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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A co-worker visiting Des Moines was hungry for a salad bar and asked about Ruby Tuesday. He got me thinking about the salad bar, so I enjoyed that (way too much actually…left stuffed) along with a $3 Margarita (see picture). I absolutely love the dark bread buttery toasted croutons – especially when they have just been brought out and are warm! There aren’t as many salad bars around anymore, but this place has one of the best.
My friend had the Jalapeno Bacon Queso Burger (see picture) along with the salad bar. He loved the salad bar, but preferred his bacon more crispy and found the bun to be a little on the soggy side (possibly due to the queso).
It is tough to beat this place for value and it has a decent selection at the salad bar – all of which I found to be fresh. This is a solid stop for your budget, especially if you go with the Daily Specials.
12/2021
Met a friend for lunch just as they opened for the day and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with grilled zucchini. The food was fresh, hot and tasted great, but was a little disappointed in how long it took to get it for after we ordered (about 15 minutes).
Overall, is very convenient to my work location and I will likely return – so don’t hesitate to recommend it.
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We have driven past this place many times and thought about stopping, but had usually already eaten and were driving home. This afternoon we had the chance and decided we’d give it a try over our old standby Hacienda Vieja just up the road a block. The thing that stood out the most was the lengthy food and bar menus (see pictures) – making it hard to make a decision on what to order.
We started with drinks and that ended up being a little frustrating, possibly attributable to a language / communications challenge. We asked several times if they served Mezcal, since we love it and finally the server said he would go ask at the bar. He returned and said that they didn’t serve Mezcal, so I ordered a Michelada instead. While walking to the bathroom I walked by the bar and checked out the liquor behind the bar and saw a bottle of Mezcal, so pointed it out to our server who happened to be standing there (later seeing that they show at least 5 different kinds in their bar menu – see pictures). With that information, I asked our server to change my order to a Mezcal Paloma (see picture) and my wife got a Watermelon Basil Shaker (see picture). The Watermelon Basil Shaker was very good and there was a generous quantity served, although we didn’t taste or see any basil in the drink.
The complimentary chips and salsa (see picture) were average – they tasted good but were very typical / standard for what you get at many Mexican restaurants. For our meals, we ordered the Pollo Mango Street Tacos (see picture) and Ceviche Al Gusto Mixed (see picture). The Ceviche was very good and while we received standard chips instead of the plantain chips mentioned in the menu, we really enjoyed it. The Pollo Mango Tacos were a little bland to both of our tastes, as we each commented about it and looked for hot sauce to give it some kick, but otherwise were hot, moist and tender.
Even though we were both very full from all of this food, I couldn’t help myself once I saw Tres Leches and Limoncello Cakes on the menu. We asked the server for a recommendation between the two and he suggested the Tres Leches Cake, so we ordered it and asked him to put it in a container to go (see picture). Of course we did have to open it in the restaurant and have a couple of bites – it was delicious. A little on the sweet side, but very spongy, moist and flavorful – definitely a great addition to finish your meal!
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Watermelon Basil ShakerMezcal PalomaChips & SalsaTres Leches Cake (asked for it in to-go container)
Several people have recommended Truman’s for lunch and we finally got a chance to stop by as a part of the Summer Stir in Des Moines. The first thing you see is that it is an old house that has been remodeled into a restaurant. You have to look closer at the sign to see the next item of significance – “KC” in the name of the restaurant. If you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan, you will love this place – especially, I’m told, during football season.
For our meal, we ended up sharing a Korean BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich (see picture) on the suggestion of the bartender as we weren’t that hungry and had eaten some at one of the other stops on the Summer Stir. As the bartender suggested, the Korean BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich was very good – moist, quality bun surrounding juicy flavorful pulled pork. The french fries were undercooked to my taste – barely crispy on the outside and mushy inside, but I kept the food at a 4* due to the sandwich.
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We had not heard of this place and only stopped in because it was one of the stops on the Summer Stir. Other than the crowd caused by the Summer Stir though, we found this place to be quite unique and ended up staying for a bite to eat and a cookie.
We saw a large pan of paella cooking outside on the sidewalk and saw the signs that Friday is their Summer Paella Night. Given how much we like paella, we ordered a serving. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture, but it was served in a cardboard box for carryout and tasted very good. I should point out that other orders in the restaurant were served on nice plates with silverware so the cardboard was unique to the paella and to go.
After seeing the cookies in the display case by the front door, I couldn’t leave without trying at least one of them. I ended up ordering an Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie (see picture) and shared it with my wife. I’m a sucker for sweets…and when you combine espresso, chocolate and sea salt sprinkled on the top – you can’t go wrong. It is delicious and I highly recommend that you stop by and try one yourself!
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Our son and daughter-in-law invited us to eat with them after the days events at the John Deere Classic and we ended up picking the Tap 22 Grill & Bar. It doesn’t look like much from the outside (a refurbished industrial / farm building – see picture), but the inside is quite another story (see pictures).
They appeared to be short-staffed in the kitchen – possibly overwhelmed by the extra customers coming from the John Deere Classic. Tanya, did a great job keeping us informed on the order status and keeping our drinks full.
I ordered the Tin Can Nachos (see picture) for my meal and to share with the table and another guest at our table ordered the Arizona Chicken Sandwich (see picture). The sandwich and fries were very good and the Nachos were likely the most unique delivery that I’ve ever seen. As the name implies, they come with all the ingredients layered in a tin can and then the server lifts off the top at the table (see picture) to leave a delicious stack of chips and toppings!
I would definitely stop by on another trip when it isn’t so busy – and I highly recommend that you try the Tin Can Nachos when you go. Also, be sure to say ‘Hi’ to Tanya – she is a wonderful server!
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We were in town for the John Deere Classic and a coworker highly recommended Miss Phay Cafe, so we gave it a try for dinner on our arrival. What a great place! While the outside facia was modern and professional (see pictures), the inside was breathtaking (see pictures). Absolutely beautiful decorating everywhere that you looked, with seemingly no detail left to chance – with fantastic musical ambiance to top it off!
My wife started with a Cucumber Smash and I went with the Saigon Mojito (see picture) – both on our wonderful server Cara’s suggestions and both were absolutely delicious! For an appetizer, Cara suggested the Crab Cheese Puffs (see picture) and they were like a little taste of Heaven! So soft, creamy and rich inside the crispy pastry crust – and the included homemade dipping sauce is also amazing (I might have eaten the rest of it with a spoon after the Puffs were gone…).
For our meal, my wife ordered the Suko Thai Noodles (see picture) and I went with the Lemongrass Beef Noodle (see picture). Both again on Cara’s suggestions – but not until after pointing out that the alternative I was thinking about was not spicey (and I wanted something spicey). I like her opinions and directness!
I am so glad that this place was recommended to us and I highly recommend that you stop and give it a try. When you stop, make sure to say ‘Hi’ to Cara – she is a fantastic server who is full of great detailed recommendations and has just the perfect amount of sassiness to make for an enjoyable experience.
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We stopped at the previous business (WISCO) and found that they were remodeling with new owners…so waited for the new restaurant to open and tried it out for Happy Hour (from HappyHourDesMoines.com). The bar area is beautifully lighted (see pictures) and there is a professional painting of numerous GOAT sports figures on one wall. It was just a few days after they officially opened and unfortunately, their tap beer wasn’t working that night – so we made due with mixed drinks instead.
My wife started with a Margarita 1800 (see picture) on our server, Steph’s recommendation – and it was very good. I stuck with the well drinks to take advantage of the Happy Hour specials…and we soon found ourselves ordering food and making a night of it.
We started with Cheese Curds (see picture) which were very good…and the dipping sauce was delicious! I then ordered chicken wings (see pictures) and my wife ordered Cod (see picture) – again on Steph’s suggestion. Both entree orders were delicious – crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and oh, so tasty. I would definitely recommend all of the above items when you stop.
This is definitely a great stop for a drink and/or food – and when you stop by, make sure to say ‘Hi’ to Steph – she is fantastic!
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It was Father’s Day…so I got to pick where we went for lunch. If you follow my posts, you know I prefer experiencing new foods and places and this place looked interesting. The outside is nothing special…just a storefront in a strip mall along University – but it is what’s inside that matters.
We started with a round of drinks (see picture) while we reviewed the menus. On our server’s suggestion, I ordered the Pernil Plate (see picture), my wife ordered the Carne Frita (see picture), and our sons ordered the Cubano (see picture) and the Camarones (see picture). All of the food was delivered promptly and I sampled some from each of the plates – finding each of them to be worthy of a recommendation. My only concern was that I found the pork on the Pernil Plate to be a little dry to my liking.
For dessert, I ordered a Pastelillo for us to try and share. Similar to my pork comment above, I found this to be a little dry. While that is possibly the way it is supposed to be made and served, I like a little more moistness in my desserts – so wouldn’t order it again.
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This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while and then a local highly recommended it, so met visitors from out of town here for lunch. This is a fast food restaurant where you order at the counter, find a table with your order number flag and then they deliver your order to your table. With that said, I found Charlotte’s to be at the high-end of fast food restaurants and based on the comments from others in line is clearly a local favorite.
The menu only includes chicken sandwiches, wraps and salads (see video board pictures), which keeps things easier and lets them focus on doing chicken well. I went with the Chicken Tenders Combo (see picture) and one of my guests ordered the Original Sandwich Combo (see picture). The chicken was crispy, juicy and delicious and the fries were also very good – crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. I also ordered Char’s Sauce & Sweet Thai Chili sauce – which were great on the chicken as well as dipping the fries.
I definitely see why this place generates so much local chatter and look forward to bringing my wife back to try some additional menu items such as the Brussels Sprouts & Crab Rangoon. If you are in the area and looking for a solid chicken meal in a clean, modern restaurant – you will definitely want to give this place a try.
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Had coupons since hearing about someone going to a live band here and following on Facebook – and were in the area after Mass one evening, so gave it a try.
The first challenge was finding the place. While our phone map took us to the entrance…it isn’t super clear how to get to the restaurant and we had a couple of false starts. First at the marina office near the road and then we turned around on the winding path before getting to the restaurant thinking it was leading nowhere. Just keep driving – you will eventually get there…
Once we finally found the restaurant, the view was great and probably the largest draw – hard to top relaxing at a table with food and drink while watching the lake and boaters. The facilities are what you might expect for a seasonal dock business with public access…functional, simplistic and a little crude – not what you would find in even an average place on land.
With that said, we found the drink selection and the food to be above average. We each ordered burgers (see pictures) to use our coupon. We both shared samples with each other and found them both to be solid – soft, moist buns, fresh toppings, crispy fries and good flavor.
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We have eaten at several Jack Stack Barbecue venues in Kansas City and have really enjoyed them, so when this place was within walking distance on a recent stay, it rose to the top of our list for dinner. We had another couple that met us for the weekend and while the husband had been here once before for a work event, this was the wife’s first visit (and boy did she leave satisfied!).
We had a group of 4 and wanted to try a little of everything, so went with The Pitmaster (see picture) for our entree. It was so hard to pick from the side offerings (see pictures), as all of them sounded so good. As we have become accustomed to, the barbecue was absolutely fantastic! All of the meats were SO tender and full of flavor – easy to cut with a fork and they just melt in your mouth!
If you haven’t experienced barbecue at a Jack Stack – you don’t know what you are missing. You will absolutely fall in love with the great food and atmosphere, so I highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner during your next trip to downtown Kansas City!
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Believe it or not, we’ve lived in Iowa for a year and a half now and this was our first stop at a Maid-Rite! We were traveling with friends to the Luke Combs concert in Kansas City and looking for a place to stop along the interstate. They recommended it based on their experiences with one in Illinois many years ago and we are so glad that we stopped.
Although it is a technically a fast food restaurant where you order at the counter and they deliver your food to the table, the food was very good and the service was above average.
Our group ordered a Tenderloin sandwich (see picture), several MEGA sandwiches (see picture), Sweet Potato Fries (see picture) and Fried Okra (see picture). Of course you have to have a MEGA when you stop, as it is what built the restaurant, but the Tenderloin and sweet potato fries as well as the okra were all very good. If you follow my posts, my sweet tooth is well documented…so I couldn’t leave this place without sampling a caramel shake – it was delicious and I highly recommend you finish your meal with one on your way out to the car.
Yes, it is fast food, but this place is quite unique, is an Iowa institution and has a very nice attached Amish country store. Definitely worth a stop for lunch, dinner or one of their multiple sweets options!
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I’ve been here a few times on business trips but just finally posting some pictures along with my review. I’ve enjoyed sampling different beers on each visit and have also had food on at least one other occasion.
Our table started with Hangry Sprouts, Curb Your Enthusiasm cheese curds and Zeit Bites (pretzel bread bites) – all of which were above average bar food (sorry, no pictures of them). For my meal, I ordered the Carolina Burger (see picture) with Sweet Potato Fries. While it was above average overall (especially the fries), I found the pulled pork on the burger to be quite dry. Another person at the table ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese (see picture) and thought it tasted good – had just hoped there would be more lobster in it.
If you are stopping by to try their beers, this is definitely a great stop and if you decide to add food to your stop, you can expect better than average appetizers and entrees.
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Carolina Burger w/ Sweet Potato FriesLobster Mac & Cheese
Have had on my Want to Go list since Cityview listed it for best local bar food in 2022 and finally had the opportunity after the Craft Beer Festival. While we were a little leery of what it might be like near the airport, we were pleasantly surprised by the exterior (see pictures) as we pulled up…and remained positively impressed with the interior decor (see pictures).
Cityview called out their New York Steak & Peppers sandwich (see picture) and it looked great, so my wife went with that for her choice. For our second entree, I went with the Philly Chicken with Fries (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each of our meals and both of us enjoyed both offerings – finding the food quality definitely worthy of the title of Best Bar Food.
If you are in the area or have a little time waiting on a flight, you won’t be disappointed with a stop at Francies.
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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.
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Homestyle ChickenHealthy Fried RiceLarb SaladCrispy Chicken on Ginger RiceHeavenly Beef with Sticky RicePama Mama Mule
We were looking for a place to stop for lunch before leaving the area and found this place. This appears to be a relatively new restaurant and I really liked the atmosphere inside and out (modern, clean and open) – and the food quality was excellent!
For my main course, I ordered the Power Bowl with Grilled Chicken (see picture) and my wife ordered the Beef & Broccoli (see picture). As we always do, we shared tastes of each others dishes and found both of them to be quite delicious – so I’d highly recommend either if you are visiting. The quinoa was so tasty and the grilled chicken was done well – with a good amount of moisture intact. The Beef & Broccoli was a bit salty to our tastes (probably from the soy sauce), but still very tasty.
I would highly recommend this place – while the value is a bit on the pricey side, if you can get past that – you will thoroughly enjoy a stop here.
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What a fantastic stop to serve my voracious sweet tooth on our last day before leaving the area! We took a stroll down the street and as the saying goes…I’ve never met a sweets shop that I don’t like. Everything about this place from the exterior to the interior decor and all the fantastic dessert creations inside the displays screams high-end, Paris-like quality.
We were in need of some additional caffeine to go along with the sweets, so ordered 3 Gibraltars and an Iced Caramel Latte – all of which were delicious. For our desserts, we shared a Little Tahini vanilla dessert (see picture) and an Opera chocolate dessert (see picture). Believe me…both were every bit as good as their near-perfect appearance and warrant serious consideration to try during your next stop.
If you like high-end, delicious desserts as much as I do, you really need to stop by and try a few of these luscious treats!
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Stopped here while walking the street with friends after a visit to a winery…drawn in by the lively atmosphere and friendly people at the door. We had reservations for dinner later, so limited ourselves to drinks and an appetizer.
I ordered a Raspberry Lemon Drop (see picture) based on the bartender Lani’s recommendation and really enjoyed it – she was right in saying that it was delicious! We also enjoyed a Mango Cosmo and some Bombay Sapphire martinis – all served happily by our fantastic bartender. For an appetizer, we ordered a Side of Fried (Feta Garlic) and other than being a little messy…they tasted fantastic.
You won’t go wrong with a stop here for great food and drinks!
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Our friends took us here during our visit to the San Jose area and it just might be my favorite Mexican restaurant. Other than it being a little pricey – everything was some of the best we’ve experienced at a Mexican restaurant. It was so good, that we ended up shutting the place down – we were the last patrons to leave and they had already started the cleaning process.
We love mezcal palomas (see picture), so that is what we started with. Given that I’m a bit of a mezcal paloma snob, I asked the waiter if the bartender knew what he was doing with making them. Boy did he ever know what he was doing, as these were probably the best mezcal palomas that we’ve had – and the presentation was great also!
For appetizers, we all really like ceviche, so ordered the Crab Ceviche Tostada (sorry, no picture) and Guacamole. The chips (see picture) were so fresh, light and delicious. My belief is that chips are only the delivery system for dips and toppings – and they tasted great together with the guacamole and ceviche.
For our main courses, I ordered the Chile Relano (see picture), my wife ordered the Enchilada de Camaron (see picture), our friends ordered the Pesca del Dia (see picture) and Ensalada de Cesar with Shrimp (see picture). Our friend recommended each of these dishes and all of them were delicious – I’d highly recommend each of them.
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Take a bite of the Pesca del DiaEnsalada de Cesar with ShrimpPesca del DiaChile RelanoEnchilada de CamaronMezcal PalomaChips
