Chuck's, 3610 Sixth Avenue,
244-4104
Monday through Thursday,
4:30 to 11 p.m.?
Friday and Saturday, 4:30
p.m. to midnight. |
Chuck’s — king of the
tavern style pizza
As I walked into Chuck’s, I overheard
heard owner Linda Bisignano saying
goodbye to a family of diners.
“How was everything?”
“Wonderful, as usual. Worth driving
150 miles.”
Like other Italian family restaurants
in town, Chuck’s has long appealed
to long-distance drivers. In 1980,
the Des Moines Civic Center commissioned
a survey at its first sold-out
event. Because a high percentage
of ticket buyers came from out
of town, the audience was asked
what about Des Moines was worth
an hour’s drive. Multiple-choice
answers included typical civic
icons like the state fair and
planned attractions like Broadway
road shows. The top answer though
was a write-in — Italian restaurants.
Much has changed in 30 years.
Out-of-town visitors are more
likely now to come for entertainment
and stay for dinner rather than
the other way around. Some things
have not changed. Despite the
exponential growth of corporate
chain restaurants, Des Moines’
traditional Italian cafés
have remained distinctive enough
to pull folks in from miles away.
Chuck’s is the most nostalgic
of our heirloom cafés.
It’s 10 years older than Gino’s
and more anchored than Sam &
Gabe’s, Noah’s, Baratta’s, Christopher’s
and The Latin King — all remodeled,
upgraded or expanded, several
times. At Chuck’s, a couple vintage
beer signs could transform the
main room into a movie set for
that cataclysmic day in 1963 when
Iowa legalized liquor by the drink.
On a recent visit, customers at
Chuck’s bar were comparing that
very day to one that recently
ended a ban on gay marriages in
Iowa. “World didn’t end then either,
despite a lot of predictions to
the contrary.”
Forty years before George Formaro
brought “New York style” pizza
downtown to Centro, Chuck’s introduced
Des Moines to the blistered edges
and fresh flavors of high temperature
pies. Spied recently with a Chuck’s
pizza, Formaro called it Des Moines’
most authentic tavern-style pie.
“A true tavern pizza has a thin
crispy crust that is stiff enough
to hold Margarita toppings without
drooping. A New York-style pizza,
by contrast, can be folded in
half and eaten like a sandwich,”
he explained. Chuck’s pizzas are
still baked in the original oven.
Homemade sausage, meatballs and
pizza sauce, fresh herbs and vegetables
plus Italian cheeses also keep
people driving long distance.
So do little acts of hospitality.
Like an old-fashioned restaurateur,
Bisignano visited every table
on busy nights. Baskets of homemade
breads included soft Italian and
finger-sized cracker loaves. Butter
was served in ramekins, not on
annoying little paper patties.
Generous antipasto included capacola,
salami, pepperoni, two cheeses,
two kinds of pickled peppers and
three house condiments: one made
of horseradish, mustard and cheddar;
a tapanade that included fresh
garlic and Provolone and a sweet
pickle relish that included olive
oil and peppers. Even the lettuces
lining the bottom of the antipasto
composed a good salad.
Fry work here was also old-fashioned.
Chicken, chicken livers, pork
tenderloins, onion rings and veal
were all dipped in egg wash and
flour and then pan-fried. Ravioli
and cavatelli were homemade from
scratch. Marinara was thicker
than average. Veal scaloppini
was ribbon cut and folded into
red gravy. Chuck’s steaks were
all a “premium Angus” designation
that assures at least USDA choice
grade. A tenderloin de Burgo (the
most expensive full dinner on
the menu at $26.50) used Des Moines’
original recipe of olive oil,
fresh herbs and garlic. Desserts,
including exquisite balsamic truffles,
were homemade. Thursday night’s
$11 prime rib special, with whole
cloves of garlic inserted in the
fat, was a major draw — from many
miles away.
Side Dishes
Phat Chefs spring menu added house
cured duck prosciutto, Oregon
white truffle foie gras pate,
smoked pork rillettes and pickled
quail eggs... Casa di Vino hosts
a "Spring whites" tasting
April 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. CV
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