Friday, July 24, 2026

Join our email blast

Posted October 31, 2018in Food Dude

Eggs & Jam, a fan I am

Eggs & Jam is a rare bird in Des Moines. Its exact array of plumage, diet and song has not been seen or heard here before. The breakfast hotspot is not just about bacon, eggs, hashed browns and toast. Nor is it a breakfast buffet with an endless fountain of

Read More →
Posted October 03, 2018in Food Dude

It’s Irina’s!

Winner of CITYVIEW’s Ultimate Steak de Burgo challenge It was inevitable. Russians won an American election, yet no one called for an investigation of Kremlin collusion. Irina’s won the Ultimate Steak de Burgo challenge by collecting the most votes from CITYVIEW readers, beating out AJ’s, Sam & Gabe’s and Chef’s Kitchen in the finals. It’s

Read More →
Posted September 05, 2018in Food Dude

Cosmopolitan Des Moines update

Who doesn’t love dumplings? A friend who spends time in France each year was baffled about the popularity of Subway with the Gallic people. A lover of French breads and cheeses, she began asking “Why?” The answers were consistent. French restaurants and delis are too prescribed. A croque monsieur invariably

Read More →
Posted August 01, 2018in Food Dude

New kids and how they measure up

In terms of per store profits, Chick-Fil-A is by far the most successful American chain restaurant. McDonald’s leads them in total sales and profits but trails them by a lot in per store sales and profits. This is amazing given that the College Park, Georgia, based chain does not open

Read More →
Posted July 04, 2018in Food Dude

Sports bars carve new identities

Establishing an identity in the restaurant world is wrought with the same anxieties as it is for a teenager. How can you stand out as unique and still fit in and be popular? (Remember dinner theater?) If you try to be the first one to try something new, will anyone

Read More →
Posted June 06, 2018in Food Dude

Breaking loose

Some ethnic cuisines here are modeled on the same templates and recipes. There must be more than a dozen Mexican restaurants now that serve pretty much the same menu. Italian restaurants are far more diverse. Mexico is bigger than Italy and tastes change in different regions, yet most places differ

Read More →
Posted May 02, 2018in Food Dude

Gastro sodbusters get serious

Will wagyu finally sell in central Iowa? On the western frontier of the metro, where the last strip malls push back the Nebraska sky, culinary pioneers Sean and Andrea Gleason are testing new ideas. Can a cosmopolitan food truck build a homestead in Waukee? Will wagyu finally sell in central

Read More →
Posted April 04, 2018in Food Dude

More changes on the local restaurant scene

Some are a bit confusing Change is constant, in physics or the restaurant business. As with all paradoxes, there is no rule to find one’s way to success in such chaos. Here are some examples of recent change locally. The space previously known as Bang, Bang Mongolian BBQ and Draught

Read More →
Posted February 28, 2018in Food Dude

Django moves on, Lzaza welcomes all

February brought us one of the rarest weeks ever for culinary celebration. Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, the first week of the Lenten Fish Fries and Bacon Fest all transpired over just five days. Valentine’s Day is the only one of those with a fixed date, and others

Read More →
Posted January 31, 2018in Food Dude

Range redefines the sports bar

This is the best sports bar food ever in central Iowa The word “redefine” is usually overstated in restaurant parlance. Once in a great while, someplace truly deserves the verb. This column is about one of those rare occasions. Range is a sports bar like no other in the metro.

Read More →
House - Rack Locations