Tumea & Sons - Des Moines, IA

Last Dined 7/18

Tumea & Sons is a Des Moines institution. Hidden away south of Downtown, this non-descript building is well worth the trek. The interior is not any more inspiring than the outside. Vinyl booths & 1970's elementary school floor tile. Thankfully, this is the kind of place that none of that matters.

The menu is your typical Italian restaurant fare. Pasta dishes, parmesan dishes, etc. etc. However typical the menu may be, they do it right.

We started with the calamari. This is the only thing that I've tried that I cannot recommend. The calamari was pressed into a stick and fried (it looked like a fried mozzarella stick). It was served up along side honey mustard, which did not really go with the dish (and we couldn't find our waitress to get marinara). Next we tried the salad with homemade dressings. Typical iceberg lettuce, dressing was tasty enough but nothing spectacular. Next we tried the vegetable soup, which was actually quite tasty for such a plain dish. Better than the salad I dare say. As far as main dishes go, we sampled veal parmesan with a side of pasta, lasagna with a side of alfredo sauce, and pastacina. All of the dishes exceeded expectations. Even the side of pasta. The pasta wasn't homemade or anything, but the marinara sauce was deliciously spicy and flavorful. The same marinara sauce was used in all 3 main dishes. The lasagna was ordered with a side of alfredo sauce & the was absolutely decadent & better than mom's (don't tell her I said so). The pastacina (pasta with sausage, beef, boiled eggs, baked with cheese on top) was also great, although not the best I've had. The veal parmesan was tender, not unusually so for veal, very flavorful, and the marinara really put it over the top.

Everything we sampled at this eatery was very solid. This restaurant out shines Baratta's and Gino's for sure. Definitely worth the out of the way trip. Beware, they don't take reservations for parties smaller than 6.

http://tumeaandsons.com

Proof - Downtown Des Moines

Last dined: 2/20/09

Proof is located at 13th & Locust, Des Moines, IA, former location of Beggar's Banquet. The restaurant itself is a sleek, modern, minimalist place. Concrete floors, Swedish looking furnishings & lighting, stunning view of the downtown skyline. It can be noisy due to the concrete floors, and the space is a little tight.

Proof is mainly a lunch spot. They do dinner on Fridays only & do a Prix-Fixe menu of 4 courses for $40. You can go for the whole menu, or you can pick & choose your courses. But be aware, they only have one selection from each course available, so make sure that you check out the menu for that week before you make your reservations.

This was my second visit to proof. The first time I attended the theme was Greek. I chose to have only 2 of the courses, the Moussaka which was delicious & a decent sized portion, if not totally filling; and the dessert.

On my last visit the theme of the evening was unclear. On the menu were phylo-wrapped brie with an apple & pine nut salad; house cured salmon with soba noodles; chicken roulade with quinoa & shitake mushroom vinaigrette; red velvet cake with beet ice cream. The appetizer of brie & apple salad was tasty but teeny tiny. There was maybe a one and a half inch square piece of phylo dough that had a bit of brie (not even a half inch tall) with a couple paper thin apple wedges & a few greens. I am not one for giant portions, but be aware, these are some of the smallest portions I've encountered in Des Moines. The main dish was smaller than most I've had at Trostel's Dish, supposedly small plates. The second course was delicious, but left me wanting more. The third dish was more flavorful than described by the menu or the waitress, but I am not fond of bell peppers, which were not mentioned in the description. The dessert was unbelievably disappointing, to everyone in my party of 5. It was like a medium sized bran muffin, topped with whipped shortening with a smidge of sugar added. The cake was not red, nor velvety & not a hint of cocoa powder. The beet ice cream didn't really taste like anything but cream, worse than Vanilla. And by the time it got to our table, there was about a tablespoon left unmelted. This was honestly the most disappointing dessert I have ever eaten. The rest of my party felt the same way. We followed our visit up with bacon wrapped tater tots and beer at the High Life Lounge.

Bottom line, the food here is good (with the exception of the red velvet cake), but small portions and over priced. I would try it again, but can't say that I can in good conscience recommend this without further study.

http://www.proofrestaurant.com/

Town Hall Tavern to open

Jeremy Morrow, currently partner & chef at Azalea & Zen, previously found at Star Bar & Bistro 43. The restaurant is set to open by March 1. I am a fan of Azalea myself, but can't always put down $30 an entree every time I want to go out to dinner. This should be a great treat to have some of his creations at a more moderate price.

I have tried the posole, it is delicious and satisfying. The shrimp & cheese grits had been served at one time with a pork chop at Azalea & while I am not a pork fan, the grits were absolutely amazing. I am interested in checking out his rendition of a papusa (El Salvadorian fave from the farmer's market). And the piece de resistance, Banana bread pudding with bourbon caramel. My mouth is watering already.

Check out the menu: http://townhalldsm.com/

Django - Now no cork fee, ever!

Last dined: 12/27/08
You may or may not have heard that Django now has no cork fee. Anytime. This is fantastic news for you fine dining/wine lovers looking to save a few dollars. Django was recently named best new restaurant, and I would say it is just Best Restaurant, flat out. The prices are very reasonable, the food is fantastic, not at all fussy, the setting is true to a real French brasserie. Now, you can even bring your own bottles of wine from home, no extra costs.

If you have not tried Django yet, I would urge you to try it. The Filet Rossini is one of the most amazing things I have tasted in Des Moines. It is a filet mignon topped with rich, creamy foie gras. Not a fan of foie gras? Try the decadent Macaroni & cheese, the delicious bouillabaisse, or even one of their burgers & fries (fried in duck fat of course).

http://www.djangodesmoines.com/

The Flying Mango

Last dined: 12/30/08

I am a strange creature, especially in this corner of the world. I confess, I am not a barbeque fan. There! I've said it! I've never been one to get excited about big hunks of meat in general. I don't hate it, but let's say I avoid barbeque if given a choice. Hence...I have not visited one of Des Moines most renowned establishments, the Flying Mango.

I begrudgingly agreed to go for dinner recently. I was happy to find their website complete with menu online so that I could search out something on the menu that wasn't barbeque or Cajun. I was pleasantly surprised to find several selections to fit the bill. Including Latin Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Grilled Mahi Mahi, Lime and Garlic Chicken with Mango Salsa over Black Pepper Fettuccini.

The location is very odd for a hip restaurant, 4345 Hickman Road. The parking situation is deplorable. I arrived around 7:15 on the Wednesday night before New Years and the place was full, as was the small parking lot as well as the available street space surrounding the restaurant.
The inside of the restaurant is painted warm, vibrant tones. As you walk in the door, the kitchen area is to your left. If there's a wait, you wait right there where you can see & smell the cooking. That area is also not very large, so hopefully there aren't a lot of people waiting with you. In the dining area there is art hung that I understand is for sale, so the art changes frequently. The restaurant is cozy, and according to my dining partner does not belong in Des Moines. I'll disagree, I am increasingly impressed with the Des Moines dining scene and think that's an insult to Des Moines, but you decide for yourself.

We tried the chicken salad appetizer with tortilla chips. Not a lot of flavor there. Two of us at the table ordered the Latin strip steak with Chimichurri sauce, the other two the Louisiana platter which includes red beans & rice, Creole chicken & andouille sausage. I have previously tried steak with Chimichurri on a recent trip to Puerto Rico. I was hoping for a fairly authentic dish & I'm afraid they didn't really deliver. The Chimichurri sauce did not have as much flavor as I was hoping & it was a strip steak instead of flank steak or skirt steak. Chimichurri sauce is a mix of olive oil, lemon juice parsley, garlic, salt & pepper, sometimes also shallots, or other green herbs. The menu calls it Latin pesto, which is a pretty fair comparison, however in this case it wasn't very flavorful & the large cut of meat overpowered the drizzle of sauce. I will say that the steak was cooked just as I ordered & the waitress was quick to say if it was not as we wanted to let her know. The Louisiana platter was under whelming as well. The sausage was not hot, the red beans & rice didn't taste very authentic, although were better than say a box of Zataran's. The highlight was the Chicken Creole, very flavorful. The cornbread at the Flying Mango is very tasty. I am told they change varieties frequently. We had some mango in ours, as well as cinnamon butter on top. The Louisiana platter comes with cornbread, but the Latin steak did not so we ordered a side.

They had an above average selection of wines by the glass and had Templeton Rye stocked at the bar. The service was great, and many of the dishes on the menu sounded pretty imaginative. I would say that it did not live up to the hype of the recent title of Best Restaurant in Des Moines, but I would come back for a second visit if someone suggested it. I am sure that people who love barbeque would have a lot more affection for this place than I did, but I'm definitely glad I gave it a try.

http://www.flyingmango.com/
menu: http://www.flyingmango.com/restaurant-menu.html