De Rice (Johnston, IA) Review

4.5* (out of 5)

Food: 5*

Atmosphere: 4*

Value: 5*

Service: 4*

I had no idea this place had opened so close to our home. Went with a group from work today and loved it. The free soup and fried appetizer was very good, the service was friendly, the food was delivered very quickly and the entree tasted great.

For my lunch break, I ordered the Crispy Honey Chicken as Very Hot. I thought the spice level was just right (just at the point of making my nose run) and the flavor was great. I will definitely be back with my wife for dinner some evening.

Dinner update 1 week later: Was so good, I stopped back with my wife for dinner. We had a coconut mango mojito, the Surf & Turf Roll special, Panang Curry, Tom Kha Kai Soup and Mango Salad. All were very good, but I really liked the Mango Salad best of all – mango, onion and cilantro with the spicy lime dressing and fish sauce were a wonderful combination!

Update 2: Dinner last night was delicious as usual. I started with an Irish Mule and then had the Sushi Set. I really enjoyed the nigiri, which I had not eaten before. Per my request, the chef even came out to tell me what each of the pieces were. There wasn’t a lot of flavor difference between any of them, with the main difference being texture. My wife had the Crispy Shrimp Cashew Nut (see picture) and it was also delicious.

01/20/2023 Update

Yet another stop at one of our favorites last night and once again, we thoroughly enjoyed it…and left very full and satisfied! On this trip, we started with an order of Crab Rangoon, which was delicious – especially when dipped in the honey. I ordered Healthy Fried Rice (see picture) with a heat level of 4 (out of 6) and while I found it delicious, I didn’t feel it had much spice, so added more at the table. My wife ordered the Homestyle Chicken (see picture) with a heat level of 3 (out of 6) and really liked it.

5/25/2023 Update

Yet another great stop – this time we enjoyed a Pama Mama Mule (see picture), Heavenly Beef with Sticky Rice (see picture), Crispy Chicken on Ginger Rice (see picture) and a Larb Salad (see picture). As always, all of the dishes were shared by both of us, were delicious and I’d highly recommend all of them.

If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. To receive Tweets of the latest Reviews, follow on Twitter: @TheFaDGuy