Tedesco’s Steakhouse, 5418
Douglas Ave., 727-0560.
Mon. - Thurs. 7 a.m. - 10
p.m.; Fri. - Sat. 7 a.m.
- 11 p.m. Sun.; 7 a.m.-2
p.m. |
Tedesco’s Steakhouse
In Louis Malle’s 1980 film “Atlantic
City,” an aging, two-bit gangster
(Burt Lancaster) woos a much younger
woman (Susan Sarandon) with stories
of his past. “Ah, you should have
seen the Atlantic Ocean in those
days,” he drones, with his back
turned to that ocean. When asked
why his earliest jazz recordings
with Charlie Parker sound so mediocre,
an aging Miles Davis shot back
at his critic, “You should have
heard that shit back in 1946.”
Malle and Davis both suggest that
greatness is distinguished only
by context. But since context
can be purely subjective, the
question remains: Can you borrow
it, or did you have to be there?
Like Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse,
Tedesco’s Steakhouse evokes Des
Moines’ most cherished restaurant
traditions: the Italian family
café and the classic Iowa
steakhouse. Johnny’s does so consciously,
with an orchestrated marketing
plan and selective trappings.
Tedesco’s does it subconsciously.
On each of several visits, I overheard
other customers talking about
restaurants of another era — Vic’s
Tally Ho and Gianni’s, which were
located just down the street from
Tedseco’s many decades ago, and
South Side legends Wimpie’s and
Johnny & Kay’s. Several contexts
provide legitimate links.
First, Tedesco’s cultivates Italian-American
style, with its name, authentic
family photos, freshly picked
flowers on the table and a piano
music soundtrack. Side dishes
include plates of pasta with marinara
and macaroni and cheeses. Salad
dressings include an Italian that
tasted like the old South Side
version. Grinders employed Graziano’s
sausage. Tedesco’s hashed browns
were the shoestring variety made
famous at Johnny & Kay’s,
hand-shredded according to my
server. The French fries were
thick handcut version associated
with old steakhouses.
Grinders also used old South Des
Moines style marinara, but were
not too full of meat. Tedesco’s
sausage sandwich was far more
generous with meat and cheese
— a far better deal than the grinder.
Pork tenderloins were of Iowa
icon variety — breaded, golden
fried and so large that they hung
over the edges of a large bun,
even after being sliced in two
and stacked. Unlike most loins
that wide, they were half an inch
thick with pork.
Tedesco’s cultivates family and
neighborhood vibes. Kids-eat-
free on Wednesdays and off an
inexpensive kids menu anytime.
Tedesco’s opens for breakfast,
seven days a week. Steakhouses
that do that are usually only
found in small towns. It’s a deep
commitment for an independent
restaurant in a city today. Breakfast
featured French toasts made with
homemade Italian, challah and
cinnamon breads. That’s rather
trendy today, but it was an invention
of Kronk’s, a legendary Denison,
Iowa steakhouse. Breakfast also
included two versions of egg benedict
and two versions of down home
country cooking — chicken fried
steak and eggs and corned beef
hash. All breakfasts were priced
under $10.
True to its name, Tedesco’s delivers
old-fashioned steakhouse dinners.
Their chef moved over from Joseph’s
when that upscale steakhouse closed
and his expertise on a grill was
obvious. My “Pittsburgh rare”
order was perfectly seared on
both sides and still a perfect
rare. That happens about once
in 10 tries, even in much higher
priced steakhouses. My steaks
were served in a classic Béarnaise
sauce, a touch borrowed from Trostel’s
Greenbriar and Noah’s. Curiously,
Tedesco’s DeBurgo here was not
the old Italian Des Moines version
of Johnny & Kay’s and Vic’s.
It was the creamy style version
made famous by the Greek-owned
Johnny’s Vet’s Club.
Bottom line — this is brand new
place that already has the feel
of an heirloom.
Side dishes
Celebrity Food & Wine Expo
(Nov. 21- 23 at the Iowa Events
Center) has added cooking demos
by local stars Sheree Clark (Living
Raw), Don Hensley (Glen Oaks)
and Jennifer Strauss (Carefree
Patisserie). Butch Lupinetti,
a Pennsylvania barbecue guy, was
added to the national celebrity
line-up… Des Moines University
and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
will host a 2008 Wine Opener on
Nov. 7, all proceeds to CFF. CV
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