Posted September 01, 2021in Food Dude
There is no theme in this place except that it is all cool stuff that owner Denny Elwell enjoys and likes to share. A trip to Memphis 25 years ago coincided with a convention of the Church of God in Christ, one of the three largest congregations of African
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Posted August 04, 2021in Food Dude
The slow-roasted prime rib at AJ’s was as marvelous as it gets. Some of the disappearing classics of the last century have been coming back, at least in a few places. Hot beef sandwiches, hot pork sandwiches, meatloaf and even the Herbert Hoover-driven chicken and noodles of the Great Depression
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Posted June 30, 2021in Food Dude
A Brazilian place becoming Thai makes sense to travelers. Ingersoll Avenue reflects the collective conscience of Des Moines’ westside. In the late 1950s, traditional restaurants like Sherry’s, Noah’s and the Imperial House entertained adults while their disgruntled teenagers turned to the sanctuary of fast food. Henry’s, the precursor to McDonald’s
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Posted June 02, 2021in Food Dude
Gursha Ethiopian Grill and Baja Cocina supply the newest examples of the metro’s growing diversity. The cuisine of Des Moines continues to become more exotic. Two of the world’s greatest peninsulas, nearly half a planet away from each other, supply the newest examples of the metro’s growing diversity. Between them,
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Posted May 05, 2021in Food Dude
A friend who was back in town recently wanted to meet “someplace with a distinctive vibe, like Rusty Scupper and Lloyd’s London Grill back in their day.” I suggested Fresko, a new Gateway restaurant that swept many CITYVIEW “Best Of Des Moines” awards this year including for best new restaurant,
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Posted March 31, 2021in Food Dude
Mulberry Street Tavern, in the newish Surety Hotel, covers the world to provide a cross sampling of marvelous amenities from both small villages and large cities. Surety is a part of Aparium, a Chicago based hotel group specializing in repurposing old and historic buildings. The rooms here are handsome if
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Posted March 03, 2021in Food Dude
There are few restaurant genres that Des Moines expects to conform to formula. Seafood cafés here are all over the place, from the air freighted opulence of Splash to the northwest Mexican bounty of Isla del Pacifico, to the fried wonders of Seafood Trap, the it’s-all-about-the-fish attitude of Waterfront, the
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Posted February 03, 2021in Food Dude
“They say that time changes everything, but actually you have to change things yourself.” — Andy Warhol Business schools are already teaching classes about coping with viral challenges. This year will probably be studied for a long time. Two new restaurants that opened during the epidemic throes stand out for
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Posted January 06, 2021in Food Dude
Tamales are corn’s most divine application. They are to tortillas as fentanyl is to street heroin— 60 times more potent, flavor wise, and relieving. One hundred years ago, the tamale queens of San Antonio became a famous tourist attraction. Tamales have been harder to find in Des Moines since Rosa
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Posted December 02, 2020in Food Dude
Comedian Shirley Fong-Torres liked telling her audiences that “the Chinese word for vegan translates as lousy hunter.” Vegan comedian Dick Gregory told folks that “only the most evolved level of animal intelligence has been able to raise edible foods.” Those two opinions represent 1,000 years of arguments as to whether
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