By Jim Duncan
CVFDude@aol.com
Twitter.com/foodude

Small bowl of Bangkok curry noodles with braised beef at Noodles & Company, 1551 Valley West Dr., West Des Moines, 223-6121. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Soon after the “Occupy” movements began last winter in the Wisconsin state capitol, Noodles & Company (Noodles) became the symbolic nemesis of oppressed protesters. Speaking for Wisconsin Labor Movement, a young University of Wisconsin grad named Rob Lewis explained to film crews that Noodles was a “dictatorship where we're told what to cook, how to cook it, what time to come to work, and if we don’t listen they get rid of us.” Dubbed “Noodle Boy,” Lewis quickly became a viral celebrity, occupying front pages of a dozen right wing websites. Glen Beck refused to let Lewis’ 15 minutes of fame expire. Noodles thus became a conservative icon of benign capitalism, a company that grew in just 15 years from a vision of Aaron Kennedy, another young University of Wisconsin grad, into a $200 million chain of 260 restaurants employing 3,500 young noodle boys and girls.

Noodles also carries a liberal pedigree, expanding almost simultaneously from Denver/Boulder and Madison, arguably the two staunchest left wing outposts in the red colored heartland. Denver/Boulder has a knack for producing food corporations that Occupy sympathizers seem to like. Celestial Seasonings, Arrowhead Mills, Rock Bottom, New Belgium Brewery, Smashburger and Chipotle Grill all pay at least lip service to some higher calling than plundering the world for profits.

Thinking that Noodles represents much more than the average restaurant chain, I visited their new store in Valley West Mall. Over three trips, I counted as many people eating in Noodles’ bright, modernist dining rooms as in mall’s entire food court. No one was reading Marx, but I sensed considerably more diversity than a tea party event usually draws. Workers were cheerful as Christian yoga instructors. Twice staff noticed a confused look on my face, asked what I might need and happily produced it, without ever being bossed.

All dishes were prepared when ordered and delivered to my table. A noodles menu contained Asian, Mediterranean and American sections. Both Bangkok curry and Japanese pan noodles restrained their use of Asian clichés like soy sauce, cornstarch and coconut milk. Both featured good fresh foods like shitakes, sprouts and Chinese cabbage. Seven optional proteins were offered — braised beef stood out. Broccoli only employed florets, never the peeled stems that good Asian restaurants use brilliantly.

From the American column, I sampled Wisconsin mac and cheese and a chicken soup — both described as “our best seller.” The former was heavy on grated cheeses. The latter featured egg noodles in salty stock, with chopped vegetables. Caesar salad was also heavy on cheese but light on anchovies. From the Mediterranean roster, cavatappi in a subtle basil pesto (with mushrooms, tomatoes, parsley and grated Parmesan) was the best dish I tried. A penne fresca in balsamic vinegar and olive oil was a close second. Tomatoes were redder and deeper flavored than any I have found in local supermarkets lately. Cucumbers were not peeled in any dish. A wise oppressor would insist they be.

Wines ($5 glass, $17 bottle) hailed from three continents, but beers were admirably all Iowan. Noodles is focusing growth on the “& Company” part of its menu with four new sandwiches and “seasonal” salads, one of which featured “fresh” November strawberries. “Square bowls,” made to serve six people, starred in a very busy carryout section. My smaller carryout containers were so stylish that I’m reusing them. Each time I visited, a small bowl of noodles with an added protein plus salad or soup cost about $8.

Bottom Line — Noodles is an alternative to typical mall food for capitalist pigs and revolutionaries on a budget.

Side Dishes

Last Monday’s luncheon at the Occupy Des Moines encampment included “peach wood smoked tomatoes, organic beef shoulder and cannellini beans braised in a stock of freshly squeezed carrot, pepper and onion juice.” “WINNING.” CV