Posted September 02, 2020in Food Dude
I drove aimlessly around town during the power outages, mainly because my car was my only place with air conditioning. Restaurants were closing all over town — three Burger Kings, the S.E. 14th Street Popeyes and the large McDonald’s on University at Sixth all appeared closed while neighbors had power.
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Posted August 05, 2020in Food Dude
St. Kilda is an old town south of Melbourne, Australia, that is quite famous for its restaurant scene, beach and sunsets. The new restaurant named for it in Valley Junction represents a gorgeous restoration of an old historic building in Valley Junction that was most recently a dance studio and
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Posted July 01, 2020in Food Dude
Change is the only constant. The frustrations of quarantine have inspired some people to become seriously cautious and others to become seriously oblivious of caution. I now get as many dirty looks for wearing a mask as for not wearing one. The city seems to have a much higher percentage
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Posted April 01, 2020in Food Dude
The Euclid-Douglas corridor was long considered to be on the edge of town, then Des Moines expanded beyond the borders of its city limits. Now the corridor remains a border space between the tried-and-true restaurants in the ilk of the woe begone Knox Café and the still thriving Iowa Beef
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Posted March 04, 2020in Food Dude
My grandfather, a longtime farmer, said that success was like the morning dew, it could settle just as easily on a rose bud or a cow turd. Epic novelist Larry McMurtry, who grew up on a ranch, later wrote the same thing about the love of a good woman. Just
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Posted February 05, 2020in Food Dude
Restaurants here mostly known for unexpected delights rather than fine-dining superstars. University Avenue is chock full of happy eating surprises. Many of those are hidden away in real estate that entices the initiated rather than the drive-by diner. This is the street of the precisely named Fast Mart & Chester’s
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Posted January 01, 2020in Food Dude
Bartender’s Handshake and Lucky Lotus add personality to Des Moines’ most eccentric street. No other restaurant neighborhood in Des Moines has changed more, and more often, than Ingersoll Boulevard. It was home to the first franchise food joint in town — Henry’s. Many others followed including Burger King, Hardee’s, Howard
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Posted December 04, 2019in Food Dude
It’s survived multiple fires, the deaths of two owners, other natural disasters, and the loss of parking lot access from Grand Avenue. Doing interviews lately about the lost restaurant traditions of Iowa, I started wondering what has not been lost but would be deeply missed if it was. This is
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Posted November 06, 2019in Food Dude
Serving common dishes uncommonly well Motley School Tavern does not take itself too seriously. Its name plays on Shakespeare’s motley fool, and the stock market analysis company of that name that reminds customers not to take any guru too seriously. The idea at the restaurant is to serve common dishes
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Posted October 02, 2019in Food Dude
Stars of the appetizer menu included the pata de negro Iberico, the leg of the most coveted pig in the world for charcuterie. Bistro Nomad sits downtown with a view of Jaume Plensa’s sculpture Nomade. It certainly lives up to its name. The café is owned by an Ames pair
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