What’s
in a name?
A good portion of Food Dude’s
mail comes from people trying
to make dinner plans in a panic.
I recently heard from a salesman
who had just been told that his
client had converted to a strict
vegan diet. He feared his reservations
at 801 Steak & Chop House
wouldn’t work. That’s just an
extreme example of what typical
parents do every night trying
to accommodate the ever-changing
tastes of their children. I empathize
now because this restaurant review
was scrambled in such a panic.
I was planning to review Angelo’s
and had eaten my way through much
of their menu before noticing
something that had somehow escaped
my eye — something so astonishing
it reduced everything else about
the restaurant to insignificance.
The place peddles a pizza called
“Illinois Nazi” and not out of
naiveté. It’s starred on
their menu as a “signature item.”
I then learned that a Jewish Press
editor had informed the restaurant
that the idea of an oven-baked
food named for “Nazis” was painful
and insulting. Angelo’s reply
was that the holocaust happened
long ago and it was time to move
on.
When the Caribou Coffee chain
was defamed because one of its
executives endorsed the extermination
of Israel, that company severed
all ties with the man in hopes
of appeasing customers. What Angelo’s
is doing is unapologetic and somehow
it’s been less publicized. In
this information age, no one should
be spending their money unaware
that they are supporting hatred
of people of any ethnicity or
religion.
Duly informed, I had to start
over with a new answer to a reader’s
inquiry about feeding a soccer
team and their more discriminating
parents in the northwest part
of town. I needed something quick
and, just a few blocks from Angelo’s,
I spied an omen called Presto.
This store specializes in foods
that are prepped for baking at
home. I tested both their thin
and original crust pizza, with
both white and marinara sauces,
plus some ready to bake chocolate
chunk cookies and Buffalo wings.
Personally, I don’t think my home
oven can get hot enough to do
justice to thin crusts, so I’d
rate the regular crust higher.
It delivered something close to
the taste of homemade white bread.
A youthful test audience liked
it better, too, saying it compared
well to both Papa John’s and Home
Team pizza.
The chicken wings had been partially
pre-cooked at temperatures too
low to crisp the skin. That’s
essential to good wings in my
book, but my testers liked the
soft texture, explaining that
the chicken is just part of a
delivery system for sauces. Presto
offers those in five flavors and
several levels of spiciness. As
for the cookies, “who doesn’t
like hot baked cookies?”
I wasn’t sure the adults would
like the home-baked pizza as much
as the kids would, so I visited
another place that has been touted
by enthusiastic readers. Red Rossa
in Clive is just the second store
anywhere of a hopeful chain from
Sioux Falls. My first impression
was to ask if they sell stock
in the company — there’s that
much to like. Red Rossa offers
an attractive dining room, free
wi-fi and homemade gelatos. Wondrous
aromas came from oak burning in
an open oven that was producing
the best pizza in the western
suburbs. It’s a worthy rival to
downtown’s Centro, with San Marzano
tomatoes, good cheeses and perfect,
blistered crusts. My carryout
order was removed from the oven
exactly on time and the pizza
cost significantly less than what
I’m used to paying for lesser
pies. Best of all, I would not
yet have found this place had
it not been for hate mongers.
Side dishes
Prairie Meadows will host “A Culinary
Affair” educational fundraiser
May 6, with top chefs from six
of Iowa’s best restaurants combining
skills on six courses. The $75
ticket includes wine. Call 276-1454.
CV
By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com
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