By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com
2009 — A great year for customers
Theme of the Year — Upping the ante
2009 was a fabulous year for consumers as restaurants improved their games and cut their prices. Django began offering $1 oysters at happy hour and started a “no corkage fee” policy that spread. Splash, Fleming’s and Alba initiated sensational discounts on appetizers. Fixed price dinners at Bistro Montage and Centro offered better choices and lower prices, with more vegan offerings in Centro’s case. Half price wine nights at Dos Rios and Dish spread. Chuck’s upped its free jazz lineup. Free wine tastings escalated.
Chef of the Year — Troy Trostel (Greenbriar)
Trostel has won more culinary awards than anyone else in the state, including a pair of silver medals in the American Culinary Federation competitions and a national Beef Backers “chef of the year.” The top advocate for Iowa’s Majinola wagyu and Eden Farms pork, Trostel mixes classic European style with fresh and local ingredients and a knack with game. This year, all three Trostel restaurants (Greenbriar, Chip’s and Dish) innovated, introducing more bargain-priced menus.
New Restaurant — BOS
This category has been so hot in recent years than restaurants as good as Alba, Sage and Azalea didn’t win. This year, most of the best “new” restaurants were turnkey operations — established cafes changed hands and menus but not much else. Tally’s (B&B), Timothy’s (Tedesco’s), The Q (Town Hall), John & Nick’s (Vern’s), Margarita’s (Raul’s) and Jasmine Bowl (Florene’s) were the best of that bunch. Restaurants created from scratch included Sakari and BBQ2Die4, neither of which brought anything new to our culinary table. Overall the best new restaurant of 2009 is BOS. This dining room in Renaissance Savery Hotel combines fabulous ambiance with an eagerness to provide the best fresh and local ingredients, three meals a day, seven days a week.
Patisserie of the Year — La Mie
Joe Logsdon’s La Mie is a state treasure, probably the local place most likely to impress food snobs from the coasts. This year Logsdon dared changed some classic French pastry recipes, and improved them.
Rising Stars — Anthony Johnson (Mojo’s) and Jed Hoffman (Dish)
Like a testimony for the Iowa Culinary Institute, these chefs seamlessly took over major Iowa kitchens before leaving their mid-20s.
Farm of the Year — Butcher Crick
Jennie Smith gave farming a new, young look this year. Her devotion to heirlooms and rare seeds caught the eye of many top restaurants and media.
New Chain — Smashburger
This back to the future burger joint makes a better sandwich the old fashioned way.
Promotion of the Year — Italian wine dinners at Café di Scala
Tony Lemmo visited the boot of Europe to keep one of America’s best (all Italian) wine lists contemporary. Chef Phil Shires food pairings were sensational. Honorable mention: 10th Street’s Local Ingredient of the Week.
Technology of the Year — Coca Cola’s Free Style
If you haven’t seen this yet, just wait. Borrowing medical technology from intravenous feeding devices, Coke’s new machines let customers create soda fountain beverages from scores of choices and flavors, while increasing Coke business by leaps and bounds.
New Design — BOS by Spaces Design Group
BOS fuses Neo Renaissance and Deco designs into a cosmopolitan ambiance befitting a downtown hotel. Original art, by TJ Moberg and Tom Moberg, played surrealistically off Deco fixtures. Honorable Mentions: BBQ2DIE4 for its devotion to high end, real guy stuff; Smokey Row for combining friendly Wi-Fi connections with historic restorations.
Thanks for the Memories
Sage, Robin’s Wood Oven Grill, Michael’s, Maverick Grill, Mosaix, Crave Italian-American, Simo’s, Skybox, Vern’s, Town Hall, Torocco, Frank’s Pizza, Mexico Viejo, Chef Joe’s, Boilin’ Catfish, Mythos, Florene’s, B&B and Bella Petras. CV
Photo by Moberg Gallery: Neo Renaissance and Deco designs are fused at BOS
