Posted June 03, 2015in Food Dude
E.P. True Parkway projects a strange magnetic attraction for small town cafés wanting to test the market of suburban Des Moines. First came EP True Burger Café, an expansion of Route 169 Burger Café. Next was Patty Pat’s, which tried bringing the taverns (loose meat sandwiches) of LeMars to West
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Posted May 27, 2015in Food Dude
In the food world, perceptions are formed by rumors as often as by experience. I still hear that French places are haughty and expensive years after Bistro Montage, Django, Baru 66 and Le Jardin should have laid such notions down to die. Similarly, people cling to the idea that all
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Posted May 20, 2015in Food Dude
The name is a lot to chew — Drake Bakery, Café and Bar. That’s just part of its intentions. It also has a stage and a dance floor, and it’s set in an old Baptist Church. Owner Frank Strub, a member of Forest Evaschevski’s Iowa Hawkeye football teams of the
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Posted May 13, 2015in Food Dude
Having vanquished its main rival, Hy-Vee is preparing to take on all comers. A preview of its next phase is taking shape at Hy-Vee on Mills Civic Parkway. Called the Mills Civic Culinary Center, it plans to offer a new Market Grill restaurant plus upgraded dining options of a more
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Posted May 06, 2015in Food Dude
The American tavern has been evolving since its earliest days. As Cliff Claven said on “Cheers”: “Little known fact. The United States Postal Service originated in taverns.” An iconic photograph in the Silver Springs (Maryland) Library shows Civil War soldiers reading their mail in a local tavern. Early taverns also
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Posted April 29, 2015in Food Dude
Thanks to Lost Des Moines’ Facebook page, the city’s restaurant history is becoming better known. I recently was reminded of Davey’s Supper Club and Curly’s Dinner Club. Both were Highland Park legends before the 1960s. Like the Chickadee (where Gino’s now stands), they specialized in fried chicken. In fact, fried
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Posted April 22, 2015in Food Dude
Chefs complain that Des Moines diners are resistant to change. If a restaurant replaces a dish or alters a recipe, someone will complain. In this environment, any change of ownership at traditional establishments comes with customer anxiety. In the last year-and-a-half, La Pena, Chuck’s, Tally’s, The Radish and the Des
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Posted April 15, 2015in Food Dude
Knowing that George Formaro’s love of horror stories inspired Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, I assumed that Gateway Market and Café were named after a bloody piece of American cultural history. The LaBianca family, murdered by Charles Manson’s followers, owned a similarly named chain of stores. After all, the store
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Posted April 08, 2015in Food Dude
The first time I interviewed Zach Mannheimer, I was impressed by his talent at piecing together multiple sources of funding. Similar coalitions of generosity had been assembled to save the Temple of the Performing Arts from the wrecking ball. That was part of a local civic effort to preserve an
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Posted March 31, 2015in Food Dude
It’s been almost four years since American economics lost its biggest food star. In July of 2011, pork bellies were removed from listed commodities traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. For 50 years before then, they served as a kadigan for all commodity trading and the butt of most jokes
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