Posted December 26, 2013in Belly Up To...
Very few people of today’s world show enough respect to measure up to the standards of their grandparents. Many young adults prematurely presume, for example, that they are at a first-name status with their superiors at work and their elders in life. And the most seasoned in the crowd are
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Posted December 18, 2013in Belly Up To...
Like that last present tucked away in the shadows behind the tree on a waning Christmas morning — quietly waiting to be discovered — I unwrapped what turned out to be an exciting surprise gift in the form of Michelle’s Lounge on the northeast side of the city. Following the
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Posted December 11, 2013in Belly Up To...
It’s a toss up, like an astronomer choosing a favorite star in the night sky or — perhaps more fitting a comparison — like a parent choosing a favorite child, it’s difficult to decide which is more enjoyable: balls or wiener; wiener or balls? If wiener is your forte, Des
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Posted December 04, 2013in Belly Up To...
Confession: The south side has been deliberately neglected by this column, because a reporter has to have her hideouts. Just over the Southwest Ninth Street viaduct is a business stretch that fits no pigeon hole offering thrift stores, restaurants, groceries and gas. And a different bar beckons conveniently from nearly
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Posted November 27, 2013in Belly Up To...
Nothing takes your mind off the ridiculous price of airport drinks like… more drinks. “Another Aviator, sir?” asked waitress Chris Tyler to a refined-looking gentlemen named Shawn. “What’s an Aviator?” I nosed. “It’s just an IPA,” he said after a frothy swig. I noticed the hint of a charming southern
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Posted November 20, 2013in Belly Up To...
Wedgewood Dining and Spirits is a surprising find on the east side. If you’ve never been, it’s tricky to navigate due to its peculiar location on the short diagonal jaunt, Wedgewood Road. The building is long, yet deceptively large compared to its boxy outward appearance. All clues suggest the place
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Posted November 13, 2013in Belly Up To...
The secret is out of the closet: Gay people know how to party. Although that’s a general statement which does not literally apply to all lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people, those who do enjoy the night life surely share one crucial commonality: Fun. Why do so many people drink
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Posted November 06, 2013in Belly Up To...
When a bar has been around for as long as three generations can remember, people come to know it for a lot of things depending on their age or tastes. A lot of people talk about what it was, as the name may change over the years, or they talk
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Posted October 30, 2013in Belly Up To...
You know it’s going to be a good time when you walk into a small-town bar just in time for happy hour and the Dropkick Murphy’s are electrifying your hair follicles from speakers somewhere above your head. Such was the case around 3 o’clock on a drizzly Wednesday afternoon last
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Posted October 23, 2013in Belly Up To...
Des Moines’ East Village is home to a plethora of diverse taverns, restaurants and groovy little mom-and-pop shops. It could arguably be dubbed central Iowa’s hippest place to eat, shop, hang out and carouse, with its late night concerts, pre-parties, after-parties, random block parties that are planned and hosted by
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