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/
Showing posts with label Under $10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Under $10. Show all posts
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Frank's Pizza
Last dined: 6/10/08
Frank's Pizza (located in the Drake neighborhood, just east of 24th Street on University near Mars Cafe, in the former location of the Cookery) might just be the best pizza in Des Moines. I say might because I'm sure there are some I haven't tried. There was a day where Red Rossa may have tied them, but due to recent inconsistencies, I'm going to go ahead & say this is the best. It is worth mentioning that Frank's is under the same ownership as Cafe DiScala.
The interior is lemony yellow & red with flat screen TVs playing black & white films dotting the walls. The tables & chairs are vaguely retro. It's maybe not the place to take your sweetie for Valentine's day (unless your sweetie is me), but it's snazzier than your neighborhood Pizza Hut.
Frank's Pizza only has 5 kinds of pizza most days. Pizza Semplice is cheese pizza. Mona Lisa has Kalamata olives, mushrooms & ricotta. The Sinatra is a cheese pizza with the kick of 2 cheeses, garlic & pepper flakes. The Soprano is a roasted chicken pizza. And the Di Maggio (the favorite of everyone I know) has Graziano sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms & banana peppers. Sometimes you might catch a "special" pizza as well, though I have not tried those. They also have a couple sandwiches, salads & baked lasagne. Franks has a limited, but adequate selection of beers & wines. I believe they just have house red & white, along side Peroni, Miller High Life, Bud Light, and a couple of smaller breweries.
The crust at Frank's is closest I would say to New York style. It is thin, not crispy, although not limp. Their sauce has a little tangyness to it and they are topped with just the right amount of cheese. On my first visit to Frank's I ordered a small (personal sized) Mona Lisa. It was tastier than I had imagined thanks to the garlic & herbs. Without the Kalamata olives though, I think this pizza would be lacking in flavor. My companion on this visit ordered the Di Maggio, and this is what I have ordered from then on out. The Graziano's sausage on this pizza is finely ground, the pepperoni is cut up smaller than the rounds it came in. No run of the mill mushroom here, only cremini will do. All topped by mild banana peppers (which I will usually forgo on everything else, but not this). For the good of Dining in Des Moines, I should probably try the other things on the menu, but somehow I just cannot bring myself to do it.
Frank's is truly Divine Pie.
Personal sized pizzas range $7-10, large range $13-18.
Everyone should go here once, and if you don't like it...I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.
See their menu at: http://www.frankspizzadm.com/
Frank's Pizza (located in the Drake neighborhood, just east of 24th Street on University near Mars Cafe, in the former location of the Cookery) might just be the best pizza in Des Moines. I say might because I'm sure there are some I haven't tried. There was a day where Red Rossa may have tied them, but due to recent inconsistencies, I'm going to go ahead & say this is the best. It is worth mentioning that Frank's is under the same ownership as Cafe DiScala.
The interior is lemony yellow & red with flat screen TVs playing black & white films dotting the walls. The tables & chairs are vaguely retro. It's maybe not the place to take your sweetie for Valentine's day (unless your sweetie is me), but it's snazzier than your neighborhood Pizza Hut.
Frank's Pizza only has 5 kinds of pizza most days. Pizza Semplice is cheese pizza. Mona Lisa has Kalamata olives, mushrooms & ricotta. The Sinatra is a cheese pizza with the kick of 2 cheeses, garlic & pepper flakes. The Soprano is a roasted chicken pizza. And the Di Maggio (the favorite of everyone I know) has Graziano sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms & banana peppers. Sometimes you might catch a "special" pizza as well, though I have not tried those. They also have a couple sandwiches, salads & baked lasagne. Franks has a limited, but adequate selection of beers & wines. I believe they just have house red & white, along side Peroni, Miller High Life, Bud Light, and a couple of smaller breweries.
The crust at Frank's is closest I would say to New York style. It is thin, not crispy, although not limp. Their sauce has a little tangyness to it and they are topped with just the right amount of cheese. On my first visit to Frank's I ordered a small (personal sized) Mona Lisa. It was tastier than I had imagined thanks to the garlic & herbs. Without the Kalamata olives though, I think this pizza would be lacking in flavor. My companion on this visit ordered the Di Maggio, and this is what I have ordered from then on out. The Graziano's sausage on this pizza is finely ground, the pepperoni is cut up smaller than the rounds it came in. No run of the mill mushroom here, only cremini will do. All topped by mild banana peppers (which I will usually forgo on everything else, but not this). For the good of Dining in Des Moines, I should probably try the other things on the menu, but somehow I just cannot bring myself to do it.
Frank's is truly Divine Pie.
Personal sized pizzas range $7-10, large range $13-18.
Everyone should go here once, and if you don't like it...I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.
See their menu at: http://www.frankspizzadm.com/
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Teriyaki Experience
Last dined: 5/19/08
Teriyaki Experience (located at 12931 University Ave in Clive, IA, on the north side of University, just west of Granite City in a new shopping area) is a fast food type restaurant that cooks without using oil. For those of you watching calories & still wanting to dine out, this is the answer.
Teriyaki Experience is basically a fast food place. You order at the counter, they cook up your food on a flat hot grill (a la Hu Hot), you take it back to your table. The ambiance has all the charm of a Burger King. This is not the place to bring a date. But I did go here with several friends & we sat around & talked for about 2 hours. So it is not un-inviting.
Basically there are soup noodle bowls, Yakisoba noodles meals, rice meals, wraps or salads. So you pick which of those you like, then you choose between chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu. You order, they scoop a bunch of your meat, fresh veggies (including mushrooms, broccoli, bean sprouts) on to the grill & they move it around until cooked.
I had a beef soup noodle bowl that night, which was very filling and only 392 calories. Several people in my group got the chicken Yakisoba noodle meal, which they attested were tasty. One person got the Teriyaki meal (rice) which was also good. Someone behind us had a wrap which was good sized & looked good at only 535 calories for chicken. Someone in our group got the salad which I would not recommend. It’s like a fast food salad that has been sitting in a refrigerator case all day. There were also California rolls available for purchase. I’m too much of a sushi lover to buy those prepackaged, sitting for hours items.
I would definitely recommend this place if you are out & about & in need of a healthy fast meal. I did read a review that said the meat was tasteless (since it wasn’t cooked in oil). I didn’t find the meat tasteless at all, but if you’re used to greasy, fried foods, this may very well be flavorless to you. I found it to be fresh tasting & satisfying.
Visit the national website: http://www.teriyakiexperience.com/
Check out their nutritional info: http://www.teriyakiexperience.us/nutritionalbrochure.htm
Teriyaki Experience (located at 12931 University Ave in Clive, IA, on the north side of University, just west of Granite City in a new shopping area) is a fast food type restaurant that cooks without using oil. For those of you watching calories & still wanting to dine out, this is the answer.
Teriyaki Experience is basically a fast food place. You order at the counter, they cook up your food on a flat hot grill (a la Hu Hot), you take it back to your table. The ambiance has all the charm of a Burger King. This is not the place to bring a date. But I did go here with several friends & we sat around & talked for about 2 hours. So it is not un-inviting.
Basically there are soup noodle bowls, Yakisoba noodles meals, rice meals, wraps or salads. So you pick which of those you like, then you choose between chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu. You order, they scoop a bunch of your meat, fresh veggies (including mushrooms, broccoli, bean sprouts) on to the grill & they move it around until cooked.
I had a beef soup noodle bowl that night, which was very filling and only 392 calories. Several people in my group got the chicken Yakisoba noodle meal, which they attested were tasty. One person got the Teriyaki meal (rice) which was also good. Someone behind us had a wrap which was good sized & looked good at only 535 calories for chicken. Someone in our group got the salad which I would not recommend. It’s like a fast food salad that has been sitting in a refrigerator case all day. There were also California rolls available for purchase. I’m too much of a sushi lover to buy those prepackaged, sitting for hours items.
I would definitely recommend this place if you are out & about & in need of a healthy fast meal. I did read a review that said the meat was tasteless (since it wasn’t cooked in oil). I didn’t find the meat tasteless at all, but if you’re used to greasy, fried foods, this may very well be flavorless to you. I found it to be fresh tasting & satisfying.
Visit the national website: http://www.teriyakiexperience.com/
Check out their nutritional info: http://www.teriyakiexperience.us/nutritionalbrochure.htm
Red Rossa Pizza
Last dined: 5/25/08
Red Rossa Napoli Pizza (located at 12695 University Ave in Clive, IA, behind ZMarik’s) is in a three way tie for my favorite Pizza in Des Moines (along with Frank’s & Pagliai’s). Red Rossa is the kind of pizza I grew to love when studying in Europe. The crust is thin & blistered by a wood oven and topped with things like fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts & Kalamata olives (don’t worry, they have pepperoni). I have eaten at Red Rossa more times than I can count and this definitely falls into the “go-to” category of restaurants.
The interior of Red Rossa is un-intimidating. It is like an upscale fast food joint. Tile floors with red booths & chairs. You walk up to the counter to order & are given a number. You fetch your own drinks. There is gelato that is made by the staff with free tastes, so do save room for dessert. The prices aren’t intimidating either. A whole individual pizza (you’ll probably have 2 pieces left for lunch the next day) is under $10. They have wines by the glass & beers by the bottle, including Peroni, an Italian beer.
I have tried about every pizza on the menu & the only ones that I am not a fan of are the ones without sauce, but that is a matter of taste. They are all delicious. My most frequently ordered is the Capricciosa (Capree-cee-osa), topped with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, mushrooms & Prosciutto. The Italian is also a favorite. But seriously you cannot go wrong here. You watch them create your pizza before your eyes & then pop it into a wood burning (800 degree) oven. It’s a thin but not really crispy crust with a light thin sauce. And to me, fresh mozzarella is far superior to the grated variety you find on most pizzas. I also hear raves about the salads, but let’s be honest, when faced with the delicious pizza and asked if I want to have a salad instead… A good compromise is their salad served like a sandwich inside a pizza crust. Mmmm.
One caveat. They do cater, and I used them to cater a dinner for about 30 people, a very important event. I didn’t think of the fact that they only have ONE wood oven. Which is fine for cooking 5 pizzas at a time, but for cooking quantities like that, the pizzas were room temperature by the time they got to us & we started eating. They still tasted good, but just weren’t hot.
Visit their website: http://www.redrossa.com/
Red Rossa Napoli Pizza (located at 12695 University Ave in Clive, IA, behind ZMarik’s) is in a three way tie for my favorite Pizza in Des Moines (along with Frank’s & Pagliai’s). Red Rossa is the kind of pizza I grew to love when studying in Europe. The crust is thin & blistered by a wood oven and topped with things like fresh mozzarella, artichoke hearts & Kalamata olives (don’t worry, they have pepperoni). I have eaten at Red Rossa more times than I can count and this definitely falls into the “go-to” category of restaurants.
The interior of Red Rossa is un-intimidating. It is like an upscale fast food joint. Tile floors with red booths & chairs. You walk up to the counter to order & are given a number. You fetch your own drinks. There is gelato that is made by the staff with free tastes, so do save room for dessert. The prices aren’t intimidating either. A whole individual pizza (you’ll probably have 2 pieces left for lunch the next day) is under $10. They have wines by the glass & beers by the bottle, including Peroni, an Italian beer.
I have tried about every pizza on the menu & the only ones that I am not a fan of are the ones without sauce, but that is a matter of taste. They are all delicious. My most frequently ordered is the Capricciosa (Capree-cee-osa), topped with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, mushrooms & Prosciutto. The Italian is also a favorite. But seriously you cannot go wrong here. You watch them create your pizza before your eyes & then pop it into a wood burning (800 degree) oven. It’s a thin but not really crispy crust with a light thin sauce. And to me, fresh mozzarella is far superior to the grated variety you find on most pizzas. I also hear raves about the salads, but let’s be honest, when faced with the delicious pizza and asked if I want to have a salad instead… A good compromise is their salad served like a sandwich inside a pizza crust. Mmmm.
One caveat. They do cater, and I used them to cater a dinner for about 30 people, a very important event. I didn’t think of the fact that they only have ONE wood oven. Which is fine for cooking 5 pizzas at a time, but for cooking quantities like that, the pizzas were room temperature by the time they got to us & we started eating. They still tasted good, but just weren’t hot.
Visit their website: http://www.redrossa.com/
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Black Cat Cafe (Des Moines) - Revisited
Dined - 3/22/08
I returned to the Black Cat (on Ingersoll in Des Moines, near El Patio) one evening to meet a couple of friends in from out of town. I had already eaten dinner myself, but they went ahead & ordered a crepe to split because I explained they serve 2 large crepes per plate. They agreed one was enough & ordered one plate. When the plate arrived, it had only 1 crepe on it. Looks like they have scaled back. Unfortunately the price had not changed.
See original post: http://diningindesmoines.blogspot.com/2008/03/black-cat-cafe.html
I returned to the Black Cat (on Ingersoll in Des Moines, near El Patio) one evening to meet a couple of friends in from out of town. I had already eaten dinner myself, but they went ahead & ordered a crepe to split because I explained they serve 2 large crepes per plate. They agreed one was enough & ordered one plate. When the plate arrived, it had only 1 crepe on it. Looks like they have scaled back. Unfortunately the price had not changed.
See original post: http://diningindesmoines.blogspot.com/2008/03/black-cat-cafe.html
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Black Cat Cafe (Des Moines, IA)
Dined: 2/29/08
The Black Cat Cafe located at 3701 Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines is the sort of place that you probably have to set out to visit. It looks very non-descript from the outside, and with some sort of tinting on the windows, it is difficult to tell if it is open or what waits for you inside. I was fortunate to find an empty space in the small lot in back. The interior was a pleasant surprise, but then I hadn't expected a lot. The walls and ceiling were dark with charming paper lanterns dangling from above. The furniture was more like a living room than a kitchen or a bar (which is a plus in my book). There is smoking at the ventilated bar, which was fine as long as there was only one person smoking, but at one point there were several people smoking there & the ventilation didn't make a difference for the near by tables (there is a room close to the front door that would have been great, but was already taken). A jazz trio started playing around 8 which only added to the ambiance (although it made conversations difficult).
There is a fair wine list. There were many beers on display, but they seemed to be out of several varieties. We settled on a bottle of Zinfandel for a bargain price of $20, which actually was pretty fair, although the wine was very warm, much warmer than I like. Of course I drank it anyway.
The menu consists mainly of crepes (sweet & savory - around $8 per plate), pastries & frozen pizzas. If you order a crepe, each order comes with 2 crepes of the same variety. I went with a friend & we ordered a savory & a sweet crepe to share which worked well. The garden & then the simple chocolate with a raspberry sauce. The garden had feta & vegetables and was satisfactory but didn't taste like expected. The quatro fromaggio & the seafood crepes both looked markedly better. The chocolate crepe was obviously made with Nutella instead of chocolate sauce which I don't remember being specified on the menu (as I am not a huge fan of Nutella). But it was very tasty & served with a scoop of ice cream.
We had wanted to order the chocolate banana crepe but they were out of bananas and I overheard her telling a few people later in the evening that they had actually ran out of crepe batter. Seems like a big faux pas if that is pretty much your whole menu. And crepe batter is pretty much flour, egg & sugar, so that would be hard to do. I mentioned before that they had run out of several kinds of beer as well.
If you order a sweet & a savory crepe, you should maybe specify that you would like your savory crepe before you get your dessert crepe as everyone in our party got their dessert crepe first. I was disappointed with the small variety of savory crepes. The glaring exemptions of ham and cheese, and ham cheese & mushroom crepes which are standard fare on European creperie menus.
The cafe was very busy, so the service was a bit slow, but the waitress made up for that by being extremely friendly.
Bottom line is that it is an interesting addition to the Des Moines restaurant/bar scene and crepes are a crowd pleaser. Hopefully they will get better organized & will not continue to have some of the issues that I encountered on my first visit. But there will definitely be return visits.
Visit their website where you can view their menu: http://www.blackcatcafebar.com/
The Black Cat Cafe located at 3701 Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines is the sort of place that you probably have to set out to visit. It looks very non-descript from the outside, and with some sort of tinting on the windows, it is difficult to tell if it is open or what waits for you inside. I was fortunate to find an empty space in the small lot in back. The interior was a pleasant surprise, but then I hadn't expected a lot. The walls and ceiling were dark with charming paper lanterns dangling from above. The furniture was more like a living room than a kitchen or a bar (which is a plus in my book). There is smoking at the ventilated bar, which was fine as long as there was only one person smoking, but at one point there were several people smoking there & the ventilation didn't make a difference for the near by tables (there is a room close to the front door that would have been great, but was already taken). A jazz trio started playing around 8 which only added to the ambiance (although it made conversations difficult).
There is a fair wine list. There were many beers on display, but they seemed to be out of several varieties. We settled on a bottle of Zinfandel for a bargain price of $20, which actually was pretty fair, although the wine was very warm, much warmer than I like. Of course I drank it anyway.
The menu consists mainly of crepes (sweet & savory - around $8 per plate), pastries & frozen pizzas. If you order a crepe, each order comes with 2 crepes of the same variety. I went with a friend & we ordered a savory & a sweet crepe to share which worked well. The garden & then the simple chocolate with a raspberry sauce. The garden had feta & vegetables and was satisfactory but didn't taste like expected. The quatro fromaggio & the seafood crepes both looked markedly better. The chocolate crepe was obviously made with Nutella instead of chocolate sauce which I don't remember being specified on the menu (as I am not a huge fan of Nutella). But it was very tasty & served with a scoop of ice cream.
We had wanted to order the chocolate banana crepe but they were out of bananas and I overheard her telling a few people later in the evening that they had actually ran out of crepe batter. Seems like a big faux pas if that is pretty much your whole menu. And crepe batter is pretty much flour, egg & sugar, so that would be hard to do. I mentioned before that they had run out of several kinds of beer as well.
If you order a sweet & a savory crepe, you should maybe specify that you would like your savory crepe before you get your dessert crepe as everyone in our party got their dessert crepe first. I was disappointed with the small variety of savory crepes. The glaring exemptions of ham and cheese, and ham cheese & mushroom crepes which are standard fare on European creperie menus.
The cafe was very busy, so the service was a bit slow, but the waitress made up for that by being extremely friendly.
Bottom line is that it is an interesting addition to the Des Moines restaurant/bar scene and crepes are a crowd pleaser. Hopefully they will get better organized & will not continue to have some of the issues that I encountered on my first visit. But there will definitely be return visits.
Visit their website where you can view their menu: http://www.blackcatcafebar.com/
Monday, February 25, 2008
Lemon Grass (Clive, IA)
Dined - 2/23/08
Lemon Grass, at 12871 University in Clive (behind the Anglo International building) is on my short list of go-to restaurants in Des Moines. The restaurant is at the former location of the Belwood Cafe (French deli) which is no longer there & has no affiliation with the owner of the Belwood. Lemon Grass serves Lao & Thai cuisine. The first time I ate there I learned from the waitress that the owner or chef used to work at Cool Basil.
Lemon Grass' interior is warm (ok, it was chilly when I was there, but it looks warm & inviting). Warm tones of red & gold dominate. The dining area is small, probably around 12 tables, about the size of a larger Asian carry-out place. And while it seems they do a lot of take-out orders, the food is far from take-out quality.
Lemon Grass has a solid menu & the staff is nice, if not terribly formal with their customers. I have tried several things from the menu, including Larp, Ou Larm, Angry Fever (yes, the 5 chili version), Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Curry Puffs, Seafood Asparagus, and Panang Curry.
The Ou Larm was really a soup, although they don't really specify that. It was very liquidy and not terribly flavorful. Seafood Asparagus was kind of run of the mill Asian flare, not a stand out.
The Angry Fever, and I just had a bite, was like eating a jalapeno pepper. There was some underlying flavor, but even with just one bite I could just feel & taste the heat. If you're a fan of that, by all means go for it. But the Angry Fever "Club" punch card is kind of a rip off: clean your plate of Angry Fever plate 5 times to earn a free beer, 11 times to earn a free entree.
Here's what does stand out: Crab Rangoon, yes you can get this anywhere, but rarely do you find this much cream cheese in the middle, also a little hint of peppercorn. The Panang Curry is a great curry with rich coconut milk and a hint of heat. Great flavor.
But in my opinion, the best dish on the menu is the Larp with ground chicken. It is the epitome of freshness with onions, scallions, cilantro, and bean sprouts. It is like eating spring. The sticky rice is not everyone's favorite, but it has grown on me. When I was there last, it was not warm enough temperature wise, and I asked them to heat it up. He said that it would hurt the flavor to cook the veggies all the way thru. I've had the dish many times & never had it this cool, but I didn't argue, but it wasn't as good. But that won't keep me from coming back.
http://lemongrassclive.com/
You can find a copy of the menu for Lemon Grass (Clive, IA) at: http://lemongrassclive.com/LemonGrassMenu.pdf
Lemon Grass, at 12871 University in Clive (behind the Anglo International building) is on my short list of go-to restaurants in Des Moines. The restaurant is at the former location of the Belwood Cafe (French deli) which is no longer there & has no affiliation with the owner of the Belwood. Lemon Grass serves Lao & Thai cuisine. The first time I ate there I learned from the waitress that the owner or chef used to work at Cool Basil.
Lemon Grass' interior is warm (ok, it was chilly when I was there, but it looks warm & inviting). Warm tones of red & gold dominate. The dining area is small, probably around 12 tables, about the size of a larger Asian carry-out place. And while it seems they do a lot of take-out orders, the food is far from take-out quality.
Lemon Grass has a solid menu & the staff is nice, if not terribly formal with their customers. I have tried several things from the menu, including Larp, Ou Larm, Angry Fever (yes, the 5 chili version), Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Curry Puffs, Seafood Asparagus, and Panang Curry.
The Ou Larm was really a soup, although they don't really specify that. It was very liquidy and not terribly flavorful. Seafood Asparagus was kind of run of the mill Asian flare, not a stand out.
The Angry Fever, and I just had a bite, was like eating a jalapeno pepper. There was some underlying flavor, but even with just one bite I could just feel & taste the heat. If you're a fan of that, by all means go for it. But the Angry Fever "Club" punch card is kind of a rip off: clean your plate of Angry Fever plate 5 times to earn a free beer, 11 times to earn a free entree.
Here's what does stand out: Crab Rangoon, yes you can get this anywhere, but rarely do you find this much cream cheese in the middle, also a little hint of peppercorn. The Panang Curry is a great curry with rich coconut milk and a hint of heat. Great flavor.
But in my opinion, the best dish on the menu is the Larp with ground chicken. It is the epitome of freshness with onions, scallions, cilantro, and bean sprouts. It is like eating spring. The sticky rice is not everyone's favorite, but it has grown on me. When I was there last, it was not warm enough temperature wise, and I asked them to heat it up. He said that it would hurt the flavor to cook the veggies all the way thru. I've had the dish many times & never had it this cool, but I didn't argue, but it wasn't as good. But that won't keep me from coming back.
http://lemongrassclive.com/
You can find a copy of the menu for Lemon Grass (Clive, IA) at: http://lemongrassclive.com/LemonGrassMenu.pdf
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