Learn about Des Moines diners’ favorite dishes at the chains and the indies. Literature and painting have chronicled the foods that delighted and enchanted people of other centuries. What foods are the contemporary equivalences of Cezanne’s peaches, Laura Esquivel’s (“Like Water for Chocolate”) quail in rose petal sauce, Jorge Amado’s shrimp and coconut milk stew [...]
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Men with elite athletic ability invade Wells Fargo Arena, as the Iowa Wolves begin NBA G League action. More than a half million students lace up basketball sneakers each winter for their respective high school squads. Statistically, each has roughly the same chance of being struck by lightning — 1 in 3,000 — than of [...]
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What is it, and which ones have it? Restaurant critics used to employ the word ambiance, or ambience, as a factor in their ratings. That’s not as common as it used to be, likely because the word is ambivalent. The Oxford Dictionary says use of the word exploded after World War II, peaked a dozen [...]
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UPDATE: On Nov. 13, Drake and the Des Moines School District announced plans to build a $19.5 million stadium just east of the Knapp Center. The 4,000-seat stadium would be used for high-school football and soccer games and soccer games by the Drake’s women’s and men’s teams. Under the agreement, the school district would put [...]
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And 7 other political takeaways 1. Retired Adm. Michael Franken of Sioux City, a native of the Sioux Center area of Iowa and a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, said he opted to bring his long military career to a close with the election of President Trump. “Having worked for every president since Jimmy Carter, [...]
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“The Lighthouse” is a hypnotic and hallucinatory tale. “How long have we been on this rock? Five weeks? Two days? Help me to recollect.” Nothing is what it seems at the uncanny lighthouse where Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe deliver a performance from beyond. The chemistry between the two of them grabs you on every [...]
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Serving common dishes uncommonly well Motley School Tavern does not take itself too seriously. Its name plays on Shakespeare’s motley fool, and the stock market analysis company of that name that reminds customers not to take any guru too seriously. The idea at the restaurant is to serve common dishes uncommonly well. As Shakespeare’s fools [...]
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Local pro wrestling referee offers insight from inside the ring. “What’s it like being a referee in a sport with absolutely no rules?” Comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s question seems like a fair one. Before most pro wrestling matches, the participants gather beforehand to pre-determine who will win, with which finishing move and a host of other [...]
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See the world from a different angle. “The Ferris wheel is going up right there,” Steve Smith says as he marks a line of white dashes that cover the entire concrete lot. And when you step back for a broader view of these fresh hopscotch marks, they actually designate the locations for each ride at [...]
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Two shows feature the talents of about 60 students. “Disney’s Little Mermaid Jr” and “Seussical Jr.” will be featured productions in the Greater Des Moines theater scene during November, thanks to Class Act Productions (CAP) Community Theatre in Altoona and Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre, respectively. Combined, these two shows feature the talents of about [...]
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I was in Dubuque last week to toast a friend who was retiring after a long and distinguished career. There was a big community reception that was attended by scores of people. The speakers mentioned his many contributions to the company where he worked for 33 years. They commented on the awards he had received [...]
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Classic cocktails are shaken, with a spin. Take a walk inside the Winchester Pub in Valley Junction, and you’ll find the bartenders shaking things up — literally. After they’ve poured the quality spirits and fresh ingredients into the silver shaker, the bartenders expertly create their handcrafted cocktails one drink at a time. They’ll top it [...]
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It was my soul food. I am a Chinese food junky, especially old-fashion sit-down places. When I was growing up in the Quad Cities, my dad would take me to a place in Milan, Illinois, called Shanghai. Shanghai was an old-school, sit-down Chinese place. It was also affordable, so it didn’t break the family bank [...]
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Grand View University president explains its growth over lunch at Tursi’s Latin King. Kent Henning is a month away from closing out 20 years of leadership at Grand View University. That Lutheran school on the eastside of town has gone through several transformations since its founding in 1896. The most significant of them occurred on [...]
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Girl waits two years for her own pet. For more than two years, Piper Ladwig, 10, yearned for her own cat. With three other pets at home, she wanted one to call her own and not share with her sisters or parents. So, her dad offered her an incentive: If she hit a homerun during [...]
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In her introduction to “Monument Valley,” the Des Moines Art Center’s latest exhibition, curator Laura Burkhalter explains why a show about the history and mythology of a Navajo Tribal Park in Utah and Arizona is a good fit for an Iowa museum. John Wayne, the actor whose work with John Ford popularized Monument Valley around [...]
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He keeps an eye on the night sky. Roger Berry’s home is nestled on a small acreage northwest of Indianola with a tranquil pond in the front and cornfields behind. He and his wife enjoy the peace and quiet of the country life, but it is what he sees looking up that makes him feel [...]
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