By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com

The 801 and only

801 Steak & Chop House 801 Grand Ave # 200 Des Moines, IA 50309 (515) 288-6000

“Tell the cook, thanks for the meal.” Buddha’s last words

Nothing comforts in the dread of winter like the primal scent of aged beef searing over open flames, so the first chill rains of autumn always lure us to a steakhouse. Local beefsteak culture has changed since last fall: Joseph’s opened with a most feminized version of the genre, featuring draped privacy and romantic trappings such as complimentary chocolates served with port; Iowa Beef Steak House transformed into a high-end sports bar; Fratello’s did even more so, becoming Coach’s Corner. We planned on reviewing Joseph’s, where it’s never too soon to book for Valentine’s Day, but then Johnny Apple died. Only 801 Steak & Chop House would do.

R.W. “Johnny” Apple was a Kiplingesque giant who walked with kings yet kept the common touch. The New York Times compared him to Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Sir John Falstaff — in just the first paragraph of his obituary. The most influential journalist of the last 50 years, he wrote most of the Times’ front page news analyses and led their coverage of three wars and 10 presidential campaigns. Aware of his real power, he eschewed the celebrity that compromised poseurs pimping best sellers on television.

Des Moines owes Johnny, enormously. He wrote about the potential significance of the Iowa caucuses in 1972, before any other national media reported their existence. He was the only reporter who touted Jimmy Carter’s candidacy in 1976, and he tied that to an Iowa caucus strategy. Without Apple, our caucuses might well still be invisible. Johnny was also the greatest gourmand and food writer of our time. Gourmet magazine dispatched Calvin Trillin to France just to report how Apple dined on his 70th birthday. Because he filed stories from more than 70 countries, Johnny’s dining advice was sought by other journalists on the road. Apple loved 801 Steak & Chop House in Des Moines, so it quickly became the haunt of kingmakers and anchormen during the long campaign season in Iowa. John Kerry frequented the place during his 2004 run, and New York Times publisher Arthur Salzburger Jr. once joked that 801 is better known in Manhattan than in Des Moines.

Power accessorized in wood and brass, 801 subjugates other Iowa steakhouses by using Stock Yards prime beef, the gold standard that only 32 restaurants in America carry. By contrast, Joseph’s serves Creekstone Farms beef, but so does Chicken Coop for a small fraction of the price. All prime is not equal (there are sub grades), and Fleming’s is the only other local place in town that even claims to use all prime beef (from Tyson). 801’s appetizers range in decadence from a $4 asparagus vichyssoise to a $60 shellfish platter. This kitchen invented the lobster corn dog, and it’s still a local touch that amuses visitors, but carpaccio is the way to go here — redolent with marbling.

Chef Brian Dennis produces a weekly “fresh sheet” that featured a Tuscan ribeye, several wild fish and oysters on the half shell when we visited. The latter seemed overpriced even by coastal standards (one Apple obituary noted an incredulous stare the master gave a young reporter who dared order oysters at 801). We stuck to basics — prime rib, at $40 a naked slice and worth every penny. Other than its famous cigar humidor, desserts are 801’s power course — consider a Grand Marnier soufflé with pistachio crème anglaise. Both the wine cellar and the aged Scotch list are among the best, and most expensive, in Iowa. They are “the 801 and only” way to toast Johnny Apple: May bands of angels sing him on his way.

Food skinny

The Great Outdoors Fund’s “Buck Naked” feast will be Friday at the Val Air Ballroom. Wild game dishes by some of the best local chefs. Reservations are $50. Call 323-5300. CV

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