By Jim Duncan
CVFDude@aol.com
Thanksgiving,
literally
It’s harder each year to find
restaurants serving good Thanksgiving
dinners. Thus more unwilling cooks
are subpoenaed to the daunting
judgment of family perfectionists.
That desperate occasion causes
our mailbox to swell this time
of year with cries for help. We
used to suggest the Hotel Pattee’s
incredible spread, but with this
being the last year for that event,
reservations might be hard to
secure.
So, for those of you who have
not already finished your T-Day
shopping, start first with Jonathan
Reynolds’ new book “Wrestling
with Gravy.” In the chapter “Alice
Waters Cooks Her Turkey Too Long,”
the New York Times Magazine’s
obsessive-compulsive food writer
includes the best recipe for baking
turkey I have ever tasted — as
well as recipes for Paul Prudhomme’s
deep-fried turkey and John Hess’
marvelous sausage-olive-walnut
stuffing. To the problem that
even Alice Waters couldn’t solve
— cooking (white meat) too long
— let us reiterate Harold McGee’s
advice from last year: Tape frozen
ice packs to both turkey breasts
for six hours before cooking the
bird. McGee also revealed the
secret to the perfectly browned
skin: Leave your turkey uncovered
in the frig the day before baking.
Besides Reynolds’ book, many things
in Central Iowa deserve the gratitude
of food lovers this year. Some
of them also might just impress
those judgmental visitors from
out of town. We have room for
10 today.
1.) Price points. The New York
Times reports that “$40 is the
new $30” for typical entrées
in America, yet most of Des Moines’
best restaurants still keep their
top price under $33, including
Café di Scala, 25th Street
Café, Bistro Montage (where
three-course specials start at
$25), Trostel’s Greenbriar, Lucca,
Sage, 43, Sam & Gabe’s, Christopher’s,
Cosi Cucina, Mezzodi’s, Mojo’s
on 86th and Centro (with one exception).
La Mie, Dish, Cool Basil, Star
Bar, Hessen Haus and Tandoor even
stay under $20.
2.) Unique coffeehouses. While
corporate behemoths Starbucks
and Caribou conquer the world,
independent coffeehouses still
rule Des Moines, with personal
quirks like: Grounds for Celebration’s
homemade gelato; Zanzibar’s organic,
free- ranged dairy cows; Java
Joes’ indie music scene; The Break
Room’s job counseling; and Mars
Café’s non-boutique wines
and music, to name a few.
3.) More than two dozen completely
different versions of Des Moines‘
“unique” dish — “steak de burgo.”
A special thanks to Tony Lemmo
for refusing to call his “manzo
con vino di rosso,” (beef tenderloin
in a prosciutto red wine reduction)
by that name at Café di
Scala.
4.) Special events such as: “All
Iowa” dinners at Phat Chef’s;
wine and cheese dinners at Greenbriar
and Mosaix; any time Andrew Meek
prepares Malloy game birds or
Niman Ranch pork bellies at Sage;
anything Al Franco at the State
Historical Building, or Lisa LaValle
at the Art Center prepares; and
Wednesday night specials at Waterfront.
5.) Full Court Press’ 500-plus
beers. That’s the total number
available within five blocks of
each other downtown at Red Monk,
Hessen Haus, El Bait Shop (including
Saranac pumpkin ale), High Life
Lounge and Royal Mile.
6.) Ethnic vitality. Des Moines
thrives on the entrepreneurial
energy of immigrants. La Pena
is one of the most wonderful mom-and-pop
Mexican kitchens anywhere, and
we look everywhere. King &
I, Cool Basil and Thai Flavors
injected serious Siamese upgrades.
Ling Wong’s Chopsticks (to be
reviewed here next week) is a
hidden jewel of Cantonese expertise.
La Rosa’s, El Maya and San Pancho
de Aquascalientes are a few Mexican
places that avoid the template
of that genre. Pho 777, Nut Pob,
Pho Ha Dao, Fuzion, Café
Su and China Garden do the same
with Southeast Asian cuisine.
7.) The return of real French
fries. Fresh-cut, twice cooked
and never frozen “pommes frites”
are here again, thanks to the
Trostel family and their Dish
chef Wil Rutherford.
8.) Ryan Binney. This one man,
transported to Iowa for love,
single-handedly upgraded the dessert
course all over town with his
catered creations — not to mention
everything from wedding cakes
to petit fours.
9.) Ankeny. Unlike most fast-growing
suburbs, the Ankeny-Saylorville
area accommodates almost as many
independent, original restaurant
concepts as corporate chain monsters.
Ranallo’s, Chip’s, Sonny’s Bistro
and the dining room at the Iowa
Culinary Institute are just a
few of the ways this area keeps
a personality of its own.
10.) The Central Iowa Tobacco
Free Partnership web site. Nothing
revolts out of town visitors more
than Des Moines’ 20th century
tolerance for second-hand smoke.
This Internet connection reliably
reveals all the smoke-free restaurants
and bars in the area. CV
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