By Jim Duncan CVFDude@aol.com
Gateway
Market Café
 Civilization
began with the simultaneous discovery
of chemistry and bread. Similarly,
the story of Sherman Hill’s hottest
new business began a decade ago
when George Formaro first baked
slow rising Sicilian bread in
his hand-built brick oven on Des
Moines’ South Union Street. Mike
LaValle, a partner of Formaro’s
then, recalled that humble beginning.
“When George started the first
bakery, we ran a teenager telephone
line out the window of our house,
because we couldn’t even afford
a separate phone line,” explains
LaValle, who like Formaro, is
part-owner of Gateway Market &
Café which includes a new
state-of-the-art, 4,000-square-foot
South Union Bakery.
Formaro’s breads were so popular
they quickly led to a café
on Grand Avenue, then a larger
deli and destination restaurant,
Centro — both in the Temple for
the Performing Arts. That led
to a second Centro in Davenport.
“Then one day (Centro partner)
Paul Rottenburg tells us that
we’re going to open a market and
café in Sherman Hill,”
recalls Formaro, admitting he
was doubtful at the time.
Any worries about the market’s
success disappeared faster than
yeast raises dough. From the moment
doors opened last month the café’s
biggest problem has been keeping
up with customer demand. Formaro
was forced to temporarily downsize
his menu, removing all entrees
until his staff can be more thoroughly
trained.
Breakfast here is as good as
it gets in Des Moines. My basic
“eggs any style” included eggs
with no rubbery whites (signage
for freshness); fresh cut hash
browns with peppers and onions;
a choice of top quality (Niman
Ranch) bacon, sausage or ham;
and a choice of South Union toasts,
all for $5. Only jams could have
used upgrading. Chilaquiles came
with scrambled eggs and an aromatic
homemade chipotle salsa, plus
fresh avocado. Decadent French
toast was made with challah, and
served with pecans and maple syrup.
Buckwheat crepes were perfectly
hot, crisp and thin, with Niman
ham. Less ambitious morning birds
can find a full array of fresh
baked La Mie pastries.
Lunch and dinner shared the
same salad and sandwich menu,
plus Gateway’s piece de resistance
— ramen. Formaro worked for eight
months on its three recipes, translated
and auditioned from Japanese texts.
His basic stock is exquisite,
made with whole chickens and pork
breastbones plus numerous vegetables.
His noodles are homemade with
buckwheat flour. House ramen adds
a spicy miso (fermented soybean
paste), chicken ramen adds a less
spicy miso and Tokyo ramen adds
tamari (a soy sauce derived from
miso). Diners can choose myriad
meats, shrimp, tofu and vegetables
to augment each.
Cheeseburgers, the most popular
dish, delivered a classic treatment
with well-seared beef, Postville
cheddar and a challah bun. I preferred
a Carolina pork shoulder sandwich,
served “eastern style” with unsweetened
vinegar sauce and coleslaw. It
was also better than its smoke
house sibling — burnt end brisket,
which was too dry even for its
Kansas City style sweet sauce.
Formaro sticks to tradition with
most sandwiches: turkey BLT; shrimp
Po’ Boy; Cuban and corned beef
brisket Reuben on rye. He shoots
for something unique on two others:
market roast beef with muenster
cheese and Thousand Island dressing;
and grilled portabello with romescu
sauce and mozzarella.
Side dishes were superb: French
fries were fresh cut and correctly
cooked twice, at vastly different
temperatures; sesame noodles were
delightfully spiced with ginger
and coriander; cucumber salad
should be enshrined for sweet/sour
balance. The best salads offered
Asian accents (crispy noodles)
and promise to get better, using
only fresh local greens as soon
as they are available. There was
a thoughtful selection of $4 per
glass wines.
Side dishes
Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse will
host a five-course wine dinner
Thursday... Casa di Vino hosts
a summer instructional wine tasting
Tuesday... 801 Steak & Chop
House began Sunday service, with
a bargain fixed-price menu. CV
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