This place was recommended by our son who lives in the area and has been here for lunch since it is near his latest worksite. This is a top-notch restaurant and was quite impressive – what I would have expected to find in downtown Tampa. Everything about the experience was excellent, with the only ding I can give it based on value – as it is a bit pricey.
This was a bit of a brunch stop for us, so we ate fairly lightly. My wife ordered the Arroz Chaufa Pollo Lunch (see picture) and 1961 Side Salad (see picture), my son ordered the Classic ’61 Tacos (see picture) and I ordered the Peruvian Ceviche (see picture). As is our custom, we all shared bites from each others orders and all really enjoyed all of these dishes, so would highly recommend them. The ceviche was creamy and tangy, the arroz chaufa pollo was moist and flavorful and the tacos were zesty, cheesy and delicious!
If you are looking for a great lunch or dinner stop in Lakeland, especially if it is a special occasion worthy of a bit of a splurge, Nineteen 61 will not disappoint you.
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We’ve lived in town several years now and have enjoyed Red Robins in the past, but with so many non-chain places to explore in the area I finally took the time to stop when offered with a free Birthday Burger.
I’m not a fan of carry-out / take-home food due to the quality degradation during the trip and tonight was no different. The food was probably a 5* if eaten in the restaurant when fresh, but I can only gauge based on what it was when I got home. The burger was still very good but the fries were soggy and limp, so we put them in the air fryer for a few minutes before eating.
For my Birthday Burger, I ordered the Cheesy Bacon Fondue Burger & Fries (see picture) and since I had to spend at least $5 for the free burger, I accompanied it with the Mountain High Mudd Pie (see picture). The burger and mudd pie were both delicioius…and would have been so much better in the restaurant. Take my advice and when you go…stay there and eat it fresh.
If you are looking for a gourmet hamburger on the upper end of chain restaurant quality, you will enjoy a stop at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews.
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We have been here a few times since our move to Iowa, most recently (prior to this visit) for a financial advisor event. Tonight we met friends here as this is one of their favorite restaurants in the area. The food has always been very good. I believe that the atmosphere is getting a bit dated, with the low lighting and shadows reminding me of a 1970’s-vintage supper club / steak house. The pricing is a bit higher than I believe is justified given the rest of the overall experience. Relative to the service, that was maybe a poor decision on our part, as when we made reservations, we accepted the recommendation of the hostess to be seated in the bar area. Unbeknownst to us, our meal was in the middle of an Iowa football game with a pretty full bar area – so the server was possibly a bit overwhelmed.
We started our meal with drinks, including a Caramel Espresso Martini (name? see pictures, one of the at-table pouring) and Autumn Spritzer (see picture) – I really enjoyed the martini and the spritzer was very light and refreshing. For our food starter, we ordered the Prime Rib Appetizer (see picture) and it was quite tasty – tender & juicy…but be forewarned, the horseradish sauce was quite strong.
For our meals, our friend ordered the Pan-seared Sea Scallops (see picture), my wife ordered the Ribeye Steak w/ Gunpowder Crust (see picture) and I ordered the Lamb Chops (see picture). As is always the case with my wife and myself, we shared tastes of our meals and both of us liked and would recommend both plates. Possibly the best part of the experience though was the Housemade Tiramisu (see picture) – so light, creamy and delicious!!
If you live on the north side of Des Moines and are looking for a quality steak or seafood meal, Trostel’s Greenbriar has yet to disappoint me on food quality.
11/5/2014
I thought this restaurant was great. We went with a business group and had read that the reviews on Yelp (though there weren’t that many) were less than flattering. With that said, I thought the Thai Beef Rolls and Mushroom appetizers were great and my Ribeye (medium rare) was fantastic! I would definitely go back to this place, with the only negative being that it was kind of pricey.
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On a recommendation of a friend who recently moved here from Mexico as the most authentic Mexican food in town, this has become our new favorite!
We have been wanting to try Fiesta since a friend we met at a pool party who recently moved to Iowa from Mexico suggested it as the most authentic Mexican food in the Des Moines area. We decide to go there last night after Mass and this place is legit…very good food and atmosphere drives it to our new favorite Mexican restaurant in the area.
We started with a Classic Margarita (see picture) and Mezcal Paloma (see picture) with the delicious Chips & Salsa (see picture). The chips and salsa were very good, with the salsa being of the ‘blended’ variety with small pieces and not runny – and just a hint of sweetness to go with the spice. The margarita was also good – a little on the sweet side, but a generous pour, with several refills from the decanter. The Mezcal Paloma wasn’t my favorite, but I’m a bit of a snob in this area – preferring certain Mezcals and having a personal favorite Mezcal Paloma Recipe.
The food was definitely the highlight of our stop though – in every way living up to the recommendation of our new friend. We ordered a Burrito Bowl (see picture) and a new dish called the Birria Quesatacos (see picture). Both of them were absolutely delicious – fresh, great flavor and wonderful presentation! The Quesatacos were very unique, with the queso (cheese) fried onto the inside of the tortillas and great topping sauces. In addition, we really enjoyed the consome (chicken soup) broth – it was very tasty and reminded us a bit of the secret sauce in Skyline Chile.
If you enjoy Mexican food, you owe it to yourself to stop at Fiesta Mexican Restaurant – you won’t be sorry when you do!
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A classy, modern, French-themed restaurant that you are sure to enjoy for your next special outing!
I have been looking for the opportunity to stop by Django ever since adding their great Happy Hour to my HappyHourDesMoines.com site and finally got the chance. We had friends visiting from Brittany, near the west coast of France and thought this would be a stop that they would enjoy. Callout to Lindsey A. (our server) who was great and had spent some time in France, so chatted with our friends about her experience there. Say ‘Hi’ to Lindsey from The Food and Drink Guy when you get a chance to visit.
There was still an hour left of Happy Hour and we had a smoked pork dinner planned for them at home, so were only able to sample some wine (see picture) along with the cocktail shrimp and oysters (see picture). We opted for the Happy Hour wine, while our French friends chose finer wines from the menu – and all were quite good. The presentation, freshness and taste of the oysters and shrimp were excellent – we look forward to a return trip for dinner!
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Have been wanting to try this place for some time, but wasn’t sure what to expect and whether it was worth a drive just to visit. We had the opportunity while returning home from a Winterset trip to enabled our friends visiting from France to see some covered bridges and the John Wayne Museum.
We each tried a Wine Flight (see picture) and also enjoyed a flight of different chocolate medallions from Chocolaterie Stam (see picture). The quality of the wines came as a bit of a surprise to me, as I wasn’t expecting a lot from a smaller community in the middle of Iowa.
If you enjoy relaxing at a table with a great glass of wine, you will enjoy a stop at the Covered Bridges Winery in Winterset, Iowa.
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We had just finished a trip to Winterset to see a covered bridge and the John Wayne Museum with friends from France and were looking for a place to stop for a drink. The Drift wasn’t quite open (it was 10 minutes before 3:00), so we took a walk to kill some time – and then found this quaint little coffee and dessert shop.
While the lady who greeted us was admittedly loud and borderline obnoxious, she was quite friendly and encouraged us to stay even though it was just a few minutes before closing time. We decided to have coffees here rather than alcoholic beverages at the Drift…and were quite pleased with the coffees that they served.
My wife ordered the Cafe Au Lait (Milk Coffee – see picture) and I went with the Caramel Macchiato (see picture). My wife and I are admittedly a bit on the ‘coffee snob’ side, with an expensive fully automated espresso machine at home – and we both found these coffees to be very good. A solid, quality cup of coffee with great flavor and nice creme on the top – and at a reasonable price. I look forward to having something to eat here during a future visit to Winterset!
For a quality ‘big city’ cup of coffee at small-town Iowa pricing, you’ll love a stop at Anything Sweet & More Cafe in Winterset!
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We had friends visiting from France and when asked what type of food they wanted for dinner, they suggested seafood – so we thought a return trip to Waterfront would be just the ticket!
For an appetizer, my wife ordered the Mini Chuck Roll and Mini Godzilla Roll (see picture) on the waiter’s recommendation – and really liked both of them. My wife ordered the Seafood Scallops (see picture) with New England Clam Chowder (see picture). I sampled both and we each thought they were both delicious. I ordered the Rock Shrimp Basket Dinner to save a few dollars for our friends who were paying and although it was a more typical mass market-type fried food dish, I found the rock shrimp to be quite tender and tasty and also thought the sweet potato fries were very good.
Our friends ordered the Halibut Basket Dinner (see picture) and the Coconut Shrimp Dinner (see picture) – and they enjoyed both of them (although it was way more food quantity-wise than they are used to eating in France).
If you are looking for a solid seafood restaurant with a lengthy ‘fresh-catch’ Market Entrees list in the Des Moines area, you will enjoy a stop at Waterfront Seafood Market.
2/26/2022
Food: 5*
Atmosphere: 5*
Value: 4*
Service: 5*
Our neighbors suggested this place and took us there last night…and oh what a treat it was! If you enjoy good, fresh seafood – you’ll love this place, with your biggest challenge being figuring out which dish to order. As a bonus, you can also buy fresh seafood to take home at the adjoining market – or watch your sushi being made in another area.
Our dinner started with the complimentary sourdough bread and butter – served warm with whipped butter, smelled and tasted great. Next, on the recommendation of our waiter, we shared an order of Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops. As you might expect with these two great food items combined – they were delicious and I highly recommend them.
Next, my wife enjoyed the Creole Seafood Gumbo, while I opted for the New England Clam Chowder so that we could try both. The menu says the Clam Chowder was voted the Best Soup in Des Moines and while I haven’t tried enough soup to confirm that – I can tell you that it was some of the best Clam Chowder that I’ve ever had.
For the main course, my wife ordered the Shrimp and Scallops, while I opted for the cajun Halibut and Salmon. We thoroughly enjoyed everything, with my lone exception to the 5* rating being the preparation of the salmon – as it was overcooked to my liking and was rather dry as opposed to soft and moist when it is cooked less. It was definitely a great experience for my wife and I and I highly recommend it for the lively atmosphere, fresh seafood and great service.
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My wife and I had stopped here several years ago after moving to the area given its history as the original king tenderloin. This time I had just picked up friends from France at the airport, they were hungry and they wanted to eat something unique to Iowa.
I ordered the Breaded Tenderloin (see picture) and we shared some Onion Rings (see picture). The food and atmosphere were each average with the tenderloin served on a common high volume commercial bakery bun and the building showing its age. The flavor of the tenderloins was good and I liked that it was not greasy. The breading seemed quite dry, almost as if it wasn’t even fried at all…or was re-breaded after frying. There wasn’t much substance to the onion rings as is shown in the picture – they were very thin and had minimal breading.
The food and ambiance reminded me of many of the small town ice cream shops I frequented as a teenager. If you are looking for value and a small-town diner experience, you will enjoy a stop at Smitty’s.
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We were killing time walking down Ingersoll and waiting for our dinner reservation when I saw a sign for Crème. If you follow my posts, you know that I have a strong sweet tooth – so had to stop and check the place out…even though I wasn’t supposed to eat dessert before dinner.
What could possibly be wrong with a stop at a shop advertising both delicious desserts / snacks as well as cocktails! I couldn’t resist eating one of them immediately (even before dinner…), so opted for the Hot Chocolate (spicy) cupcake (see picture). Unfortunately, I was so eager to taste it that it was already unwrapped before I remembered to take a picture. My wife was a little more sensible…opting for the Salted Peanut Butter Honey Chocolate Torte to go. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of it.
We both sampled some of each others and found them both to be delicious. The cupcake had just the right amount of spicy kick to go along with the sweet chocolate and frosting – and the torte was every bit as good as you can imagine.
If you are in the area and looking for a great sweet treat, snack or cocktail (even late in the evening), you will definitely want to give this place a try.
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We hadn’t heard much about this place, but met some great new friends from Brazil here when they recommended it. The building was quite impressive as we walked up and the inside lived up to the promises on the building’s exterior – this was truly a memorable dinner!
We started with drinks and some wine – see the attached menu pictures and you’ll understand how difficult of decision that in itself proved to be in the end! We then ordered appetizers to share – the Soppresatta Pizza (see picture) and Spinach & Artichoke Dip (see picture). The pizza was excellent and similar in taste to pepperoni and the spinach and artichoke dip was also very good.
For our dinners, my wife ordered the Lemon Garlic Shrimp (see picture) and I ordered the Salmon BLT (see picture). Our friends ordered the Italian Stuffed Tenderloin (see picture) and the Frutti Di Mare (see picture). We shared tastes of the dishes and all of us really liked all of these dishes – I’d highly recommend them all. My wife also ordered the Seafood Bisque (see picture) as she had heard some great things about it from her coworkers – and it also lived up to the hype.
This is a top-notch wine bar and restaurant in our area and although you might find it a bit pricey, our experience tells me that you will leave happy customers. If you go – say ‘Hi’ to Jacob S. from The Food and Drink Guy – he was a fantastic server, so consider yourself lucky if he is your server also!
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This place has been on my Want to Go since sampling their catering in a factory near their north Des Moines location. The BBQ is top-notch and in my opinion in the top tier in the Des Moines area. The atmosphere, value and service are all above average and worthy of a stop to try for yourself.
We had a beer at the bar before dinner and ended up staying there to eat our dinner. I really like their snowy/ice rail to set your tap beer on – as it does do a great job of helping to keep your beer colder! A friend and myself shared the BBQ Sampler Platter (see picture) with brisket, burnt ends and chicken – and really enjoyed all 3 of them along with the ribs.
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We stopped here for dinner after reading positive reviews and enjoyed our meal. The chips and salsa were good and plentiful (an expectation at Mexican restaurants) and the Margarita was very good.
I ordered the white fish Ceviche and found it to be some of my favorite in the area. I really like a strong lime flavor and this definitely had that. The white fish was firm and tasted great.
The only negative was the service. We wanted to order a 2nd margarita, but couldn’t get the waiter’s attention – and an attempt to ask another server to have him stop by was also unsuccessful.
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I picked up my wife here after a post-work party and have since wanted to stop back to try some of their food. I got the chance while doing some ‘R&D’ for HappyHourDesMoines.com recently and found it to be a solid stop for Happy Hour.
Since they advertised $3 Guinness pints and I enjoy Guinness, I started with a pint while perusing their food menu. Since it was Monday and their Daily Special was $12 Appetizers, I settled on an order of wings (see picture). I opted for half Jalapeno Honey Lime Sriracha and half Mango Habanero and would recommend both of them – moist, juicy wings with just the right amount of ‘kick’.
While nothing stood out as outstanding enough to warrant a 5* rating in any of my categories, all aspects of my visit were well above average and deserving of 4*s across the board. As far as my experiences with Irish Pubs, this is in the upper tier and worthy of a stop when you are in the mood for a Pint and some solid bar food.
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Admittedly, we were in town to try the Flight Bar and Grille’s award-winning burgers…but I couldn’t help but notice this beautiful ice cream shoppe on the other end of the building – and I DO like ice cream! This was such a cool place – I just loved the decor (see pictures) and really wish I lived closer to stop back some morning for coffee!
My wife and I split a scoop of Ripe Raspberry Chocolate Chunk and Pirate’s Treasure (see picture) – both were delicious, but I really liked the Ripe Raspberry! If you like ice cream, you won’t go wrong with a stop here. The hand-dipped ice cream is delicious and the store is just beautiful!
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We liked this place so much, we made an extra 20 minute drive the next day after a meal with our neighbors for some ice cream dessert! This time we shared a Banana Split (see picture) while our neighbors shared a Butterslinger (see picture). As expected, both of them were absolutely delicious (and plenty for us to eat).
08/05/2023
My wife loves buffalo and saw a Free Bison Day Family Festival at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, IA so we took in the event. Coincidentally (and given my passion for all things ice cream…) I noticed an Ice Cream shoppe prominently showing in the middle of Prairie City, so had to stop and try it out on the way home. Boy, was it a find – I loved the open atmosphere, extremely friendly service from the moment you walked in the door and selection of delicious ice cream desserts!
We decided to split the Peanut Butter Panic (see picture). Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, peanut butter cups and Butterfinger – WOW was it delicious!! We were glad that we decided to share the medium…as that was plenty for the both of us to enjoy. Lastly, we saw the signs of them winning Iowa’s Best Breaded Tenderloin from the Iowa Pork Producers in 2009 – so now we need to plan another trip for a meal and give it a try.
If you are in the area make sure you stop for delicious ice cream treats – there are so many great options including some with a piece of pie blended into the ice cream!
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This place’s Italian Beef was highly recommended by a reviewer on another site and finally got the chance to try it today. This is definitely a neighborhood bar – as several other patrons / regulars asked us how we liked our drinks and dinners. Granted, the area looks a little on the rough side as you pull up but the service and food were both great – all handled by one lady behind the bar.
On the recommendation of another patron, we started out with Bloody Marys with pickle vodka and I highly recommend them – not too salty or thick. For our meals, my wife ordered the Italian Beef (see picture) and I went with the Chicago Dog (see picture). As always, we each shared tastes and found both dishes to be very good. Our neighbors ordered the Italian Beef with Cheese (see picture) and Chili Dog (see picture) – and both of them thought they tasted great, commenting especially about how good the chili was.
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Italian Beef with CheeseChicago DogChili DogItalian Beef
My personal radar is always scanning for Ice Cream or Gelato stops…so when the ‘OPEN’ sign turned on at noon after our brunch at Boxed and Burlap – I had to give it a try.
The atmosphere is average but the ice cream selection and other unique and authentic Mexican sweet options were great! I ended up going with a scoop of Tequila Almond ice cream – sounded intriguing and the taste was great! My wife went with Chocolate and friends opted for Pistachio – both of which were also delicious.
For great ice cream and authentic Mexican sweets, you will enjoy a stop at La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop in Delavan, Wisconsin.
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We stopped here for brunch after Mass with our friends from Lake Geneva before heading home Sunday morning. I really liked the unique modern decor, friendly service, coffee and food (see pictures)! The Art Class area was another very unique and quality aspect to the building (see attached video).
The coffee was delivered in a timely manner and was great…this is a great place to stop and relax with your morning caffeine fix. The food delivery (slow, at the counter with a confusing tag identifying whose it was and the order wasn’t complete) was the reason for the 2* rating in Service. They really need to get this figured out if they want to be successful, as there was a waiting line of clearly frustrated customers trying to figure out which was theirs, when the order might be coming, etc. If you don’t want to deal with that frustration, just stick with the coffee and pastries in the display case.
For our lunch, my wife ordered the Mediterranean Salad with Chicken (see picture) and I went with the Cilantro Lime Mango Salad (see picture). Both of these tasted fantastic – I really liked the Cilantro Lime Mango Salad and the warm tortilla on the side was a great complement! Our friend ordered the Turkey Club (see picture) and really liked it also. His came out much earlier than the rest of the order without a person’s name on the slip…so we believe he picked up someone else’s sandwich as another was delivered later and sat on the counter unclaimed for quite some time.
This is a top-notch place for coffee and the food options are unique and delicious. Be forewarned though that the counter food delivery is slow, confusing and frustrating. Once they get this fixed, this place will compete with top coffee and sandwich shops in much larger cities.
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We have been to the Kilwin’s on the strip in Clearwater Beach, Florida and really enjoyed the stop…so definitely wanted to try it when we saw it in Lake Geneva.
As the pictures and video show, this is a modern, upbeat, classy and lively place that always seems to be a beehive of activity that will catch your attention. It is always fun to watch the fudge being made in real time (see attached video) and the energetic and friendly servers are always a treat. Oh yeah…and the ice cream is really good also!
While there is almost always a line…sometimes stretching out onto the street, if you are looking for great ice cream, chocolate, candies or fudge in a lively atmosphere – this place is a must stop!
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