50 and is from Barefoot Cellars. Barefoot is a high production winery, but actually produces good, balanced wines at a very reasonable cost. They also produce a sparkling wine that is as good as many higher-priced champagnes. Most wine lovers pass over Barefoot because of its low cost, but “A” and “D” would suggest a blind tasting of the cabernet, and be prepared for a surprise! On this evening, “A” and “D” chose a DiVinci Chianti at $23 a bottle, an excellent Italian from the great producer, Antinori of Tuscany, and representative of the values to be found on Dolce Vita’s intriguing and affordable wine list. At retail, DiVinci is about $20 a bottle, so the very modest mark-up by Dolce Vita says a lot about their hospitable views towards the customer. Georgio’s wine service is smooth, polished and, yet, friendly and always engaging.

“A” and “D” shared a generous Greek salad as an appetizer. This was a crisp, absolutely fresh arrangement of romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber cubes, and plump calamata olives, perfectly dressed with a Greek olive-oil and lemon vinaigrette producing dancing flavors and aromas. Fresh, ground pepper accented the salad perfectly.

Appetizers include classic dolmades, stuffed grape leaves with seasoned beef and rice served with lemon sauce. Whole calamari, stuffed with crab meat, broiled and served with lemon sauce is another alluring appetizer not found on Des Moines menus. Spanakopita is amazing and rewarding, a traditional spinach and feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough and served with the zesty and mouth-exciting tzatkiki sauce. A seafood dip with baby shrimp, scallops, spinach and toasted peppers in a rich cheese sauce is also an appetizer specialty. Prices range from $5.99 to $8.99, and the servings are large. Three of these wonderful appetizers per person could be a delightful and interesting ‘tapas’ approach to Greek dining.

“A” followed Shelley’s lead and ordered the Greek lamb chops, fresh broccoli with butter, lemon and toasted walnuts, and homemade fries (which really are homemade and good). The lamb was requested medium and came hot and perfect from the kitchen. Holding forth in the kitchen is an experienced chef from New York, and his talents are in evidence. This is exceptionally good food, especially for $14.95.

“D” followed Georgio’s suggestion and ordered the Spartan’s Platter, a three-dish combination of spanakopita, moussaka and pastitio, a layered pasta and cheese similar to lasagna, but with a much more subtle and interesting medley of spices. Portions are very ample and are accompanied by a perfectly prepared rice pilaf. This superb dish was high value at $13.95.

The extensive menu also includes Italian dishes. Choices range from linguini carbonara to penne pasta and linguini Caruso, a shrimp and clams sauté with olive oil, garlic and Italian spices. Veal parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana and lasagna round out the favorites.

For lunch, sandwiches, salads, soups are available, featuring Italian meatball, sausage and an authentic and delicious gyros made in the classic tradition and served in fresh pita bread.

The dinner menu also features savory chicken dishes, seafood dishes, including orange roughy, Mediterranean style salmon, and flounder stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. Steaks include Romanian steak, a bone-in strip steak, steak Diane, medallions of beef tenderloin, and—the evening “A” and “D” were there—an off-the-menu special, bacon- wrapped filet mignon for $14.95. Dinner entrees range from $9.99 to $15.95.

“A” and “D” were visited at each step of dinner by the entire Dolce Vita family. They are not the least bit intrusive; they are fun, interesting, excited and above all, natural-born hosts; they actually care about how you like the dishes and the wine and the service. They all want you to be happy and want you to become a regular member of the ‘family.’ For “D,” this was the closest dining experience to the legendary welcome of being a ‘regular’ at an east coast Italian restaurant. There, you are made to feel a part of the family and are often invited to weddings, graduations and special gatherings. That is exactly how the staff of Dolce Vita makes you feel the first time you dine at the restaurant. Extraordinary!

Even though “A” and “D” really had no room for dessert, Shelley and Georgio painted such word pictures of pastries and cakes that we relented and shared two masterpieces of the sweet life: karidopita, a dense, walnut cake with a honey-rum sauce; and galactoboureko, a silken-creamy, dense custard covered with layers of phyllo, spiced with hints of cinnamon, and drizzled with honey and, perhaps, a hint of lemon. Both of these are one-of-a-kind, Academy Award-winning desserts and not to be missed, especially at a stunning value of $2.99 each. These are huge portions!

And, the ever-vigilant Shelley suggested a unique and gracious addition to the dessert course. For only $1.00 each, they pour a generous sample of dessert ports. You can choose from an excellent and unusual California Zinfandel ruby port, or a classic Australian tawny port. We had one of each, and the entire meal was capped off to perfection, leaving a glow of pleasure not unlike a day in the Aegean sun.

The total bill was $62.00, a very reasonable $31.00 each, and this included a bottle of good wine. You will have to search Des Moines high and low to find a better value, a better dining experience, better warmth and friendliness, and better food than you will find at Dolce Vita Grill & Vineyard. And with service this good, a generous tip is indicated.

This is a restaurant created and operated by experienced restaurant professionals. After the initial delightful décor and ambience, you have the engaging and refreshing personal warmth and service as a pleasant backdrop for the absolutely excellent food. This restaurant will be successful because of its outgoing, friendly, hospitable attitude, its nice people, as well as its great food and excellent value. This is the authentic cuisine of the Greek islands. This is a moment in time, a moment in the sun with the joy and happiness of the Greek culture and history, a moment in Des Moines where you can—truly—willingly escape to enjoy two hours of “A Taste of the Sweet Life.” It just doesn’t get any better than this!

Quality: Superb! 4
Service: Superb! 4
Ambience: Superb! 4
Value: Superb! 4
Recommended: Absolutely! Often and with Friends!

2006-02-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Mojo’s on 86th

6163 NW 86th Street
Johnston, Iowa 50131
(515) 334-3609
Lunch and Dinner

Chef Robert Beasley is a transplanted Louisiana chef, a semi-fixture on the Des Moines restaurant scene. He has a following of loyal customers, many of whom make the switch with him as he moves from restaurant to restaurant. The reason is clear: he’s an excellent chef. Beasley is creative and has that certain, undefined ‘touch’ that sets his cuisine and style apart from others. His latest creation, Mojo’s on 86th, has some of that renowned ‘Beasley touch.’

“A” and “D” joined an already impressive group of diners at 5:30 PM on a Saturday. The restaurant has two sections, the bar and booths in the front room and tables in the larger rear dining room. We were seated at a table in a corner and would suggest asking for a ‘center-of-the-room’ table as the speakers are mounted in the room’s corners and tend to be overly-loud for the corner and adjacent tables. The jazz selections ranged from quiet jazz to dissonant, atonal jazz with little volume consistency, a small detail when overlooked, but important for a dining atmosphere focused on the diners.

Two glasses of Avalon cabernet were ordered. This is an excellent wine that we have enjoyed for years, and at $6 a glass, it is an excellent value. The wine list is interesting, not pretentious and reasonably priced. The stemware is large and adds to the wine service.

“A” and “D” began with Louisiana Spiced Shrimp for the appetizer. The spicy shrimp were arranged on baguette bread slices and bathed in a New Orleans-style sauce. The shrimp were very fresh, done perfectly, dense and resistant to the bite, not the often-encountered limpness of frozen shrimp. If there is a value comment, it is that the shrimp are medium size, maybe 16-20 count, but not large—two tiny bites. The sauce is pure Beasley—full of flavors and intriguing. “A” thought it was quite spicy; “D” thought it only moderate in heat; a perfect blending that appeals to a range of heat tolerances.

For the salad course, “A” ordered the Dinner Salad with mixed greens, spiced candied pecans, Niman Ranch bacon, and Asiago cream dressing. The dish was excellent, fresh, crisp and interesting. “D” ordered the Fresh Spinach Salad with a warm Niman Ranch bacon vinaigrette combined with grilled pears, toasted walnuts and feta cheese. The vinaigrette, while not warm, was superb. The pears were perfection, firm and lightly grilled with a burst of flavor in each bite. The fresh spinach was a baby-like leaf, tender and earthy, adding a pleasant green top-note to the well-balanced overall flavor of the salad.

The entrees were Steak de Burgo with herbs and spices, butter-sautéed, accompanied by potato cakes for “A,” and the special Grilled Tasmanian Salmon for “D.” The Steak de Burgo was prepared to perfection, medium rare as requested, moist and properly rested. The sauce was an intriguing and unusual de Burgo sauce with an herb and spice combination creating a subtle pairing with the butter and the beef. There was obvious care and creativity in the de Burgo flavor elements in the construction of the dish. The potato cake had a crispy exterior and a creamy interior, but lacked flavor and expected punch and, thereby, served only as a foil for the de Burgo sauce.

The Tasmanian Salmon was a treat. This was “D’s” first experience of this Australian, farm-raised salmon prized for being organic and free of all the unpleasant contemplations of northern hemisphere farm-raised salmon. The preparation featured a Beasley sauce that was both sweet and heady with deft handling of the herbs and spices. The salmon was a beautiful pink, perfectly grilled with precise grill marks, and as flaky and sumptuous as one could wish for. Even more gratifying, the sautéed fresh vegetables were even more flavor-filled and done to perfection.

For “A” a second glass of Avalon served as dessert, and “D” enjoyed the coffee. Desserts appear to be the Beasley stand-bys which have always been good. The check totaled $95.00; a $20 tip for service brought it to $115 and change. A bit high in comparison to other Des Moines top restaurants, such as Dish, Greenbriar, Mosaix, Sage and Bistro Montage. Entrees range from $14 to $24; salads from $5 to $9 (often included in the entrée at other restaurants); and appetizers $7 to $11.

And here, “A” and “D” find an interesting comparative element. If you expect Mojo’s on 86th to be among Des Moines’ top restaurants for its food, you won’t be disappointed. Beasley delivers on quality, cooking, flavor and presentation. If, however, you expect it to be among Des Moines’ top restaurants for fine dining, it hasn’t begun to reach its potential yet. It is casual dining and has many of the ‘casual’ ear marks.

The wait staff is adequate, but does not have the fine dining edge. They are a somewhat motley crew dressed in their skate-boarding pants, silver motorcycle chain, and whatever shirt they happened to throw on. Pens stuck behind the ear lend a ‘New Jersey diner’ element, but not a professional waiter impression. The prevailing approach is a “Hi, guys” level of communication appropriate for the sports bar rather than one of well-trained, unobtrusive, professionalism.

The second difference between casual and fine dining is amenities. At Sage, Mosaix, Café on 35th, Bistro Montage, 43, Trostel’s Dish and others competing for the $120 plus for two, there are tablecloths, fresh flowers, silverware not pre-rolled in napkins and replaced appropriately based on courses, controlled music, gracious welcomes and good-byes, and much greater professional service levels. Interestingly, as a restaurant open only a few weeks, no manager came to the table and asked how we enjoyed Mojo’s food, service and the restaurant. No one said good-by or thank you on the way out. No one asked us to return. It’s as if they are unconcerned. The kitchen has the mojo, but the restaurant is searching for the magic.

Whether casual or fine dining, every diner appreciates attention to the details. Fresh off a review at the 5-star The Restaurant in West Palm Beach’s Four Seasons Hotel, “D” was struck by the flawless service of The Restaurant wait staff. The chef is the symphony conductor, but the waiters are the Concert Masters. They direct the orchestration in The Restaurant dining room. Servers, often three or four to a table, bring the entrees at the same moment, and they know exactly who ordered what cocktail, wine, appetizer, salad, entrée, dessert, cheese selection, port, coffee, and espresso.

At Mojo’s, “A” and “D” experienced and observed—at our table and most other tables—food runners placing the wrong dish in front of the wrong diner. There’s no ‘guessing’ in fine dining. In almost every service, they had to ask who ordered what, and all over the room one could observe diners raising their hand to say, “No, I had the Seafood Pasta; my wife gets the Filet.” That’s casual dining, but it is decidedly not fine dining.

On balance: excellent food, average service, adequate amenities. For casual dining at Des Moines fine dining prices and great food, Mojo’s on 86th will meet your expectations.

Rating: 3
Quality: Top quality food
Service: Average
Value: Fair
Recommended: Yes
Alternative’s: Trostel’s Dish, Mosaix, Bistro Montage, Sage

2006-01-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Big Steer

1715 Adventureland Dr
Altoona
515-967-6933
5-9:30 Monday thorough Thursday
5-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday

“A” and “D” stopped in at The Big Steer about 5:45 p.m. on a Saturday evening. After managing a salmon-like swim upstream through the throngs of assembled waiting diners, we got our name on the wait list and headed to the bar. The bar was jammed with people, but everybody seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to visit and have a drink while waiting for their table to be called. The bar offers a nice selection of beer and wines by the glass as well as mixed drinks.

We waited about forty minutes for our table and again, managed to weave our way through the now really packed bar and waiting area. While we were waiting for the hostess to show us to our table, a lady came in to add her party to the reservation list and was told the wait was about 1 ½ hours. She didn’t even flinch which was a clear indication to us that the food was well-worth any wait. This is a restaurant frequented by regulars, and they obviously enjoy the experience.

Watching the wait staff at The Big Steer is fascinating. They are a well-oiled group of superb wait staff without an ounce of wasted motion. As soon as a table empties, the bus boys are on it and, if a hostess happens to be passing by, she grabs empty glasses for the bar and deposits them on the way back to the front of the house. Wait staff does not make you feel you are being rushed in any respect and, despite the huge crowds, they are efficient and attentive. Nothing fancy, just great service and efficiency. The restaurant seems to do about 400 people on a Saturday night.

Of course, the big item on The Big Steer menu is beef so we ordered accordingly. “A” got the 16 oz prime rib and “D” tried the special for the evening of a 6 ounce filet mignon and 4 ounce lobster tail. While we waited for dinner, we ordered a half basket of onion rings which were delicious. They are thinly sliced, lightly battered, crisply fried and almost impossible to stop eating. A half order would comfortably serve four people but the two of us put a pretty decent dent in it.

We both ordered the house creamy garlic for our tossed salads. Both salads were comprised of a nice assortment of glistening, crisp, cold greens. “A”’s was beautifully tossed with just the perfect amount of dressing and the surprise of garlic melba bits in lieu of the usual croutons. “D” asked for his dressing on the side and the melba croutons were also provided on the side, making the addition of carbohydrates the diner’s preference.

Each meal is accompanied by a loaf of fresh and hot from the oven bread. The bread is soft and yeasty bringing back memories of loaves lovingly made at home in days of yore.

“A’s” prime rib arrived perfectly prepared – a huge cut of beautifully marbled beef cooked to a rosy medium rare, as requested. A steak knife was provided for the meat but it was unnecessary as the prime rib was absolutely fork tender with a flavor rarely found in restaurants in recent years. The beef was accompanied by a side of pasta with red sauce which was very good, but the beef was the main event.

“D’s” filet and lobster entrée were also fork tender and loaded with rich flavors. The lobster was so sweet and flavorful it scarcely needed to be dipped in the butter sauce that accompanied the plate. “D” opted for the vegetable du jour which was fresh green beans cooked with bacon, adding a great flavor to the usual offerings in many restaurants.

The Big Steer offers cheesecake and ice cream sundaes for dessert but the dinner portions are so generous, we didn’t even attempt a selection.

The Big Steer’s menu includes several fish and seafood offerings along with fried chicken, chicken livers and/or gizzards and a smattering of Italian dishes. We observed several of those dishes being served at other tables and they all looked worthy of a try on a future visit, especially the fried chicken which is a large portion of beautifully dark, crisp and not greasy pieces.

This is a well-rehearsed restaurant that delivers quality and value without being overly fancy. The customers have packed the place for years and they keep coming back. We rate it a 4 within its type of restaurant. The Big Steer is “THE” place to go for Beef in Iowa – no doubt about it!

Rating 4 Absolutely
Quality Excellent
Service: Top quality
Value: Excellent
Recommended: Yes

2006-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Mosaix Restaurant

5014 E.P. True Parkway
West Des Moines
515-226-3450
Serves Dinner: Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday

Mosaix has always been a favorite spot to celebrate special times for “A” and “D”. Owner John Teeling knows how to run a first class establishment and it shows the moment you walk through the door. We first enjoyed a glass of wine at the very intimate and cozy bar as you enter the restaurant. The wine selections are excellent and the bar service always perfect.

The restaurant, decorated in soft peach and celery green and awash in candlelight, makes everybody looks good! The tables are covered in sparkling white linen with underskirts in florals and stripes to compliment the other décor. Pentimento lends interest to the walls and the look of Tuscany is perfectly controlled and executed. Mosaix is, for us, one of the most romantic and elegant settings for an evening out. Glasses and silver are spotless and, thankfully, a very nice combination salt and pepper mill adorns each table. The addition of this element to each table certainly eliminates the pretentious necessity some restaurants utilize of having a waiter crank pepper from the house howitzer-sized mill.

The wait staff at Mosaix are all seasoned professionals and provide flawless and completely unobtrusive service. Many have been with the restaurant since we started going several years ago which says something about both the management and the clientele.

Mosaix has an excellent selection of wines both by the bottle and by the glass. If there is something special that is not on the menu and, if it is stocked at JT’s wine store which is next door to Mosaix, all you have to do is ask and it will be provided.

The chef at Mosaix is John Haas who has been a chef at Jesse’s, Bistro Montage and Des Moines Golf and Country Club. His culinary skill is evident in many of the dishes, however in some preparations, the expected surprise or different twist is lacking. On a recent outing we started with selections from the tapas menu with “A” sampling the Gambas Alajillo, tiger shrimp in garlic sauce and “D” trying the Pork Empanadas. The shrimp were large in size but the sauce did not have the expected snap of garlic r the flavors that should be present. The empanadas were topped with sofrito sauce which is a rather gummy and unimaginative salsa that was heavy on the cilantro. Other tapas we have tried include grapes coated with blue cheese, escargot, the artisan cheese selection, steamed mussels and the scallops. Most are quite good, but a few lack the depth of flavors that a master saucier might bring to the selection of small dishes.

Dinners come with a mixed green salad topped with house-made roasted tomato, balsamic, Maytag blue cheese, oregano or garlic. The endive salad, a la carte, is also superb. “A” and “D” both had the Maytag blue cheese which arrived with well-tossed glistening greens and a generous scattering of cheese crumbles. Salads are served with a basket of South Union Bread which, on the evening we visited, was stone cold, almost as though it had been sitting in a refrigerator before it landed on our table. Room temperature or a quick pop in the microwave would have done more justice to George Fomaro’s signature baguette bread.

“D’s” main course was a Hanging Tender Steak served with foie gras butter, roasted root vegetables and house mashed potatoes. “A” had the steak Suzanne, two medallions of beef tenderloin in a wild mushroom bordelaise served with house potatoes and seasonal vegetable, which turned out to be the same assemblage of root vegetables that came with “D’s” entrée. Both beef dishes were prepared as ordered – a very nice medium rare. The Hanging Tender Steak was very tender and flavorful, a model of hanger steak preparation. “A’s” tenderloins were tender and flavorful, however there was not a wild mushroom in sight in the bordelaise. The root vegetables were interesting but not dazzling and the mashed potatoes were bland and forgettable.

Dessert brought “A” a tiramisu that was not prepared in the traditional manner with ladyfingers embedded in layers of the Italian custard. Instead it was a rather soupy concoction served in a wide stem with two pirouline cookies on top. The flavor was very nice and the presentation interesting, but the pirouline’s did not provide the same punch that one experiences with the more traditional tiramisu. “D” ordered a cherry almond sorbet and it was a delight. The crisp nutty almond flavor was a wonderful foil for the rich dark cherries.

The bottom line is that dinner, while good, was not the exceptional dining experience we have enjoyed in the past at this fine restaurant. It is almost as though the chef has some recipes about which he is enthused where the flavors soar and sing. However, there are others that are almost tepid in flavor and lacking in the excitement that one expects from the kitchen at Mosaix. We have never had a bad meal at Mosaix, but the last couple of outings left us a little less enthused than previous visits.

Mosaix changes the menu several times each year in an effort to take advantage of seasonal items as well as a motivation to keep reinventing the food offered to customers. Perhaps the menu is evolving with Messrs. Haas and Teeling and they are still finding the right mix for Mosaix and the chef. We still return and enjoy delightful evenings at one of Des Moines nicest places for a special, romantic dinner.

Rating 3 Yes
Quality Very good
Service: Top quality
Value: Good
Recommended: Yes

2006-01-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

Food, Dining and a Life of The Table

We are "A" and "D," experienced food critics, writers, publishers and diners. "A" is a successful cookbook author, recipe creator, food writer, extraordinary cook and was a test kitchen chef for several major television cooking series, including The Great Chefs of the World; The Great Chefs of New Orleans; The Great Chefs of the U.S.; The Great Chefs of the Southwest; and The Great Chefs Jazz Brunches. "D" is an avocational gourmand, an author and culinary publisher, and has cultivated a life of gourmandise on four continents, dining in, savoring and reviewing many of the world's greatest restaurants. Both "A" and "D" have extensive knowledge of various cuisines, techniques, specialty ingredients, U.S. and world wines, and the practice, service, lore and Joy of the Table.

Having each returned to Iowa from lives spent in the food meccas of the west and the east, we believe Des Moines to be one of the great treasures of American living and one of the developing culinary bright spots of the Midwest.

No Agenda . . . No Allegiance

"A" and "D" dine out often together (and separately) in the Des Moines area, each spending their own money, not that of a local newspaper--mainstream or alternative. We are committed to nothing except the quality of the dining experience from the customer's point of view. We have no interest in advertising revenues, high-powered connections, positions in local society, or anything other than superb food, well-prepared and well-served at a reasonable cost for the experience. That is what we write about.

Diners Like You

Neither "A" nor "D" are known to local restaurant owners or chefs. For those few who do have a passing familiarity with us, it's only because we are fairly regular customers of their restaurants, returning often when the dining experience is worthy. We are similar to the Everyman or Everywoman of literature; representative and little different from any other customer who goes to a restaurant hoping only for "superb food, well-prepared and well-served at a reasonable cost for the experience." We are not into the 'foodie' scene and we don't seek out the companionship or recognition of local celebrity chefs or restaurateurs. We are anonymous; we are in this for the food and the Joy of the Table, and we hope our experiences will help you to have great dining experiences in the Des Moines area--and avoid those less than great experiences.

The Rule of Quality

Both "A" and "D" are probably somewhat ruthless in their critiques, both of the dishes and the operation of the restaurants. We don't 'coat' the truth with a verbal 'sauce' designed to provide a mediocre restaurant with a soft landing, or give them a 'second chance' because of an 'off night.' If a restaurant charges $70 to $100 or more for dinner, it doesn't deserve an 'off night' and we probably won't offer a 'second chance' to merit a more positive review. Like you, we measure the cost against the satisfaction. As restaurants (and chefs) age, they tend to rest on their laurels and past history, even as the business loses its appeal for the customers. We do return and review the experience periodically; after all, chefs come and go, menus change, and--now and then--a chef or restaurant owner reads what we write and works to improve their restaurant and its offering. But, there is always that wretched category of restaurants we describe as, "Let's try it again just to see if it's as bad as ever." Usually, it is. Des Moines has a long and illustrous history of great restaurants. We value them and we passionatley care about the Joy of the Table.

Read . . . Enjoy! Those are the basics. Over time, there will be an ever-growing number of reviews. Search the past months' archives. Respond. Disagree. Create a dialogue. We are particularly interested in what restaurants you would like reviewed. We generally eat out two or three times a week, and we are willing to try almost any restaurant. You can also read our reviews and many other diners' reviews on the excellent website, Des Moines Alive at www.desmoinesalive.com. If you are not familiar with Des Moines Alive, it is absolutely the best and most complete site for all Des Moines entertainment and dining venues.

Our ratings are no nonsense, straight forward and based on a four-point scale. We cannot hide with a rating of 3 out of 5, which is neutral. We take a stance!

1 = No; 2 = Maybe; 3 = Yes; and 4 = Absolutely!

2006-01-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

Cosi Cucina Italian Grill

1975 NW 86th Street
Clive IA 50325
515-278-8148
Lunch and Dinner, daily

Both “A” and “D” have been regular customers of Cosi Cucina for a number of years, and this is a difficult review to write because it is one that must comment on the dining experience and quality over time, rather than a single experience fixed on a single visit. In fact, this review is so important to us, that “A” and “D” will each write a separate review rather than their usual combined profile.

“A’s” Review

Reviewing Cosi Cucina is a bittersweet proposition. There is still so much to like about the place such as the always present banks of gladiola in the windows and fresh flowers on the table. Lighting in the room is subtle and very appropriate if you are looking for a spot that evokes romance. The service at the restaurant is done by seasoned professionals who make you feel like you are almost family. The welcome is warm, sincere and starts off your dining adventure on a very pleasant note. They know the specials of the day and let you know what they are and the price before you get too far into the menu.

“A” has eaten at Cosi for many years for both lunch and dinner engagements. Until recently, each trip has been good to exceptional. The last two or three trips, however, have left “A” feeling like the chef is either resting on his laurels or is not inspired to deliver the kind of cuisine formerly anticipated and enjoyed at Cosi Cucina. At both lunch and dinner, Cosi’s was always packed with diners who were willing to wait over an hour for a table. On recent visits, there has been no wait for a table.

The most recent outing brought “A” the chef’s special for the evening, Steak de Burgo served with potatoes Dauphanoise and green beans, according to our waiter, and a Caesar salad. Cosi has always been famous for their triangle shaped dinner rolls served with a splash of infused olive oil. They still get high marks however it seems they used to be a little more dense and chewy and served a little warmer. The Caesar salad is really a sad concoction of limp romaine tossed with a creamy style dressing that lacks the bite of garlic or anchovy one expects from this dish. On one outing, the anchovies served on “D’s” Caesar salad were considerably past their prime and were definitely candidates for the kitchen disposal.

The Steak de Burgo was cooked to the desired medium rare requested, however the sauce had none of the characteristics of good de Burgo. The sauce was watery and totally lacking the snap and luster of the garlic and olive oil or butter that one expects from Steak de Burgo. Perhaps there was a miscommunication between the kitchen and the wait staff but the “potatoes Dauphinoise” were really a very poor execution of Dutchess potatoes. Potatoes Dauphinoise are sliced and scalloped, usually with Gruyere cheese. Dutchess potatoes are mashed with cream and garlic, piped onto a plate and browned. The mound on “A’s” plate was not artfully piped and the potatoes and had been overly baked until they were dry and flavorless. Cooking green beans to the perfect texture is also something that should be expected at a restaurant of Cosi Cucina’s reputation and history but alas, “A’s” were undercooked and cold.

“D” ordered a Caesar salad and the penne with sausage sauce, Cosi’s signature pasta named Ziti Cucina. “D”s comments about the Caesar echoed “A’s” findings. The penne pasta tasted as though it had been cooked for quite a while, left to sit on a prep table and reheated prior to being sauced and served. It tasted doughy and overcooked. The menu item boasted Graziano sausage in the sauce however its quantity was negligible. On a previous Sunday lunch outing, “D” ordered the salmon in cucumber sauce. The salmon was not as fresh as it should have been and the plate was awash in a flavorless, milky fluid floating a sea of cucumbers. Pale fish served on a white plate with white sauce does not an interesting entrée make.

We don’t know whether some of the luster from the kitchen has disappeared due to a decreased number of diners. The plethora of new eating establishments on Des Moines west side and Cosi Cucina’s weekly discount coupon hype and increased hours indicate they are feeling the pinch. We will probably continue to review it periodically to see if Cosi Cucina returns to the glorious days of its beginning with inspired food, beautifully prepared and served. What they are churning out these days is a disservice to its fans and certainly to a talented and eager wait staff.

“D’s” Review

Cosi Cucina is entering the 13th year since its opening by chef and owner/co-owner Doug Smith. In 1993, Smith was doing highly innovative things like featuring organic ingredients, using unknown-to-Des Moines ingredients such as ramps, and introducing Cleverly Farms’ artisanal salad greens. The cuisine style was an exciting ‘Cal-Ital’ and Chef Smith quickly captured the interest and loyalty of Des Moines diners, winning praise for both his dishes and the romantic nature of the restaurant’s ambience. The restaurant has a wood-fired oven in the middle of the dining room and was among the first locally, perhaps even in the Midwest, to serve the interesting west coast style pizza that has since swept the country. Good wines, a unique and exceptionally intimate full-service bar, a well-trained wait staff, and high-quality dishes using the best ingredients were the hallmark of Cosi Cucina.
“A” and “D” have observed, since about 2003, changes in some of the hallmark expectations of dinner at Cosi Cucina. The opening of chains such as Biaggi’s, Bravo!, Granite City, and other large-format restaurants has created competition for share of the diners’ wallets and, seemingly, has put pressure on Cosi Cucina for customer loyalty. What we believe we are observing is the timeless tale of the intrigue of the ‘new’ versus the ‘old,’ especially when the old restaurant doesn’t update and allows itself to become caught in a cost-cutting spiral in an attempt to remain competitive.
On three dinner experiences, we have been served dishes that are not up to the standards that were the hallmark of the recent past. On one lunch experience, the quality and preparation was actually disappointing. Service has remained excellent; on every visit, we have been made to feel welcome and appreciated. But, something is amiss with the quality of the food.
We dined on a Wednesday evening, about 6 p.m. Again made to feel welcome, we were seated and Steve, a long-time waiter with excellent skills, immediately began his attentive, knowledgeable and professional service. “A” had a glass of a Steve-recommended St. Supery cabernet; “D” had a favorite Peppi sangiovese. Both were served in elegant, over-sized stems that amplified the aromas of the wines and the wine service. The cab was $10 a glass; the sangiovese, $6.
Peppi is an interesting and inexpensive sangiovese (available at about $7 at J.T’s Wine and Spirits on E.P. True at 50th Street in West Des Moines) and is one of the first California wineries to totally adopt screw-caps over the traditional cork. “D” applauds this as at least ten percent of all bottles using corks opened over the past few years have been corked and have had significant levels of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) in the wine. Corked wine containing TCA has a characteristic odor, sometimes described as resembling a moldy newspaper, wet dog, or damp basement, but in every instance something other than what is desired in the wine experience. Cork taint destroys the wine's aromas, and even a very lightly tainted wine is completely undrinkable (although harmless). “D” has never experienced TCA with screw caps and is a firm believer in this newest wine bottling technology. But, back to Cosi Cucina.
Bread was brought to the table, the signature restaurant-created rustic triangle rolls with peppered olive oil dip. These are served from a large wicker basket; in years past, they were served warmed from the oven. The olive oil on the table is unfiltered, infused with herbs, buttery and flavorful. Steve used the bread service time to thoroughly explain the evening’s featured dishes which he does in an interesting way that shows genuine understanding and interest and not just ‘The Script of the Day.’ “A and “D” both chose the calamari with aoli sauce as a shared appetizer and creamy Caesar salads as starters. Steve said he would check on entree selections after the salad course, a nice touch and one that encourages relaxed dining.
The calamari is breaded and lightly fried. The strips are flat and cut into ½ inch thick slices. We may be wrong, but the squid tastes and feels like a processed product, perhaps a calamari-like prepared frozen product, similar to ersatz-crab. This was “D’s” third attempt at this appetizer in three years and it is the same dish. Calamari has little distinctive taste to begin with, but the preparation should instill several layers of flavor to be accented by the aoli dipping sauce. The breading on this dish is unremarkable, actually a bit soggy and lifeless. The lobster ravioli, scallops or portabella mushrooms may be better appetizer alternatives.
The Caesar salad is an enigma. We have a chef who pioneers Cleverly Farms greens, yet the romaine lettuce in the Caesar is limp, warm, uncrisp and uncool. This is the third Caesar with the same shortcomings, so this is a problem not an oversight. The cream dressing is so heavy on the romaine as to totally overpower any other flavors that might be present, such as garlic and anchovy. The pine nut salad or Gruyere salad are better choices and tend to please consistently.
Post-salad, the entrees were ordered. “A” chose the featured dish, Steak de Burgo and “D” chose the house signature pasta dish, Ziti Cucina, a penne and blush sauce with Graziano sausage. A second glass of the St. Supery and the Peppi accompanied the entrée.
The Steak de Burgo is well-described in “A’s” review accompanying this one. The Ziti Cucina was, frankly, surprising. The pasta was overly glutenous, an indication of pre- and over-cooking. How can this occur in a good Italian restaurant? A number of clumps of three to six penne clinging tenaciously to each other were found in the dish, an unheard of, basic, pasta no-no. The blush sauce is flavorful and excellent, but the always delicious Graziano sausage was a mere hint in quantity, not a hearty and plentiful addition. The smoked chicken and pasta may be a better choice. On other visits, “D” has had the excellent pork Marsala and was pleased; the 8 oz. Iowa-raised ostrich was interesting but overdone. It is worth trying if it can be moisturized and served medium. The wood-fired oven pizza is very good and is always a top choice here.
Cosi Cucina can do better. It must do better. It has a distinguished history of doing better and loyal patrons who want it to do better. If I were to suppose reasons for the shortfall in quality of the dishes, it would be inexperienced kitchen staff. Certainly, not the chef, but the line assistants. What is happening seems to be a lack of attention to excellence and a lack of attention to excellent ingredients; that is unfortunate. The dinner was $100 with a generous gratuity for excellent service, but the dinner was not a $100 value, not even a $70 value with these disappointments.

Rating: 2 Maybe
Quality: Fair
Value: Fair
Recommended: Provisionally
Alternatives: Tursi’s Latin King, Bravo! Cucina, even Biaggi’s

2005-12-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Jimmy’s American Café
1238 8th Street
West Des Moines
515-224-1212
Lunch: Monday through Friday 11 a.m-5 p.m.
Dinner: Sunday Through Thursday, 5-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday dinner till 11 p.m.
Brunch: Saturday 11 a.m.-2 p.m; Sunday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Jimmy’s American Café has always been somewhat of a mystery – the place is always packed but several trips for both lunch and dinner indicate the crowds and apparent loyalty has to be based on something other than a great dining experience. Menu prices are high considering the quality of the food served. Dinner entrees are $14 for chicken and $24-26 for higher end beef dishes. A full rack of back ribs is $21 and pasta dishes are in the $15 range.

“A” has eaten at Jimmy’s on several occasions for both lunch and dinner. Lunch has generally included a dish that features Jimmy’s signature chicken fingers, a deep fried presentation of moist, meaty tenders served with honey mustard dressing. Dinner outings have sampled prime rib and pasta entrees. “D” has only experienced lunch at Jimmy’s and that lunch will be the main issue in this review.

Before we launch into our experience, “A” would like to caution diners ordering the prime rib, if you like it medium rare, order it rare. “A”’s request for medium rare brought a plate that was medium and then some, lacking in flavor and bordering on tough. The cut also was very fatty.

The décor at Jimmy’s hasn’t changed much in several years – it is sort of pubby-clubby – comfortable booths and tables. The only thing that is mildly irritating is the white paper used for table toppers. We would rather have a nice laminate top table rather than the stiff white butcher paper. Thankfully, our server was not compelled to write her name upside down with any of the crayons residing in a cup in the center of the table. Wait staff is adequate although we had the distinct impression, our server would rather have been elsewhere doing something more enlightening – like knitting milk bottles, for example. There were no inquiries about our meal once it was served, no offers for refills on iced tea and the check presented without so much as a “thanks”.

“A” ordered the chicken fingers on greens salad and “D” decided to try the grilled salmon salad. The chicken fingers on greens lived up to prior experiences however many of the greens in the salad base were well past their prime. There is just no excuse for serving greens that are slimy and finding crisp nuggets of lettuce that didn’t taste like they had sat in an open refrigerator were far and few between.

There is something amiss when you can smell your lunch before it arrives at the table and we don’t mean that in a good way. Both of us could smell the salmon on “D’s” salad almost when it came from the kitchen. Being a good sport and a kindly person, “D” ate some of it and said, while it was not spoiled, it wasn’t really as fresh as it should have been. Again, the greens used as the base for the salad were also past their prime.

Aside from marginal food and indifferent service, we had one other real surprise during our luncheon at Jimmy’s. A party of four was seated in a nearby booth and one member of the party brought in her dog to lay at her feet while she ate. Maybe we missed a new law on the books that permits something other than service animals in restaurants but we think not. If it is too cold or too hot to leave your pet in the car, leave it at home or eat at a drive-in. Lest we judge too hastily, perhaps this woman owned one of the rare seeing eye Yorkshire Terriers one hears about so often. Let us simply say that dogs do not belong in restaurants…cats maybe and perhaps the occasional Cockatiel but definitely not dogs!

If you’re in the mood for dining with crowds of people on really marginal food served by indifferent wait staff, Jimmy’s is just your cup of tea.

Rating 1
Quality; marginal
Service: poor
Value; moderate
Recommended: no

2005-12-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

Trostel’s Greenbriar Restaurant and Bar
5810 Merle Hay Road
Johnston, IA
Phone: 515-253-0124
Dinner beginning at 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Lunch is served daily from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Twilight menu 5-6:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday

Trostel’s Greenbriar is one of those great restaurants where you can go comfy or to celebrate a special occasion wearing your best bib and tucker. The menu offerings include the usual line up of steak, chicken and prime rib as well as fish, pasta and seafood. Trostel’s also has escargot en croute, elk, rack of lamb and duck a l’orange as a welcome addition to the more traditional line up of fare. Table settings at the Greenbriar always include crisp, white linen table cloths and napkins, fresh flowers on the table and very nice levels of lighting throughout the restaurant. Seating during the summer months is also available on the very pleasant patio.

While our review is limited to our dinner experiences, Trostel’s also has a complete lunch menu offering meal sized salads, chicken, beef, fish entrees and sandwiches.

The biggest problem you will have at The Greenbriar is deciding which of the many offerings to try. Appetizers include the aforementioned escargot en croute in addition to seared ahi tuna, smoked pork tenderloin with chipotle cream, crab stuffed mushrooms with béarnaise sauce and chili pomegranate barbeque beef short rib, just to name a few.

All dinners are served with soup or salad, vegetable, bread and choice of baked potato, garlic mashed, rice pilaf or steak fries. Most entrees are in the $15-18 range with the menu topping out at $43 for the filet mignon and lobster combination. Most of the steaks, rack of lamb and prime rib are $18-30. The bread basket is always a surprise with an unusual artisan loaf included with the sourdough or boule. Salads are generous, crisp and beautifully arranged on cold plates.

“A” is particularly fond of Trostel’s beef dishes. Steaks and prime rib are superb, thick, well trimmed cuts full of flavor and almost fork tender. This is another restaurant that cooks its beef to the correct level of doneness so the diner does not have to second guess whether medium rare is going to arrive rare or medium – it will be a beautifully pink medium rare, as requested. The duck is also excellent, as is the rack of lamb. Trostel’s tempura fried shrimp are among the best “A” has ever enjoyed anywhere. Shrimp are also available charbroiled or Cajun style.

“D” enjoys the Broiled New Zealand Orange Roughy as well as the filet of salmon served with Hollandaise. Fish is beautifully prepared – always moist and flaky and full of flavor. Greenbriar also has grilled halibut steak served with a lemon dill cream sauce as well as a potato crust baked salmon served with saffron chive butter. Both are excellent dishes.

For those wishing to spend less and eat a lighter version of the full menu, Trostel’s offers their “Twilight Dining” menu, Monday through Thursday from 5-6:30 p.m. Most of the entrees on the Twilight menu are in the $14-16 range.

The presentation of all the food is among the best in Des Moines, but the desserts are artistic masterpieces of the almost too pretty to eat variety. However, the awe is short lived when either chocolate, tiramisu or crème brulee is involved so dig in.

All of the wait and bus staff at Trostel’s are seasoned professionals who go about their jobs without intruding at all on your dining experience. Meals are well paced so you do not feel like you are being rushed, nor are courses presented at too slow a pace.

The only word of caution we would offer regards the lounge area. If you have to wait for a table and the smell of cigar smoke bothers you, you may wish to wait for your table elsewhere. Whether it is an impromptu dinner out or a special occasion, head for Trostel’s Greenbriar for one of Des Moines’ most pleasant and delicious dining experiences.

Rating: 4 Absolutely!
Quality: Top quality
Service: Top quality
Value: Top value
Recommended: Absolutely!

2005-12-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

Chuck’s Italian American Restaurant
3610 Sixth Avenue
Des Moines, IA
Phone: 515-244-4104
Hours: 4:30 – midnight, Monday through Thursday
4:30 till 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Chuck’s Italian American Restaurant is one that enjoys icon status in Des Moines but we’re not quite sure why. The arrangement of the restaurant is like a rat maze which some probably feel is part of its funky charm. There are some areas of the place where there is an odor in the air that is akin to a musty basement.

The pizza kitchen is in a window area off the alleged non-smoking section. Wait staff places orders for pizza there and pick it up to be served – more about that later. Perhaps it is due to the Topsy-like environment at the restaurant but the smell of cigarette smoke is pervasive, including the non-smoking area.

The evening we ate at Chuck’s, the dinner hour was just beginning and the one server in our area seemed flustered and overwhelmed that three tables were seated almost simultaneously. We were given menus to review but requests for iced tea went unanswered until a third request was made. The menu is huge – everything you might want from steaks and chicken to pasta and pizza.

“A” ordered Chuck’s famous pan fried chicken and, while the chicken is nicely prepared, the inclusion of the back of the chicken remains somewhat of a mystery. If it is just so it looks like more than you get somewhere else, for the measly bit of meat on the piece they would be better off to throw it into the stock pot and use it to make soup. “D” ordered a sausage and pepper dish from the appetizer men which arrived swimming in oil. Dinner salads are laughable. Iceberg lettuce is served on what passes for a bread plate in most restaurants. The salad tastes as though it has been sitting too long in a refrigerator that has something bad in it. French fries that came with the chicken were unremarkable and unmemorable.

About the pizza – the crust is very thin – so thin you could probably read a book through it. The application of tomato sauce is miserly with cheese and other additions falling in to the adequate but not generous arena. What we noticed throughout the evening was the number of pizza’s that came out of the oven with badly scorched crust. We saw several tables that had ordered pizza ate most of it but left the badly scorched pieces on the plate, declining a take home box for the burnt remains.

The other issue with the pizza window is its proximity to other diners. During our visit, several of the wait staff languished in the area while waiting for pizza’s to come out of the oven. Servers visited with the pizza cook about everything from their marital problems to who wasn’t pulling their fair share on that particular shift. Perhaps some would say it adds to the quirky “flavor” of Chuck’s but we found it an intrusive and unwelcome element of our dining experience.
To sum up our review of Chuck’s based on our own experience compared with the recommendations of others, it is a restaurant that is like lamb meat; you either love it or you hate it with nothing in between. Unfortunately, we would have to say our visit fell into the “hated it” arena. This establishment may well be one that has rested on its laurels for too long. Serious consideration should be given to what can be done to bring it back to what people expect from a place run by a family with such a distinguished name in the Des Moines restaurant world as Bisignano.

Rating; 1
Value: Low
Quality: Poor
Service: Bad
Recommended: No
Best Alternative: just about any other Italian Restaurant in Des Moines

2005-12-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Urban Grill
3651 86th St
Urbandale, IA
Phone: 515-278-1016
Open daily Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m.
Close at 10 p.m. except Friday and Saturday, close at 11 p.m.

“D” and “A” are always on the lookout for comfortable, great, neighborhood restaurants and a trip to The Urban Grill certainly filled the bill. The restaurant is owned by the same people that have Nick’s Bar and Grill in Clive and Skip’s, on Des Moines southside. Despite the fact that the building used to be a Hardee’s, once inside the diner is surrounded by comfortable, dark paneling and a choice of seating at either booths or tables. Just one little note of caution, although it wasn’t a major issue, if it is cold, you might want to avoid the table by the front door if incoming breezes bother you.

We were greeted promptly and cordially by the hostess and immediately offered a table. We opted to have a glass of wine in the bar which we found to be very comfortable – pleasant music played over the sound system but was not intrusive, wine by the glass was reasonable and pours were generous. When we finished in the bar, we were graciously ushered to our table for dinner.

Our server brought water and took orders for beverages while we perused the menu choices. There are no tablecloths or placemats but each place setting includes a generously proportioned napkin. Lighting is pleasantly romantic without being dark. In fact the entire restaurant has a pleasant, warm glow throughout. Each table also boasts a good peppermill-- a welcome departure from the server that interrupts your conversation to offer “fresh pepper” from a mill the size of a small city in Rhode Island.

The menu has something to suit every taste and appetite – prime rib and steaks, several chicken dishes, fish and seafood, pasta and meal-sized salads abound. On our way to the table, we saw a hamburger on its way to a lucky diner. The burger looked plump and juicy and was topped by a beautiful cascade of golden onion rings. “D” ordered orange roughy and “A” decided to try the prime rib. Both of us had salads which arrived on large oval plates, cold, crisp and tossed with their dressing, rather than the cold metal cup of dressing on the side. “D”s’ roughy was beautifully prepared – white as snow, flaky and moist with a side of well prepared mixed vegetables.

In many restaurants we order our beef rare and receive it cooked medium rare. At The Urban Grill such tactics are unnecessary. “A”’s prime rib was ordered medium rare and it arrived perfectly prepared. A generous cut of excellent beef was presented which was full of flavor and extremely tender. French fries were crisp and plentiful but the beef was so good, the fries were an afterthought for “A”.

Service at The Urban Grill is excellent – cordial, knowledgeable and not the least intrusive. Dishes from completed courses are quickly and quietly removed, water glasses are refilled and inquiries about our satisfaction were well-timed.

Both of us were completely satisfied with our dinners and left no room for dessert.

“A” had lunch with a friend at The Urban Grill. The lunch menu offers a wide array of salads and sandwiches as well as some pasta dishes. “A” ordered a Cobb Salad and a dining companion had the rarebit burger and fries. The Cobb Salad was an excellent mix of crisp greens topped with lots of chicken, bacon, hard boiled egg and avocado along with a generous helping of blue cheese crumbles. The rarebit burger was prepared as ordered and the cheese sauce was rich and velvety.

Prices at lunch and dinner are reasonable, especially when one considers the size of portions and the excellent quality of the food. Lunch salads and sandwiches are $6-9 and dinner entrees ranging from $9 to $20. Both lunch and dinner experiences at The Urban Grill were memorable and will certainly merit many return trips in the future.

Rating: 4 Yes
Value: Good Value
Quality: Excellent
Service: Superb
Recommended: Yes

2005-12-20T07:37:00.000-08:00

Tursi’s Latin King

Bob and Amy Tursi, Owners
2200 Hubbell Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50317
515-266-4466

Where to begin? The beginning, of course. “A” and “D” went to the Latin King for the first time for dinner on a Saturday afternoon about 5 P.M. We had been there previously for lunch (which was delightful) and wanted to experience dinner before writing a review.

The large, almost always crowded parking lot at the east side location tells you this is a popular and successful restaurant. The entrance, a courtyard design with a long ramp invites you through the overhead vines to the main door. The moment you are through the door, the greetings are profuse and sincere. These are real people who are genuinely pleased that you have come to their restaurant. The owners, Bob Tursi and his wife, Amy Tursi, are there with a friendly smile and a warm invitation to the table. Tursi has a sparkle in his eye that reflects hospitality and tells you he loves being a restaurateur; it also absorbs everything that is going on in the restaurant. As “A” and “D” were being escorted to the table, Bob was heard to say in passing to a member of the staff, “A little spill on the family’s table over there” and it was immediately attended to with speed and precision. Bob seems to be in every room of the restaurant and in the lounge, always making sure the customer is comfortable, served and happy. The Tursi’s honor the title of ‘Host.”

Comfortable tables and chairs; the booth tables are fixed to the floor and those of us with more girth (most of Iowa) probably will not be able to adjust the ‘table-to-tummy’ distance. The décor is authentic Italian family history, not the faux-Italian nonsense in places like the Bucca de Beppo’s. You know this restaurant has stood for something for a long time and it is proud of its heritage. The restaurant has a variety of different rooms, some large, some intimate. The lounge is spacious and has tables for dining, if desired. A fully-stocked bar and lots of attentive bar service is provided.

As soon as we were seated, the quiet, totally professional services began. Water glasses were filled with a friendly smile, and never were allowed to empty; yet, the service is unobtrusive and seamless. The very engaging wait person—a true, experienced professional—welcomed us and took our order for glasses of Chianti which arrived almost immediately. Other servers were waiting in their sections for diners to arrive and, interestingly, were observed to endlessly straighten napkin placements, arrange the shades on the table lamps, align glasses, and otherwise take professional pride in their tables. These are older, experienced professionals and it is clear that service means something and is important at Tursi’s Latin King.

The menu is large and intriguing with a sufficiency of choices for anyone. It includes an array of appetizers and features the house specialty, Antipasto, along with an interesting Shrimp Angela. Both are excellent, prepared perfectly and generous. Choices include a large variety of dishes in main categories of Pasta, Veal, Beef, Fish and Seafood, Chicken, House Specialties, Salads, and Desserts. There is also a Family Menu that offers full-dining combinations for larger groups and parties. The menus are ‘fully-furnished’ to say the least.

One of the signature dishes is Chicken Spiedini featuring marinated pieces of chicken breast, char-broiled with Amogio, a special, Latin King marinade. “A” and “D” had both enjoyed this dish for lunch previously and can recommend it absolutely.

The variety of dishes is planned to meet almost all tastes—there are, for example, three chicken liver dishes which are almost never seen; also, for the non-explorer diner, there’s fried chicken. The fish and seafood dishes include a number of shrimp dishes, as well as walleye pike, salmon, and orange roughy. Veal dishes abound! And, of course, there is a Steak DuBurgo, as well as other steak choices.

Salads were excellent—fresh, crisp, cold—and the creamy parmesan dressing is superb.

“A” ordered the Chicken Sorrentina and Filet Mignon Marsala. It was accompanied by a unique potato croquette, crispy outside and moist and flavorful inside, an imaginative addition. The chicken breast is done with Prosciutto and a light tomato sauce with melted mozzarella cheese. The filet mignon was perfectly prepared, a precise medium-rare, and the beef was full of flavor and tender. “A” gave the dish great compliments and rated it as high value for around $20.

“D” ordered the broiled Walleye Pike with fresh vegetables. This produced a delicious, large 10-ounce filet, broiled to perfection and exquisitely flaky and moist. The broccoli was vibrant green, al dente, and excellently prepared. Superb dish for about $16.

Dessert had to be Tira-Mi-Su and it is decadent and delicious. Our server deftly sold us on trying it and she was right: the best in Des Moines! Large portion, perfect for two people with some left over. Also, cappuccino and espresso are served.

Service is absolutely professional and flawless; experienced and solid. Everywhere you turn, the smiles are genuine and the warmth is real, not scripted or rehearsed.

Rating this restaurant requires that we accept it for the class of restaurant is in and not for how it compares to small, boutique restaurants, such as Sage or Mosaix. This is a large, family-oriented, high-volume restaurant that does not pretend to be gourmet or bistro-like, although it clearly has a Master Chef and staff in the kitchen. It serves superb food and focuses on the customer and service with a goal of delivering value and enjoyment. Among its restaurant type, it is head and shoulders above the rest and is a Five Star from beginning to end. Whether a large gathering, dinner for two, lunch, or a stop in the bar for a glass of wine and a sandwich, you won’t find better than Latin King.

Rating: 4 Absolutely! 1 = No 2 = Maybe 3 = Yes 4 = Absolutely!
Quality: Top quality
Service: Top quality
Value: Top value
Recommended: Absolutely!

2005-12-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

Tumea and Sons

1501 Southeast 1st St
Des Moines, IA 50315
515-282-7964

There is a little treasure just south of the I-Cub stadium in Des Moines called Tumea and Sons Restaurant. Every city in the world should have a place like this in their neighborhood. The place recently received a needed facelift in the form of fresh paint, wallpaper and new upholstery on the booths. The wonderful pictures of the family still adorn the walls along with maps of Italy, but they are more artfully arranged than the past, rather scattered display.

Tumea’s has a large bar area which is also the smoking section for dining. There are generally lots of regulars coming and going at the bar and in the restaurant throughout the evening creating a pleasant, almost familial buzz in the place the moment you walk through the door. The non-smoking area is a combination of booths and tables and chairs that can accommodate an intimate party of two on up to a very large group. The wait staff is cordial, professional and non-intrusive. There is piped in music—Dean Martin, Al Martino and others of that ilk but, like the wait staff, it is not intrusive and does not interfere at all with conversations.

The menu is full of Southern Italian favorites including Brashiole, Italian meat stuffed and rolled, served over pasta and Pastachena, a dish made with mostaccioli, meatballs, and hardboiled egg served casserole style. The usual round up of dishes like Scampi, Fettuccini Alfredo and spaghetti and meatballs also appear on the menu along with a big selection of chicken and veal dishes. Portions are generous but if you think you can squeeze in a little extra, try the onion rings as an appetizer. They are among the best in the city. The calamari is also exceptional—crisp, sweet rings served with a nice aioli type sauce. Salads are not exceptional—iceberg with your choice of dressing; the creamy parmesan is the house special and it is good. Hot homemade rolls are served with all dinners and they are delicious, but eat them while they are still warm for maximum enjoyment.

“A’s” favorites here include Tumea’s fried shrimp, chicken DeBurgo and their spaghetti. The fried shrimp are quite large, dipped in a very light batter and fried to a beautiful crisp finish. The chicken deburgo is a nice alternative to the steak version, which Tumea’s also has on the menu. It is served in a good and garlicky wine sauce that is not so rich that it overwhelms the delicacy of the chicken. Tumea’s spaghetti marinara is just a delight. The steaming mound of pasta is never overcooked and the sauce is a nice rich, fresh tasting tomato version seasoned with just the right amount of Italian spices.

“D” is particularly fond of Tumea’s veal dishes, all of which are well prepared using quality veal—pale white and fork tender. Veal Asparagus is a dish that is created with love balancing the delicate veal scallops with perfectly cooked fresh asparagus in a lemon and wine sauce.

Tumea’s offers desserts including their famous ‘peaches,’ a cream filled cake concoction that does look like a peach. Most of the time dinner is so satisfying, dessert is not a high priority. The casual, laid-back atmosphere at Tumea’s creates a comfortable environment for lunch or dinner and is especially enhanced if papa Joe Tumea happens to be in the restaurant. Always the genial host, he stops at each table to inquire about the meal or share a funny story or two. On a recent trip, “D” ordered Veal Asparagus but the meal delivered was Veal Marsala. The error was called to the attention of the waitress who apologized profusely. She rechecked the order she placed with the kitchen and found she had, indeed, ordered the Asparagus. No matter—the correct dish appeared within minutes, again with apologies. Before “D” took the first bite, the manager appeared, apologized for the error and his meal was on the house. This was a gracious and unexpected gesture in today’s world that appears so often to have little care for customer satisfaction.

If you are in the mood for good southern Italian food in a comfortable, homey atmosphere that doesn’t cost a king’s ransom, head over to Tumea’s.

Rating: 3 Yes
Value: Good
Quality: Good
Service: Good
Recommended: Yes

2005-12-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Jesse’s Embers

3301 Ingersoll
Des Moines, IA 50312
515-255-6011

“A” has only eaten at two restaurants in that allowed – no, make that encouraged – diners to enter through their kitchen. That gesture by your host at Jesse’s speaks volumes about the pride you sense everyone has in the restaurant. The view of the kitchen isn’t just what they want you to see – you see the prep tables, the dishwasher and the cooking area, excluding the grill which is in the main dining area. Your welcome to Jesse’s begins as you walk past the kitchen – the dishwasher and prep cooks all offer a “hello” as you pass through to the dining room.

Décor in Jesse’s is comfortable, leaning to what we can only describe as an outdoorsy guy motif. Lots of framed Maynard Reese originals deck the walnut paneled walls. Booths line one wall of the restaurant with the remaining seating at tables for two or four. Jesse’s however, is not about décor, it is about great food!

Once inside, your host, Rob Roush, who is Jesse’s son, will promptly welcome you and offer seating in the restaurant. If the restaurant is full, there is frequently room for you to wait at the bar where Rob will make sure you are comfortable until a table is available. The bar is well stocked, the pours are generous and service is attentive without being obsequious. As far as ambience is concerned, the only downside is that Jesse’s is a restaurant that allows smoking. You notice the smell when you arrive, however it is not oppressive and the food is so good that “A” and “D” are willing to tolerate it for the dining experience. If you have to wait for a table at Jesse’s about the only place to wait is in the bar as there is virtually no waiting area per se.

When you do get to your table you are in for a real treat as the wait staff at Jesse’s are all seasoned professionals, many of whom have worked there for years. They are definitely not of the “Hi, my name is Bethany and I’ll be your service person tonight” school. They do not tell you their name, but they do offer a menu, fill up your water glass, bring your drinks, and serve your food promptly and professionally. One person will bring your menu and that same person will be with you through every course of your dinner before bringing your check. They also remember everything you ordered – none of the “let’s see now, who had the whitefish?” you get at restaurants where a plethora of staff are part of your meal event. You know the ones I mean, where “Biff” brings the menu, “Barb” takes your order, “Brad” will bring your wine, and “Quasimodo” is the runner bearing your food from the kitchen. Not at Jesse’s – one table, one wait staff person. They keep an eye on you without being the least bit intrusive. Water glasses are promptly refilled, dirty dishes are cleared and inquiries are made about another drink or glass of wine without interrupting the flow of your conversation.

The menu is not huge but offers enough variety to please virtually every palate. Beef is, of course, the main event. Steaks ranging from a seven-ounce small filet mignon up to a sixteen-ounce center cut New York Strip. The grill is in full view of the restaurant and it is clear that the cooks know how to prepare a superb piece of beef. Steaks are almost fork tender and cooked to absolute perfection. One of Jesse’s signature dishes is London Broil, which is available as either a sandwich or an entrée portion. If you ever are craving a really great hamburger, head for Jesse’s. Their Emberburger is a full eight ounces and, again, is cooked on the grill by masters.

Jesse’s portions are generous but, if you think you can squeeze in a little something extra, their onion rings are grand. They are hand-sliced and prepared with their own special breading mix. Once you start eating them, it is difficult to stop. Unlike so many of the heavily breaded rings one is often served, these really taste like onions!

Jesse offers a full rack of smoked loin back ribs. These are not the ‘meat-falling-off-the- bones’ steamed variety served in so many establishments. They are full of smoky flavor, meaty and are not soggy. The barbeque sauce is baked on the ribs so it does not appear as a ‘slathered on at the last minute’ addition. The salad preparation area is also in full view of the diner providing a glimpse of the mounds of fresh crisp greens and accompaniments used. Salad dressings are all delicious, particularly the house special, creamy garlic. And they make their own incredibly good, handcrafted croutons.

From the kitchen, Jesse’s beer-battered shrimp and lobster tails are stuff of which dreams are made. The batter is almost tempura like -- crisp and fried to a delicate gold. The lobster and shrimp meat is fresh, firm and sweet. Fish offerings include Orange Roughy Florentine, Charbroiled Yellow fin Tuna, Halibut, Walleye served broiled or fried and baked Whitefish, and all are done with a Master’s touch.

All dinners include salad, bread and your choice of baked potato, cottage fries, French fries or pasta salad. My personal favorites are the cottage fries – thin slices of new potatoes cooked till they are golden brown and have just the right amount of crunch.

Sides of asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, spinach and wild rice are available for a modest additional cost. The menu also includes entrée sized Greek, chicken and shrimp salads for those so inclined. Servings of all food items are generous with prices for most entrees below $20. The restaurant also serves lunch with many of the dinner items on the menu in smaller portions at a reduced price.

The wine list is not big or exceptional however prices by the glass or bottle are very reasonable. Jesse’s pour by the glass is generous, and full bottle prices are in the $18-30 range.

Desserts – “A” is sure they offer something but every meal ever eaten at Jesse’s has been so satisfying that dessert was the last thing on “A’s” mind.

“A” and “D” have eaten at all three Jesse’s locations but the original place on Ingersoll is still our favorite. It has a kind of funky charm and warm welcome that just isn’t present at their other locations. Besides that, how many times do you get to see the kitchen of the restaurant where you are dining?

Rating: 4 Absolutely!
Value: Top Value
Quality: Superb
Service: Superb
Recommended: Yes

2005-12-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Trostel's Dish

12851 University Avenue
Clive, IA
515-221-DISH

Wow! This is a restaurant that has all five of its stars already in place. The decor is Chicago chic . . . even New York chic. The service is excellent. The bar is alive and exciting.

But . . . the food gets the top billing at this unique palace of gourmandise. The array of tapas is bountiful and highly original. The dishes and presentation live up to the eponymous name of the restaurant. And then there are the flavors . . . Superb culinary creations of flavor-induced masterpieces of fresh ingredients conducted by a master chef and assembled into delights that dazzle on the plate and the palate.

The wine list is a Des Moines treasure. Even the little-known Las Rocas de San Alexandro, an obscure Spanish Garnacha from Calatayud to which Robert Parker gave a 93 rating, stating "may be one of the best wines in my experience." The Fess Parker sirah is out of this world . . . and the prices are fair and reasonable.

Perhaps the best part (at least an attractive part because everything here is "Best") is two people can share six or seven incredible tapas selections, several great wines, a very generous desert (try the chef's signature chocolate cake), all served with professional attentiveness without obsequiousness or banal chatter . . . and spend about $70-80 . . . absolute top value!

This is a restaurant to sample liberally and frequent often. There is energy and joy and superb food; clearly management is totally dedicated to the customer having a great experience. This is restaurateuring as it should be done . . . and to have this delight in Des Moines is a diner's delight and privilege.

"A" ordered six tapas over two visits: caesar salad, shrimp tempura, martini steak, pomme frits with truffle oil, cracker-bread pizza, and the Graziano sausage. "D" tried shrimp seviche, calamari, tilapia, prosciutto-wrapped Medjool dates, sauteed spinach and crab cakes. All were exquisite and each was a mini-festival of flavors. Food prepared this well is rarely found, even in the 'star' gastrodomes fronted by world-celebrity chefs. Both "A" and "D" believe the best restaurants in this hemisphere are found in Montreal, and Dish's food creations are every bit an equal to the best of Quebec's French-inspired two and three-star restaurants. Dish has a very skilled and talented chef and kitchen staff.

On both occassions, service was near-impeccable: fully-attentive and nearly transparent, leaving the dining experience at the direction of the customer not the server. If there is a small improvement to be made, it is having the kitchen food runners know exactly which diner gets which dish--and in what order--as there are so many different selections to come to the table. It looks to "A" and "D" like the best servers in Des Moines are competing to join Dish.

"A" and "D" try not to overly linger with one or two tapas selections and a glass of wine, thereby unfairly stretching an evening into hours at the expense of waiting diners and the restaurant's 'turns' of the tables. That is a tempting way to dine here, we are certain. But, this is a serious restaurant and deserves a bit of consideration from the diners in return for the tremendous consideration from the staff and management. We spend time in full enjoyment of the food, but then move to the bar for another glass or two of great wine and the attentiveness of a superb bar staff. And take a look at the astounding way the back-bar shelves are suspended on thin wires . . . fascinating!

Dish has live music several evenings of the week. The sound system dishes up some really great tunes--Dean Martin, Sinatra, and the ilk--yet conversation is never impaired by the sound levels. The energy here is uniquely crackling while elegantly understated . . . matching the decor and the ambience and what has to be one of the sharpest and most astute sensitivities to restaurant design and operation in Des Moines.

Rating: 4 Absolutely! (Ratings: 1 No; 2 Maybe; 3 Yes; 4 Absolutely!)
Value: Top Value
Quality: Superb
Service: Superb
Recommended: Yes

Alternatives: None with creative food this good. If, however, you can't get a table, Mosaix is a great alternative and only a short drive from Dish.

2005-12-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Chef's Kitchen

1903 Beaver Avenue
Des Moines IA 50310
515-255-4411

We tried this restaurant for the first time on a Tuesday evening about 5:30 P.M. We were seated without a wait and the hostess was very pleasant and willingly explained the house specialty and the evening's special offers. A large vase containing fresh-baked cookies sits on the long, full bar as you enter which, as an amuse bouche, seem to promise good things to come. Several diners were seated already munching on a "Welcome" cookie. On second thought, maybe they are "Thank You for Coming" cookies, sort of an alternative to mints.

There are a number of booths lining the perimeter of the room and tables in the center, somewhat close together. We chose a table. The chairs are comfortable, straight-back, dark wood without arms. The 'no arms' feature is great for plus size customers, as are the movable tables in the booths, allowing for adjustment to fit people with more girth. The tables are a laminate top, and that's where the first surprises came: no tablecloth; paper napkins; knife and two forks but no spoon; a minimalist table setting. The bar takes up about a third of the restaurant and is a classic long, straight bar with stools; attractive and well-stocked.

The menu is fairly extensive, and clearly the specialty is steaks. The menu showcases at least six cuts ranging from $21 for the petit filet to $28 for the larger cuts, and $24-26 for the house specialty, the requisite Des Moines Steak De Burgo. Other entrees include several seafood choices, pasta selections, pizza, lighter offerings and a children's selection. But the emphasis and star-billing clearly is on steaks. And that is what "A" and "D" both ordered.

"A" is a medium-rare rib-eye lover and ordered it with French fries and a garden salad with creamy garlic. "B" is a medium-rare 'almost any cut is great,' but ordered the petit filet with sauteed vegetables and a salad with a balsamic vinegarette. A glass of Chianti was ordered for both.

The server was genial and efficient. Thankfully, he did not introduce himself or offer some banal rehearsed script. He was pleasant, professional and appropriate, but stumped when "D" asked for a real cloth napkin. He could only suggest a large paper towel as a substitute for the school cafeteria, one-ply napkin that comes standard with the table set-ups. Service was adequate: not great, but not obsequious; acceptably attentive, but not fawning; basically functional, but not overly helpful. A routine15 percent gratuity job.

The salad was good; a generous variety of crisp, fresh greens with tomato and even a hot pepper. The balsamic vinegarette was different--thick and packed with flavors. The creamy garglic, homemade and luscious. Good salads. Excellent dressings. So far, so good.

The Chianti was less than great, even a bit oxidized from the bottle being open too long. Stemware was minimal, the requisite three-ounce pour, not generous. The wine selection is mundane; prices are moderate, but for this quality of wines, perhaps a bit overpriced. Absolutely overpriced when the wine is oxidized. Good bartenders check the aromas before serving when pouring from long-opened bottles. Off wine can be used in the kitchen for cooking, which is far better than serving it to customers who will then (a) not order more wine, and (b) not come back to the restaurant.

The steaks were prepared beautifully by someone who understands medium-rare. "D's" filet was perfectly tender with a moist, red center and a great sear on the outside. The sauteed vegetables were flavorful and featured at least five different vegetable varieties in a rich medley. "A's" rib-eye was equally exact at the center, tender and bathed in a fragrant natural juice; the outside was superbly seared and looked like beef perfection. The French fries were good, but unremarkable. The presentations were briefly thoughtful. And that is where the positive aspects of both dishes ended.

The steaks were both picture perfect, but had zero flavor. The rib-eye derived some minimal flavor from the meat juices, but the steak itself was tasteless. The filet had great mouth-feel and texture, but it was like chewing bok-choy. You knew there was something in there, but you couldn't really pinpoint an actual taste.

And here is where the inevitable analysis of the Joy of the Table and the value began. Both "A" and "D" had been served a glass of off wine, a decent salad, no bread, a glass of water, okay fries, good vegetables and tasteless steaks, all with okay service. The bill was $70 with tip and we ate on a laminate table top with bad paper napkins. Not a whole lot here that is different from Perkins.

Chef's Kitchen is a cost-cutter. They've brought all the costs down, but have no problem with keeping the prices up. For $70, "A" and "B" can have a great experience with all the trappings and top-quality food at Trostel's Dish, or at Greenbrier, or at Mosaix, or at Sage, or at 35th Street Cafe, or at Bistro Montage, or at 43 . . . . or at any number of other restaurants. And, for flavorful beef: Jessie's Embers (the original location).

Rating: 1 (Ratings: 1 No; 2 Maybe; 3 Yes; 4 Absolutely)
Value: Low
Quality: Fair
Service: Adequate
Recommended: No
Best Alternative: Dish, Mosaix, Jessie's Embers (original)

2005-12-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Food, Dining and a Life of The Table

We are "D" and "A," experienced food critics, writers and diners. "A" is a published cookbook author, recipe creator, food writer, extraordinary cook and was a test kitchen chef for several major television cooking series. "D" is an avocational gourmand, an author and culinary publisher, and has cultivated a life of gourmandise on four continents, dining in many of the world's greatest restaurants. Both of us have extensive knowledge of various cuisines, techniques, specialty ingredients, U.S. and world wines, and the practice, service, lore and Joy of the Table.

Having each returned to Iowa from lives spent in the food meccas of the west and the east, we believe Des Moines to be one of the great treasures of American living and one of the developing culinary bright spots of the Midwest.

No Agenda . . . No Allegiance

"D" and "A" dine out often together in the Des Moines area, each spending their own money, not that of a local newspaper--mainstream or alternative. We are committed to nothing except the quality of the dining experience from the customer's point of view. We have no interest in advertising revenues, high-powered connections, positions in local society, or anything other than superb food, well-prepared and well-served at a reasonable cost for the experience. That is what we write about.

Diners Like You

Neither "D" nor "A" are known to local restaurant owners or chefs. For those few who do have a passing familiarity with us, it's only because we are fairly regular customers of their restaurants, returning often when the dining experience is worthy. We are similar to the Everyman or Everywoman of literature; representative and little different from any other customer who goes to a restaurant hoping only for "superb food, well-prepared and well-served at a reasonable cost for the experience." We are not into the 'foodie' scene and we don't seek out the companionship or recognition of local celebrity chefs or restaurateurs. We are in this for the food and the Joy of the Table, and we hope our experiences will help you to have great dining experiences in the Des Moines area--and avoid those less than great experiences.

The Rule of Quality

Both "D" and "A" are probably somewhat ruthless in their critiques, both of the dishes and the operation of the restaurants. We don't 'coat' the truth with a verbal 'sauce' designed to provide a mediocre restaurant with a soft landing, or give them a 'second chance' because of an 'off night.' If a restaurant charges $70 to $100 or more for dinner, it doesn't deserve an 'off night' and we probably won't offer a 'second chance' to merit a more positive review. Like you, we tend to measure the cost against the satisfaction. We do return to restaurants to compare the current and past experiences; after all, chefs come and go and menus change. But, there is always that wretched category of restaurants we describe as, "Let's try it again just to see if it's as bad as ever." Usually, it is.

Read . . . Enjoy!

Those are the basics. Over time, there will be an ever-growing number of reviews. In the meantime, have patience. Send comments to DMrestaurants@campbellandlewis.com. We are particularly interested in what restaurants you would like reviewed. The ratings are no nonsense, straight forward: 1 No; 2 Maybe; 3 Yes; and 4 Absolutely!