The Dog Days of 2020 began on July 22, but the dawning of the age of Dogtown had already commenced. The Drake neighborhood will spend at least $700,000 in the next couple years with developments that include housing, a hotel, the Harkin Center, a remodeled Varsity Theater, and probably a
Read More →There were more closings than openings for the first period in quite a while. Calamity breeds chaos. The last three months were piled high with a lot of both. Never have so many restaurants changed hands so quickly here. Reopening is hard in large part because many restaurant and bar
Read More →Things got really crazy in the restaurant world last month. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling for a two-month ban of congregations of more than 50 people and for maintaining more than 6 feet of distance between people, The Wu Han virus claimed victory in the Pearl
Read More →And you thought we had a problem with farm-raised salmon? The newest Year of the Rat infested the world with new forms of dread and old ways of spreading them. Food, it turned out, was the most likely cause for the coronavirus. And that’s not a Mexican beer joke. Just
Read More →Black Velvet Canadian Whisky, the once and future king of Iowa, was the state’s most popular liquor brand. Wheat exploded to a 16-month high bolstered by potential Chinese demand following a trade deal. Argentina, Ukraine, Russia and Australia growers all had problems with their wheat crops. As Chicago wheat rallied,
Read More →Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar took the top spot in an annual Iowa cooking competition. This year was a time of Dickensian bests and worsts. Des Moines’ food scene lost some legends. Innovative restaurateur Ralph Compiano, State Fair food division guru Arlette Hollister, Noah’s head Jimmy Lacona, pizza man
Read More →Why are there so many songs written about cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin and so few written about food? Food is the subject of at least as many movies as drugs. There are far more radio shows dedicated to food than drugs. And there are infinitely more paintings of food than
Read More →And more good news Taste of New York won the Ultimate Pizza Challenge over the last three months. The Jordan Creek pizzeria has won the hearts of Des Moines’ diners in a little more than five years, which is a New York minute when it comes to pizza love. The
Read More →There is a lot going on in the restaurant world. The last month was a time of astonishing consequences for third-millennium Americans. After some 12,000 years of invention, ingenuity and hand-to-hand combat to reach the top of the food chain, green zealots shamed enough people into abdicating that top dog
Read More →40 “Women to Watch” in hospitality August was a bitter time for local restaurant lovers. Three beloved, old-school cafés closed. They were Italian American classics and will not be easily replaced. Noodles, a southside icon with a huge crowd of golden-aged fans, closed because it was time to retire for
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